Comoros

The islands of Comoros are the result of a multicultural and mutli-ethnic mixing over the years. They were inhabited by Polynesians and Melanesians in the sixth century, then colonized by Swahii people in the ninth and tenth century, then discovered by trade merchants in the fifteenth century from the middle east before further colonization by the French in the twentieth century.  Presently the predominant religion in the region is Islam. Volcanic in origin, the islands are part of the Comoro archipelago, within which are the four islands of Ngazidja (Grand Comore), Mwali (Moheli), Nzwani (Anjouan), and Maore (Mayotte), although the last, Maore, voted to stay under French control, and is therefore usually considered a separate territory. Of the three, Nzwani is usually considered the most beautiful, with forested hillsides, rivers that stream into the ocean and lush vegetation framing the Ntingi volcano. Beautiful mosques and sultan palaces can be found, along with the inviting fragrances of ylang ylang, jasmine, cassis and orange flower. Sixty-five percent of the world’s perfume essence comes from here. The adventurous can tackle Mount Karthala – an active volcano on Ngazidja, or explore the coral reefs that fringe the islands. It is around these islands that the coelacanth – a prehistoric fish long thought to have become extinct, was rediscovered.