Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XVI.djvu/836

 806 ZANZIBAR ZARAND caoutchouc and copal, and much fossil copal is dug in the country S. of the island of Zanzibar. All kinds of tropical fruits and vegetables abound. The elephant, rhinoceros, lion, leop- ard, hippopotamus, several kinds of antelopes, and the crocodile are found, and the rivers are well stocked with fish. Cattle, sheep, goats, and fowls are abundant. The principal towns on the coast held by the seyid are Mak- dishu, Marka, and Barawa, in the Somauli coun- try, and Kismayu, Malindi, Mombas, Pangani, Bagamoyo, Kondutchi, Kilwa or Quiloa, and Lindi, on the Galla coast and the region S. of it. Of the larger islands, Pemba has an area of 227 sq. m., and Mafia of 200 sq. m. The greater part of the trade of Zanzibar is In the hands of the banians or Hindoo traders, who collect the African produce for the European and Ameri- can export houses, and distribute the imported goods to the natives. They reside mostly in the coast towns, the interior commerce being car- ried on by Arabs, who make journeys of great length, sometimes as far as Angola on the W. coast. The amount of trade can scarcely be estimated, as the cnstom-house returns are not to be depended upon ; but according to Dr. Kirk, the Indian capital invested in Zanzibar island alone is more than 1,600,000. In 1872 the exports from that island were estimated at about $2,500,000, and the imports at nearly the same amount ; the exports of ivory amounted to $770,000, of gum copal to $284,000, and of cloves to $267,000. The other principal ex- ports are hides, goat skins, archil weed, suri- suri seed, ebony, cocoanut oil, and gum myrrh. The revenue of the seyid is derived chiefly from the customs, which are farmed out to the banians for about $210,000 annually. The isl- and of Zanzibar, which extends from lat. 5 42' to 6 37' S., has an area of 630 sq. m. and a population variously estimated from 100,000 to 380,000. It is separated from the mainland by a strait about 25 m. wide, filled with coral reefs and islets, and navigable only close to the island, which is itself of coral formation. The W. shore is low and indented by many small inlets ; the E. presents cliffs of coral reefs about 30 ft. above the level of the sea. The surface of the island, no part of which exceeds 250 ft. in elevation, is undulating. The soil is fertile, and is watered by many small streams. The climate is hot, oppressive, and enervating, and is generally considered unhealthy. A large part of the island is covered with groves of cotton trees, palms, and mangoes, and all the vegetable products of the mainland grow lux- uriantly. There are but few wild animals, but all the domestic animals have been introduced. The city of Zanzibar, or Beled-Zanzibar, called Ungnja by the natives, is situated on the W. side of the island, in lat. 6 10' S., Ion. 39 14' E. ; pop. estimated in 1875 at 80,000. It is built on a sandy peninsula, which was for- merly insulated at high water, but is now con- nected with the main island by a stone bridge. The town has narrow crooked streets, which are cleaned only by the rains. The principal public buildings are the custom house, the mosques, and the bazaars, the last of which are large and well filled with merchandise. The palace of the seyid and the houses of the foreign merchants are near the sea, opposite the harbor, and this part is much better kept than the city proper. Good water is supplied by aqueducts from small streams in the interior. The population is composed of various races, each of which has separate quarters. The Arabs constitute the bulk of the people, but there are also many negroes, Madagascans, and East Indians. The harbor is good, and gener- ally safe at all seasons, but in 1872 many ships were destroyed there by a cyclone. The port is now the chief market for the ivory, gum copal, and clove trade. It was formerly also a great slave market, but the trade has been abolished by treaty, although it is still carried on surreptitiously on the mainland to a consid- erable extent. Zanzibar became independent of Oman in 1862. (See OMAN.) The seyid Majid died in 1870, and was succeeded by his younger brother Burghash. In 1873 the latter concluded a treaty with Great Britain for the suppression of the slave trade, which was sup- plemented by another treaty signed in 1875, and a more decisive one in 1876. He visit- ed England in 1875. In November, 1875, an Egyptian force occupied several of the seyid's towns in the Somauli country, but retired in December at the request of Great Britain. ZAPATA, a S. W. county of Texas, bounded W. by the Rio Grande, which separates it from Mexico ; area, 1,425 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 1,488. The surface is level or undulating, with hills in the N. part, and the soil in the valley of the river is fertile. The inhabitants, mostly Mex- icans, are devoted to stock raising. The chief productions in 1870 were 7,945 bushels of In- dian corn and 37,675 Ibs. of wool. There were 4,119 horses, 3,716 milch cows, 3,696 other cattle, and 34,960 sheep. Capital, Carrizo. ZAPOLYA. See HUNGARY, vol. ix., p. 57. ZARA (anc. Jadera), a city of Austria, capital of Dalmatia, on a promontory of the Adriatic extending into the gulf of Zara, 74 m. N. W. of Spalato; pop. in 1870, 8,014. It is strongly fortified, and has a spacious harbor, but is ex- posed to the sirocco and bora. It has a ca- thedral, five churches (including St. Simon's, with the relics of that saint, and St. Anastasia's, the former cathedral, now the metropolitan church), an arsenal, a museum of art and an- tiquities, a theatre, and various schools. It is celebrated for the liquors called maraschino and rosoglio, and leather, silk, and linen are manufactured. There are remains of an aque- duct built by Trajan. Zara stood a celebrated siege by the combined French and Venetians at the beginning of the fourth crusade. 7 VRAM), a S. E. county of Hungary, in the Trans-Tibiscan circle, bordering N. E. and S. on Transylvania ; area, 501 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 63,282. It is mountainous throughout.