The east coast of Africa, historically known as the Zanj or Swahili Coast, has been a pivotal region shaped by maritime trade facilitated by seasonal Indian Ocean monsoon winds. From as early as the 1st century A.D., documented in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, this area thrived as a hub of commerce dealing in valuable commodities like ivory, rhino horn, and palm oil among bustling city-states. Initially settled by Bantu-speaking Africans migrating from the continent’s interior, the region evolved through extensive trade interactions with Arab, Persian, and Indian Ocean traders. By the late medieval period, around 37 prosperous Swahili trading towns dotted the coast, though they remained decentralized. This era saw the rise of significant cultural and economic exchanges, marked by the arrival of Chinese fleets under Zheng He and subsequent Portuguese expeditions led by Vasco da Gama. Despite disruptions from European colonization and trade monopolization attempts, Swahili culture and language persevered, becoming a dominant linguistic force across East Africa today, enriched by centuries of diverse influences.