Zanzibar City in the context of Zanzibar International Airport

Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. The capital is Zanzibar City, located on the island of Unguja. Its historic centre, Stone Town, is a World Heritage Site.

Zanzibar is also a semi-autonomous region that united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the present-day United Republic of Tanzania. The archipelago's main industries are spices, raffia, and tourism. The main spices produced are clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, coconut, and black pepper. The Zanzibar Archipelago, together with Tanzania's Mafia Island, is sometimes referred to locally as the "Spice Islands". Tourism in Zanzibar is a more recent activity, driven by government promotion that caused an increase from 19,000 tourists in 1985, to 376,000 in 2016. The islands are accessible via five ports and the Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, which can serve up to 1.5 million passengers per year.

Stonetown of Zanzibar (Arabic: مدينة زنجبار الحجرية, romanized: madīnat Zanjibār al-ḥajariyya), also known as Mji Mkongwe (Swahili for 'old town'), is the old part of Zanzibar City, the main city of Zanzibar, in Tanzania. The newer portion of the city is known as Ng'ambo, Swahili for 'the other side'. Stone Town is located on the western coast of Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar Archipelago. Former capital of the Zanzibar Sultanate, and flourishing centre of the spice trade as well as the Indian Ocean slave trade in the 19th century, it retained its importance as the main city of Zanzibar during the period of the British protectorate. When Tanganyika and Zanzibar joined each other to form the United Republic of Tanzania, Zanzibar kept a semi-autonomous status, with Stone Town as its local government seat.

Stone Town is a city of prominent historical and artistic importance in East Africa. Its architecture, mostly dating back to the 19th century, reflects the diverse influences underlying the Swahili culture, giving a unique mixture of Arab, Persian, Indian and European elements. For this reason, the town was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (Swahili: Uwanja wa Ndege wa Kimataifa wa Abeid Amani Karume, IATA: ZNZ, ICAO: HTZA) is the main airport in the Zanzibar Archipelago located on Unguja Island, Zanzibar, Tanzania. It is approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of Zanzibar City, the capital of Zanzibar, and has flights to East Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. It was previously known as Kisauni Airport and Zanzibar International Airport. It was renamed in 2010 in honour of Abeid Amani Karume, the island's first president.

Mjini Magharibi Region, Zanzibar Urban West Region or West Zanzibar Region (Mkoa wa Mjini Magharibi in Swahili) is one of the 31 regions of Tanzania. The region covers an area of 230 km (89 sq mi). The region is located entirely on the island of Zanzibar and bordered to the west by the Indian Ocean, the north by Unguja North Region and the east by Unguja South Region. The region is home to one of the seven World Heritage Sites located in Tanzania, namely; Stonetown of Zanzibar. The regional capital is Zanzibar City. The region is the most developed region with the highest human development index in Tanzania at 0.718. According to the 2012 census, the region has a total population of 593,678.

Zanzibar West District is one of the two districts of the Zanzibar Urban/West Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by the Zanzibar North Region, to the east by the Zanzibar Central/South Region, to the south by Kiwani Bay, and to the west by the Zanzibar Urban District.

As of 2002 Census, the population of the Zanzibar West District was 184,204, but by the 2012 Census it had more than doubled to 370,645

Ng'ambo (literally, "The Other Side"; sometimes also referred to as the "New City") is one of the two main parts comprising Zanzibar City, the capital of Zanzibar, the other being the historical Stone Town. Ng'ambo is much larger and more modern than Stone Town, with office buildings and large apartment blocks, as well as slum areas. Ng'ambo and Stone Town are divided by Creek Road.

Michenzani is a large neighbourhood of Ng'ambo, the more modern part of Zanzibar City in Tanzania. It is located just across Creek Road, that separates the historical part of the city, Stone Town (to the west) and Ng'ambo (to the east). The place is mostly known for the Plattenbauten, i.e., the large apartment blocks that were built here in the late 1960s and early 1970s with the aid of East Germany.