A city of Tanzania on the western coast of Zanzibar Island. Founded in the 16th century as a Portuguese trading post, it was a major center of the East African ivory trade in the 19th century. Population: 205,000.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.