This week I was able to visit Zanzibar. Can you find Zanzibar on a map? It's an island off the east coast of Tanzania. From the Tanzanian mainland, I took a 90-minute boat to get to the island. There are many farms on the island that grow special spices, and I was able to visit one and learn all about how the trees are planted and how they spices that grow on them are harvested and prepared for sale.
The environment in Zanzibar is special because it is an island, so it is completely surrounded by water. Zanzibar is also special because it is close to the equator (that imaginary line the divides the Earth in half), which means that the weather is always in the high-80s, and when it rains from April to June, it rains hard. This makes the island of Zanzibar the ideal place to grow various plants.
The good weather conditions help farmers grow a lot of vegetables, fruits and spices that they eat and also sell in the market for money. The ocean around the island is full of different fish like barracuda, tuna, kingfish and more that are used for food and also as a form of earning money.
