Zanzibar Town is roughly divided into two halves, the European quarter, with the Indian Bazaar, and the native African town, these two districts being separated by a tidal creek. The European quarter (where most of the Government officials and Europeans reside) is on the western side in close proximity to the sea. The periphery of the town is surrounded on the land side by various swamps, all of them potential mosquito-breeding areas during certain seasons of the year, some of them permanent throughout the year.