Zanzibar Protectorate

The Zanzibar Protectorate was a period from 1890 to 1963 when the British Empire controlled the Sultanate of Zanzibar, an island off East Africa. Though the Sultan remained as a figurehead, real authority was exercised by the British government. This arrangement aimed to protect British interests, especially trade and influence in the region. Zanzibar was an important center for spice trade and the slave trade historically. The protectorate ended when Zanzibar gained independence in 1963, leading eventually to the union with mainland Tanganyika to form Tanzania.