Comoros Facts

15 Facts about the Comoros 

Here are some interesting Comoros facts which were chosen and researched especially for kids.

1. The Comoros are an archipelago in the Indian Ocean. The archipelago of the Comoro islands consists of three main islands and numerous smaller islands.

2. The name of the country comes from the Arabic word for ‘moon’ which sounds like ‘qamar’. The moon is also depicted in the Comoros flag as you can see above.

 

3. The African country of the Comoros is located in the Mozambique channel off the coasts of Tanzania and Mozambique and north west of Madagascar.

 

4. The three main islands are called Ngazidja (Grande Comore), Mwali (Moheli), and Nzwani (Anjouan). The largest island is Grande Comore, the most densely populated is Anjouan.

5. The capital city of the Comoros is called Moroni which is also the largest city of the country with about 62,000 inhabitants. Moroni is located on Grande Comore island.

 

6. The Comoros were once a French colony and included also the island of Mayotte until becoming independent from France in 1975.

7. About 864 000 people live on the Comoros, the vast majority of the Comorians are Sunni-Muslims. 

 

8. The national languages of the Comoros are French, Arabic and Comorian which is referred to as Shikomoro by the locals. Shikomoro is a blend of Arabic and Swahili.

9. The Comoros islands belong to the poorest countries in Africa, as more than 40% of the population living under the poverty line. 20% of the Comorians are unemployed and only about 60% of the people can read and write.

Comoros Facts | Geography

10. The Comoro islands are of volcanic origin. The highest peak of the Comoros is Karthala Peak with 2361 m/ 7746 ft. on the Grand Comore Island.

 

11. The country boosts a diverse flora and fauna and the ylang-ylang or perfume tree is also endemic to the islands. Yang-Ylang is used to produce essential oils and perfume. The main agricultural products also include vanilla, coconuts, bananas and cassava and various spices such as cloves.

 

Comoros Facts | Economy

12. The main export partners are France, India and Germany, while the UAE, France and China are the main import partner of the Comoros.

13. The main industries are fishing, tourism and perfume destillation.

 

14. The Comoros have a tropical rainforest climate with two main seasons. The monsoon winds brings rain and hot temperatures from December to April while from May to November it is cooler and drier.

15. Comorian food includes many different spices such as vanilla, cardamon, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Lobster with vanilla sauce (Langoustine à la vanilla) is considered by many the national dish of the Comoros. Another traditional Comorian dish is Mtsololoa, a stew that includes plantains and coconut mild and seafood or meat.