Zanzibar
/ˈzæn.zɪ.bɑːr/noun
An island and semi-autonomous region of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean, historically a major center of Swahili and Indian Ocean trade.
Did you know?Medieval Arabic geographers used Zanj for Black African peoples of the East African coast, while Zanzibar became a major center of trade in spices, ivory, and enslaved people.
Etymological Timeline
Late Antiquity
Persian
zang
“Black person or Black African; an ethnonym used in Persian geographical vocabulary”
Early Medieval Period
Arabic
Zanj
“Black African peoples, especially those living along the East African coast”
Medieval Period
Persian
zang-bār
“Coast or land of the Black people; commonly identified as the source of the place-name”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
Zanjībār
“Arabic form of the name, referring to the East African island or coastal region”
16th–19th Century
Portuguese and European usage
Zanzibar
“European forms of the established Indian Ocean place-name”
Modern English
English
Zanzibar
“The island and region now forming part of Tanzania”