Ally

The Comorian archipelago arose from the seabed of the western Indian Ocean as the result of volcanic activity. The four major islands: Ngazidja (Grande Comore), Mwali (Moheli), Nzwani (Anjouan), and Maore (Mayotte), are of varying age with distinct topograhical characteristics. Mayotte, the oldest of the islands, is closest to Madagascar and is highly eroded with slow, meandering streams. Ngazidja, the youngest of the islands, is closest to Africa and has a massive volcano. Seismic activity continues today on this island and experts have been concerned that a very violent eruption may occur in the near future. In November 2005, the volcano erupted and covered the southern half of the island in ash and smoke that threatened the health of thousands of inhabitants. The Comoros, located in a strategic position at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel, once played a major role in a thriving world economy of the western Indian Ocean.

Beaches served as landing areas for traditional sailing vessels and martime trade is mentioned in ancient documents. Domoni, located on the eastern shore of the island of Nzwani(Anjouan), for example, with several beaches nearby was a major trading center in the fifteenth century. Ships traveled to Africa and Asia and archaeological evidence indicates that trade existed between the community and places as far away as Japan. Since the end of the fifteenth century, many European and American sailors visited the islands. These included whalers, merchants, and pirates, such as the infamous Captain Kidd. Sailors especially liked the island of Nzwani and it served as an important refueling and provisioning stop. But after the opening of the Suez Canal, the Comoros ceased to be on the main route of trade and, except for an occasional incident of history, they virtually disappeared from American and European awareness. Today, the Comoros are "Forgotten Islands."

The islands' mountainous terrain offer a variety of habitats and they are the home to diverse animal and plant species. Several kinds of animals are rarely found elsewhere in the world or are unique to the Comoros. The Black Fox bat pictured at left is one of the species of rare animals found on the islands. One can also find Livingstone's flying fox. It is a fruit bat unique to the Comoros with a wing span that exceeds four feet. Several different kinds of insects and over a dozen bird species are also unique to the islands. Many of these animals are now being threatened with extinction.

Ally

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 and Nzwani. 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 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, Mwali, and Nzwani, declared themselves independent from France in 1975 and became the Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoro Islands. The fourth major island of the archipelago, Mayotte (Maore), 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 and Mwali 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. Presidential elections are to be held every four years. The next election is scheduled for April of 2006.

Located a little more than 10 degrees below the equator in the western Indian Ocean the islands have a maritime tropical climate.

In the wet season from October to April, the predominant northerly winds of the Indian Ocean bring moist, warm air to the region. Heaviest rainfall occurs during the period from December to April and amounts can reach as high as 15 inches (390 mm) in a month. The mean temperature during the wet season is in the high seventies with the hottest month, March, averaging temperatures in the middle eighties (fahrenheit).

From May to September southerly winds dominate the region. These are cooler and drier and temperatures in the islands average around 66 degrees fahrenheit (19 degrees celsius).

Rainfall and temperature vary from island to island during any month and even vary on an island due to the topography. The central, higher areas of an island are often cooler and more moist than the coastal regions. This variation results in microecologies on the islands with distinct flora and fauna.

Ally

The Comoro Islands are an archipelago of four islands and several islets located in the western Indian Ocean about ten to twelve degrees south of the Equator and less than 200 miles off the East African coast. They lie approximately halfway between the island of Madagascar and northern Mozambique at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel. The archipelago is the result of volcanic action along a fissure in the seabed running west-northwest to east-southeast. The total area of the four islands is 785 square miles (2,034 square kilometers).

The four major islands are Ngazidja, Mwali, Nzwani, and Mayotte (Maore). Ngazidja is the largest and the youngest island in the archipelago. It is the most westerly of the islands, lying 188 miles from Mozambique. Ngazidja has an active volcano that rises to a height of 7,746 feet (2,361 meters) above sea level. Mwali, 28 miles south-southeast of Ngazidja, is the smallest of the islands with a central mountain range that rises 2,556 feet (790 meters) above sea level. Nzwani lies about twenty-five miles easterly of Mwali, has a central peak that rises 5,072 feet (1,575 meters) above sea level. It also has several swift running streams that cascade down to long, sandy beaches. Forty-four miles to the southeast of Nzwani is Mayotte (Maore), the oldest of the islands. It is almost surrounded by a barrier reef and is fairly flat with slow meandering streams and mangrove swamps.

Ally

Located at the northern end of the Mozambique channel, and at the eastern edge of the Bantu linguistic area, the Comoros are at a unique cultural and musical crossroads. Involved in the western Indian Ocean trade for over a thousand years, the islands have absorbed cultural and musical influences from East Africa, the Middle East, Madagascar, and southern India. As a result there is a remarkably wide range of musical styles in the Comoros: solo and choral, through composed and stanzaic, improvised and rehearsed, accompanied and acapella.

Contemporary Artists in the Islands and in Europe have been utilizing traditional sounds and themes and putting them in a modern idiom to produce some very interesting music.

Traditional instruments include gongs, drums, tambourines, rattles, oboes, zithers, and five-stringed lutes. The musical example below is a zither-and-rattle selection typical of social events such as womens' wedding dances. It is performed by Shirontro, a well-known singer and instrumentalist from Nzwani.

Ally

The following airlines have provided service between the Comoro Islands and other countries. (These flights were into Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport at Hahaya, north of Moroni, Ngazidja. Service has also been provided to Mayotte from other countries. Please note that service and schedules often change quickly. Contact your local travel agent or the airlines for schedule details, ticket prices, and the most up-to-date information.)

ngawa

INTERNATIONAL SERVICE

* AIR AUSTRAL - From and to Reunion via Dzaoudzi, Mayotte.

* AIR MADAGASCAR - Linking the Comoros with Kenya and Madagascar.

* YEMEN AIRWAYS - Linking Yemen, the Comoros and Johannesburg.

* COMORES AIR SERVICES - To and from Majunga, Madagascar and Zanzibar.

* AIR TANZANIA - Linking the Comoros with Reunion.

* LINHAS AEREAS DE MOCAMBIQUE - Inaugurated weekly flights in November, 2000 between the Comoros and Dubai and the Comoros and Maputo.

* AIR BOURBON will begin regular flights between Paris and Ngazidja in June, 2004.

INTERISLAND SERVICE

* COMORES AIR SERVICES and COMORES AVIATION provided a number of flights daily between the islands of the Republic. Flights between islands take approximately 30 minutes.

* A number of small ships, motorized and sailing, carry passengers between the islands. Depending upon weather conditions, trips between islands may take as little as four hours via the newest and largest of the motorized vessels.


(All information courtesy of the Comoro Islands Tourist Board)

Ally

Images of the Comoro's...

Attached Images

	comoro.JPG (59.8 KB, 0 views)
	ComoroBeach.JPG (134.7 KB, 0 views)
	GrandComoro.jpg (41.9 KB, 0 views)