COMORO ISLANDS |
| Les Comores |
Located in a strategic position at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel, the archipelago of the Comoro Islands arose from the seabed of the western Indian Ocean as the result of volcanic activity. The islands: Ngazidja (Grande Comore), Mwali (Moheli), Nzwani (Anjouan), and Maore (Mayotte) with their French names in parentheses, have distinct topograhical characteristics due to their different ages. Maore, the oldest of the islands, is highly eroded with slow, meandering streams. Ngazidja, the youngest of the islands is dominated by a massive, active volcano. Volcanic experts are concerned that a very violent eruption may occur in the near future. The other two islands are mountainous but have no active volcanic activity. The Comoro Islands once played a major role in the world economy of the western Indian Ocean. For centuries, they were a major stopover along the mercantile routes of the Indian Ocean from Africa to the Orient.
Documents record that the Comoros were involved in the ancient and vast maritime trade of the Indian Ocean. The town of Domoni on the eastern shore of the island of Nzwani (Anjouan), for one, was a major trading center in the fifteenth century. Arabian, African, Indian, and Persian sailing vessels traveling between eastern Africa and Asia stopped there. The traditional vessels were remarkable in that they had no metal in their construction. The planks were sewn together with rope made from coconut fiber. From archaeological evidence, furthermore, we know that trade existed between Domoni and places as far away as Japan. During the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries, large numbers of European and American ships visited the islands. They were well-known to whalers, seamerchants, and pirates, including the infamous Captain Kidd. The island of Nzwani, in particular, was a favorite stopover for reprovisioning food and water. But with the introduction of steamships and the opening of the Suez Canal, the Comoros ceased to be a stop on the major trade routes of the Indian Ocean. In the 20th century, except for an occasional historical incident, they virtually disappeared from the world's awareness. They became "Forgotten Islands."
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The mountainous terrain on several of the islands creates a variety of habitats with diverse animal and plant species. Several species are unique to the Comoros. The bat pictured above is one of several rare animals found on the islands. It is the Livingstone's flying fox, a fruit bat unique to the Comoros with a wing span that can exceed four feet.
Several different kinds of insects and over a dozen bird species are also unique to the islands. Many are now being threatened with extinction.
In the waters around the islands, lives the famous coelacanth. It is a unique fish once thought by western scientists to have been extinct for millions of years. But in the second half of the last century, an ichthyologist learned that Comorian fishermen regularly caught coelacanths in the deep waters surrounding the islands of Ngazidja (Grande Comore) and Nzwani (Anjouan). Several specimens have since been preserved and can be seen today in museums around the world.
There is an abundance of life in the sea around the Comoros. One can find everything from giant whales, large sharks, big manta rays, sailfish, sunfish, to lobsters, crabs and tiny shrimp. Deep water close to the islands, coral reefs, miles of sandy beaches, plus fresh water streams and shoreline springs provide multiple habitats for the marine life.
THE UNION OF THE COMOROS
The islands became a French colony following the Berlin conference of 1886-7 and remained under French political control until 1975. Three of the islands: Ngazidja (Grande Comore), Mwali (Moheli), and Nzwani (Anjouan), declared themselves independent from France in 1975 and became the Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoro Islands. The fourth major island of the archipelago, Maore (Mayotte), continued to be administered by France although it's status has been continuously challenged by the Comorian government. The claim that Mayotte belongs within the sphere of the independent nation of the comoros has been recognized by the United Nations General Assembly. Separatists on the islands of Nzwani (Anjouan) and Mwali (Moheli) declared their islands to be independent from the Republic in 1997. This led to the breakup of the Republic and a reformation of the government of the Comoro Islands as a Union in 2002 with each of the three islands given considerable autonomy. Currently, in 2008, the island of Nzwani, under the rebellious leader, Mohamed Bacar, again threatens to become independent.
Under the Union's constitution, presidential elections are scheduled to be held every four years with the office rotating between the three islands. In 2006, Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi from the island of Nzwani (Anjouan) was elected President. He replaced Azali Assoumani from Ngazidja (Grande Comore). The next election will take place in 2010 with the presidential office scheduled to be filled by a candidate from the island of Mwali (Moheli).
General information about the Comoro Islands can be found below under the following categories. A young Comorian woman from the island of Nzwani (Anjouan) says, "Wangalie!" ("Take a look!")
For
those interested in doing research about the islands an extensive bibliography
is available.
For details
about each of the islands of the archipelago select from:
Other world wide web sites about the Comoro Islands you may want to visit are:
The World Tourism Directory provides addresses and telephone numbers of a range of useful resources.
Comorian Web Portal. (In French)
Les Comores. (In French)
BBC News Country Profile.
Comoro Islands Resources Page of Stanford University Libraries.
University of Pennsylvania's African Studies Program.
Library of Congress Country Studies.
United States Department of State Background Notes.
CIA World
Factbook.
(Please note that the name of the major island, Ngazidja (Grande
Comore), is misspelled as "Njazidja" in the Factbook. This error has
often been copied and is now in numerous other sites and publications.) There is an entry for the Comoros in
the Encyclopedia of the Nations.
IMF (International Monetary Fund) publications on the Comoros.
Africa Intelligence provides information about the western Indian Ocean area by drawing information from articles in journals such as The Indian Ocean Newsletter.
Click on the following banner to go to a gateway of African countries:
Any questions,
suggestions or comments,
contact
Martin Ottenheimer or Harriet
Ottenheimer
Traditional doll
from Nzwani.
