The majority of the population belongs to the Bantu-speaking Hadimu ethnic group. In addition, a small percentage of the inhabitants is of Arab descent and some are of Indian or Pakistani background. Swahili is predominantly spoken. There is a sizable fishing industry. The island's few manufactures include clove oil and woven goods.
Artisans make objects of wood, ivory, and metal.
Lime is the only mineral resource. The first permanent residents of Zanzibar seem to have been the ancestors of the Hadimu and Tumbatu, who began arriving from the E African mainland c. They had belonged to various mainland ethnic groups, and on Zanzibar they lived in small villages and did not coalesce to form larger political units. Because they lacked central organization, they were easily subjugated by outsiders. Although the islands had few resources of interest to the traders, they offered a good point from which to make contact with the towns of the E African coast.