Comoros Islands – A trading post between continents

Comoros, an island nation, situated south of Seychelles in Indian Ocean, lies halfway between the giant island nation of Madagascar and Mozambique on the mainland African continent.

Composed of four main islands: Grande Comore (main island), Moheli, Anjouan and Mayotte, the Comoros, was till 2002 was known as the Islamic Federal Republic of Comoros, but now is called as the ‘Union of the Comoros’.

Just like its neighbour to the north, the Seychelles, Comoros, too, being on the crossroads of Asian –African trade, which dates back to ancient times, as there is recorded proof in certain ancient documents.

These texts mentions the town of Domoni located on the island of Anjouan as being a major trading centre during the 15-century where African, Arab, Persian and even Indian traders used to visit for trade.

Archaeological discoveries have unearthed evidence of trade between the African region and countries as far away as Japan, where Comoros Islands acted as the staging point.

Due to this cross-cultural activity, the islands have a mix of cultures and hence, history. Its population comprises of both African and Asian races, with certain local races thrown in the mix. It’s official languages are three: Comorian, Arabic and French.

This island nation is also one of worlds smallest, and Africa’s third smallest in terms of area and sixth smallest African nation in terms of population, with only 800,000 people calling it home.