Comoros

The islands that form the Comoros archipelago include the major islands of Ngazidja, Nzwani and Mwali. The Comoros capital city of Moroni with its colonial atmosphere attracts a number of tourists.The notable structures include the Vendredi Mosque. The mosque provides a splendid bird’s eye view of the city. The more adventure minded tourist may climb to the top of Mount Karthala. A visit to the fishing village of Itsandra enables the tourist to experience the local culture firsthand. The Comoros island of Nzwani attracts tourists from all over the world. Nzwani is renowned for its scenic beauty and numerous waterfalls.

Comoros History

Comoros was first visited by Colonial powers in the early 16th century. Portuguese explorers visited the volcanic archipelago in 1505. The Portuguese pioneers used the islands to replenish their ship supplies. The decisive historical move was made by the French in the 19th century. France gained administrative control of the islands by a combination of armed force and manipulation of the regimes present in that period of the island’s history. France formally took control of all the four islands of the country in 1887. They named the new administrative block the Protectorate of the Comoros. This event marked a watershed in the history of Comoros.

Comoros gained independence from France in 1975. Only one island in the archipelago named Mayotte decided to remain under French colonial rule. Ahmed Abdallah Abderemane became the first President of Comoros. He was overthrown by Ali Solih in the same year. The coup became the first of the many coups that were to occur in the island nation. The current President of Comoros is Ahmed Abdallah Sambi. President Sambi is a known as a moderate Islamist leader.

Where is Comoros?

The country of Comoros is in the Africa continent and the latitude and longitude for the country are 12.0236° S, 43.8069° E. Comoros Location Map

Places to visit in Comoros

Mahore Island

The island attracts adventure loving tourists from Europe. The balmy tropical weather is a bonus for visitors from colder climes. The adventure minded visitor to Mahore Island may explore the underwater coral reefs to his or her heart’s content. The coral reefs are a veritable storehouse of marine life. Beach lovers may luxuriate at one of the many tropical beaches of the island. Scuba-diving equipment are available. The lagoon on Mayotte Island could be explored by dugout canoe.
The interiors of Mahore also attracts the nature loving tourist. The central part of Mayotte is mountainous and is a source of freshwater streams. The seasonal attractions of Mahore include the Humpback whales that visit the area from August to September.

Mwali Island

Mwali is the smallest major island in the Comoros archipelago. The island is known for its unspoilt beaches and its friendly population. The mountainous interiors reveals the wonders of the equatorial tropics.
The Indian Ocean island of Mwali in Comoros is one of the few places in the world where the ‘Dhow’ is still built. The dhow is a kind of sail boat. Most of the dhow building activity is concentrated on Fomboni beach.
The Mwali Island in Comoros attracts the nature loving tourist. The interiors of Mwali is mountainous and hides many a picturesque waterfall. There is an excellent waterfall at Miringoni. Visitors interested to observe marine life may observe the Giant turtles in their natural environment at Niumashuwa Bay. The local people of Mwali presents a fascinating insight to human migration from the dawn of pre-history. People of many ethnicities-from the African tribes of Bantu to Arabs coexist peacefully on the island. Traces of Malay culture is also found on Mwali Island.

Ngazidja Island

Ngazidja is the largest island of the Comoros archipelago. It is also the island where the Comoros capital city of Moroni is located. Ngazidja is also known as Grande Comore Island.
The principal attraction of the island of Ngazidja in Comoros is the active volcanic mountain known as Mount Karthala. Other attractions of Ngazidja Island in Comoros include the Vendredi Mosque. The mosque is located very near the port. The top of the mosque offers a fine view of the entire Moroni city. The city itself is a charming urban settlement of colonial design and broad boulevards. The narrow winding streets of Moroni has a unique charm of its own. Ngazidja Island also have a few hot sulphur springs. Many travelers to the island visit Lac Sale to observe the natural wonder.

Mount Karthala
One of the attractions in Comoros is Mount Karthala, which is an active volcano.

Mount Karthala is the highest point in Comoros and lies in the island of Grand Comore. This active volcano erupted about twenty times since nineteenth century. Frequent eruptions have shaped Mount Karthala into caldera. The crater lake, which was formed after the volcanic eruption in the year 1991, is no longer to be found here. The mountain consists of evergreen forests, which is the habitat of various rare species of flora and fauna in Comoros.
The crater of the mountain is one of largest in the world. The crater measures approximately a mile in diameter. The volcano is very much active. The most recent volcanic eruption occurred in 2003. Mount Karthala of Ngazidja Island in Comoros has the distinction of being the highest point in the Indian Ocean archipelago. The peak of the mountain is calculated to be 2361 meters above sea level.

Nouvelle Mosquee de Vendredi

The Nouvelle Mosquee de Vendredi is a mosque in the Indian Ocean country of Union of the Comoros. The Vendredi Mosque is noted for its unique Comoran architectural style. The Nouvelle Mosquee de Vendredi in Comoros is situated in the country capital Moroni. The Vendredi mosque is used to hold daily prayers. Visitors to the mosque may enter the mosque in order to observe the internal architecture of the structure.
The steps that lead to the mosque entrance are a favorite spot for Comorans for making constructive discussions. The Vendredi Mosque is the end result of long Islamic history in the Indian Ocean island nation. The trend started with the first Arab presence in the island in the 11th century. The presence has been bolstered by successive waves of Arab influence in Comoros.

Getting In

By Air

There are a number of flights to Comoros operated from different places across the globe. The chief airlines operating regular flights to Comoros are:

Sudan Airlines
Air Austral
Air Tanzania Corporation
Yemenia Yemen Airways
Air Madagascar

By Road

Tourists can travel from one city to another in Comoros by road. The country provides an excellent network of roadways. These roads in Comoros interconnect the main cities.There are various options before the tourists to travel in Comoros by road while they reach the country. The best sites of tourist interest in the city can be reached by using the cars and taxis on the Comoros roads.

While in Comoros, most of the tourists prefer to travel by road. Being an island country, Comoros does not have any road connection with other countries. However, the roads interconnecting the cities within the country are well developed.

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