Foreign relations of Zanzibar Foreign relations of Zanzibar The foreign relations of Zanzibar refers to the relationships with other nations by the independent Zanzibari government which existed from 1856 to 1964, when the Zanzibar Revolution overthrew the ruling Sultan and unified the country with Tanganyika, forming Tanzania. In 1890, Zanzibar gave up formal control over their foreign relations to the British Empire. In 1906, the United States of America formalized a treaty in which they relinquished any claims to Zanzibar in favor of the British Empire. Following the unification and creation of Tanzania, Zanzibar's foreign relations were handled by the joint government in Dar
History of Zanzibar Portuguese Empire was the first European power to gain control of Zanzibar, and kept it for nearly 200 years. In 1698, Zanzibar fell under the control of the Sultanate of Oman, which developed an economy of trade and cash crops, with a ruling Arab elite and a Bantu general population. Plantations were developed to grow spices; hence, the moniker of the Spice Islands (a name also used of Dutch colony the Moluccas, now part of Indonesia). Another major trade good was ivory, the tusks of elephants that were killed on the Tanganyika mainland - a practice that is still in