The trade is very considerable. In 1875 it was estimated as follows: Imports, £600,000; exports, £580,000. The imports consist of cotton goods, brass wire, beads, arms, etc.; and the exports of gum-copal, cloves, ivory, cocoa-nut oil, sesame, dye-stuffs, and a great variety of other articles.
The sultan has a small standing army of about 1400 paid soldiers, capable of increase by conscription and recruiting. The fleet, which in 1871 consisted of a sailing frigate of 24 guns, 1 corvette (21 guns), 1 steam corvette (9), and 2 yachts (6 and 4 guns), was almost entirely destroyed in the hurricane of 1872. The earliest settlement of Arabs on the e. coast of Africa occurred about 924 A.D.; and for several centuries flourishing republics, governed by elders, elected by the citizens, existed .along the coast. Vasco da Gatna visited Zanzibar in 1499, and iu 1503 the. dominion of Portugal was recognized by the inhabitants, who agreed to pay an annual tribute; but the Portuguese never held it for very long periods. About 1735 A.D. they were finally expelled, and in 1784 the island was taken by the imaum of Muscat, in whose family the government remained until the death of Seyed Saeed bin Sultan, in 1854, when the Arabian possessions- fell to his son Seyed 'l'howeni, and Zanzibar and its dependencies to Seyed Majid (died 1870), elder brother of the present ruler, Seyed Bargliash, who has entered into treaties with Great Britain for the suppression of the slave-trade, and who visited England in 1875.
• ZA'RA (ancient Jadera), the chief t. of Dalmatia, on the coast of the Adriatic, 73 m. n.w. of Spalatro, and about 12S s.e. of Trieste. Till 1873 Zara was strongly fortified.
It is built in the form of an oval, on a narrow promontory, separated from the mainland by a moat, across which is a draw-bridge. The town is entered by two gates, one from the sea, called Porta-Marina, supposed to be partly of Roman construction; and one from the landward side, called Porta-di-Terra-Firma. The ramparts, of Venetian con struction, and partly planted, afford a fine promenade to the inhabitants. There is a spacious and well-protected harbor, which, however, is somewhat shallow. The streets generally are narrow and ill paved, and the drainage defective; the town is not well sup plied with water. Of its churches,the most noteworthy are its cathedral, founded by lic.ary Banal°, doge of Venice, and the church of the patron saiut, St. Simeon. There are many convents and monasteries; a lyceum, gymnasium, and other schools; a barrack and a naval and military arsenal; hospitals, a theater, museum, and other public buildings. There is a lofty marble column, which is all that is left standing of an ancient Roman Temple; there are also the remains of a Roman aqueduct. Zara is the scat of the gov ernment of Dalmatia and the see of a Roman Catholic archbishop, The commerce is unimportant. Many of the inhabitants are engaged in fishing and in the coasting-trade. The chief manufactures are rosoglio, maraschino, leather, silk, and linen fabrics. Pop. '69, 8,014, Italians by descent, and speaking the Italian language. Anciently, Zara was the capital of Liburnia, in Illyricum; and under Augustus it was made a Roman colony.