Zanzibar Land

Zanzibar Land is a fictional, heavily fortified territory in , as well as the setting of the game. It was located between the former Soviet Union, China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The closest location meeting this description in reality is Badakhshan.

Solid Snake was sent to the territory to retrieve a kidnapped biologist, however, his mission ended up quite a bit more complicated.

In the English language version of Metal Gear Solid, Zanzibar Land was inexplicably shortened to "Zanzibar" (in contrast to the original Japanese language version, which used the nation's proper name). This probably led many of its players to believe that it referred to the real-life Zanzibar that is part of Tanzania. In the retranslated script used in the remake (), all mentions of "Zanzibar" were corrected to "Zanzibar Land."

The Metal Gear 2 game manual was never officially translated into English, however, fans of the series have done translations of their own. The following information comes from a rough translation of the game manual.

Description

• Population: 40,000
• Area: 450 km²
• Capital: Zanzibar
• Government: Republic
• Head of State: Big Boss
• Political Parties: One-party rule by Zanzibar Land Party
• Languages: English, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Uzbek, Vietnamese, and French
• Race: 100 of every world race including Caucasian, African, Ukrainian, Russian, Uzbek, Jews, German, Chinese, and French.
• Currency: Zanje
• Defense Expenditures: 75% of GNP
• Products and Resources: Iron, Coal, Bauxite, Tungsten, Sugar beets, Flour, Oats, Potatoes, Maize, Super Mentha, Jijirium, Bizanium, Eltonium, and Pegamin-H
• Arable Land: 24%
• Average Life Span: Male 41.5 years, Female 40.31 years (1999)
• Births 20 per 1000 population
• Deaths 35.8 per 1000 population

• Description: A landlocked nation surrounded by Pakistan, the USSR, China, and Afghanistan.

The area was formerly Zanzibar Province, an autonomous zone of the USSR. Opposition to the old regime mounted in the early 1990s, after the secession of the Baltic states. The period of crisis inspired nationalism in the area's leaders, who proclaimed independence in 1997.

Despite the intervention of major powers from both the Eastern and Western blocs, or, according to Metal Gear Solid's Previous Operations file, the CIS, the small tribal nation won its sovereignty. Primary credit for the success is generally given to the mercenaries from around the world that participated in the war.

Because of this, Zanzibar Land's war of independence is also called "The Mercenary War," and brought back to global attention the profession of the gun for hire.

After the war, Zanzibar Land became a heavily fortified nation. Then Zanzibar Land contacted Petrovich Madnar through one of their agents and persuaded him into constructing a new Metal Gear: Metal Gear D.

Zanzibar Land used Metal Gear D to steal every single nuke in the world, becoming the world's sole nuclear power.

Mercenary Force

• Black Ninja (Black Color in the original MSX2 version) - The codename of high-tech ninjas formerly belonging to the "Extraterrestrial Environment Special Forces", a top-secret NASA project. After the unit was disbanded due to their too dangerous existence, the surviving members fled to Central Asia and participated as mercenaries in the war for Zanzibar Land's independence. They are equipped with flex armors and have been genetically enhanced with drugs. Snake fought against a surviving member who turned out to be Kyle Schneider, the former leader of the resistance movement in Outer Heaven and presumed dead during Operation: Intrude N313 (see Metal Gear).

• Running Man - A former short-range runner during the Barcelona Olympics. He was banned from competing after being convicted of steroid abuse and began working for a terrorist group in France known as "Les Enfants Terribles" (no relation to the Les Enfants Terribles project). He specializes in setting booby traps and explosions which requires his fast legs. He was given the name "Running Man" by the SEK.

• Red Blaster - An assassin who earned his special operations degree in the Lumumba University. Had a career in Spetznaz prior to joining Zanzibar Land. He is an explosive specialist and a skilled grenadier.

• The Four Horsemen (Ultra Box in the original MSX2 version) - A four-man assassination group specializing in close-quarter combat. Consist of former GSG9, UDT and SAS members. '

• Jungle Evil (Predator in the original MSX2 version) - Former member of the Reconnaissance Commandos in South Africa. Specialist in guerrilla warfare.

• Night Fright (Night Sight in the original MSX2 version) - Surviving member of "Whispers", a legendary Guerilla task force in North Vietnam. He uses a stealth camouflage suit, which also makes the wearer invisible to radar. His preferred weapon is a Wei Shen Sho Ciang (lit. "minute sound hand gun"), a Chinese handgun which makes little sound.

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