Tanzania
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
1,568km²
Area
352km
Coastline
113m
Highest point
896,721
People
29°C
Warmest sea
March
11km
To the mainland
When to go to Unguja
Best for the beach in February and from June to September.
The sea is warmest in March (29 °C) and coolest in August (26 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in Tanzania
Unguja is an island in Tanzania. It covers 1,568 km², with 352 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 113 m. About 896,721 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 11 km away.
Getting there
- Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (ZNZ)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at DAR airport (Dar es Salaam)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesHigh Tide Dhow Route, Low Tide Dhow Route
- 11 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- February and from June to Septemberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Unguja.
- 47beachesMuyuni Beach, Matemwe and 45 more
- 9viewpointsamani, Kiwengwa cave, Coral cavern Mangapwani and 6 more
- 1lighthouses
- 5ferry terminals
- 1marinasKizimkazi
- 1castles and fortsOld Fort
- 19ruins and archaeological sitesMtoni Palace Ruins, Bi Khole Ruins, Unguja Ukuu Ruins and 16 more
- 12dive centresOne Ocean Dive Centre, One Ocean, DIVING POSEIDON and 9 more
- 7campsitesPeku Peku (Barefoot), Victorias dream accomodation, Barefoot Zanzibar and 4 more
- 534hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 507restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Unguja in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Unguja, each with its own numbers.
1beachCoastya
1mountainPeakyas
Beach with the warmest sea
29.2°C
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 27 m above the sea. 100 % of it is below 200 m.
- 89 %0–50 m
- 11 %50–200 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
50 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Zanzibar709,809 people
- Nungwi30,762 people
- Sokoni25,821 people
- Bububu5,646 people
- Mahonda5,569 people
- Kijini3,720 people
- Gamba3,644 people
- Mkokotoni2,572 people
- Kiwengwa2,429 people
- Koani Ndogo2,311 people
- Koani2,211 people
- Nganane1,929 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| Night low (°C) | 27 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| Sea (°C) | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 |
| Rain (mm) | 62 | 51 | 119 | 256 | 186 | 29 | 13 | 14 | 22 | 64 | 101 | 92 |
| Wet days | 12 | 9 | 20 | 26 | 21 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 17 | 18 |
| Sun h/day | 8.5 | 8.8 | 8.0 | 6.3 | 6.0 | 7.1 | 7.3 | 7.8 | 8.4 | 8.6 | 8.7 | 8.9 |
| Wind (km/h) | 22 | 19 | 14 | 18 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 18 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.2 | +0.9 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.1 | +0.1 | +0.1 | +0.7 | +0.3 | +0.1 |
| 2021 | −0.1 | +0.5 | ±0.0 | −0.2 | −0.4 | −0.2 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | +0.1 | −0.1 | +0.3 | +0.4 |
| 2022 | +0.4 | −0.1 | −0.4 | +0.4 | +0.1 | +0.2 | −0.3 | −0.1 | −0.3 | −0.7 | −0.5 | ±0.0 |
| 2023 | +0.2 | −0.1 | −0.5 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.8 | +0.6 | +0.8 |
| 2024 | +0.8 | +1.4 | +1.2 | +0.6 | +0.3 | +0.7 | +1.1 | +1.0 | +0.8 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.5 |
| 2025 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +0.5 | +0.2 | +0.1 | +0.4 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.3 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Kenya
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q7332301) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Peakyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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