January 12 is Zanzibar Revolution Day.
This holiday commemorates the day of the Zanzibar Revolution in 1964.
Modern Tanzania merged from Zanzibar and Tanganyika in 1964.
Tanganyika was granted independence in 1961by Britain while Zanzibar remained its administrative unit until 1963.
Zanzibar was granted independence only in 1963 and the power came to the Sultan of Zanzibar.
But African Afro-Shirazy Party allied itself with the left-win Umma Party and on January 12, 1964, mobilized revolutionaries under the leadership of John Okello on the main island Unguja.
The revolutionaries proceeded to Zanzibar Town and overthrew the Sultan and his government.
This resulted in death toll with estimates ranging up to 20,000.
In April 1964 the independent republic merged with Tanganyika and Zanzibar got status of a semi-autonomous region.
