 Tanzania was formed in 1964 by the union of the Republic of Tanganyika, formerly a British colony, which had gained independence in 1961, and the People's Republic of Zanzibar and Pemba, which had gained independence in December 1963.The People´s Republic of Zanzibar had been created the previous year during a revolution in the Sultanate of Zanzibar, which 1890–1963 was a semi-independent Protectorate of the United Kingdom.The High Commissioner to Tanzania is also the UK Representative to the East African Community.