The islands' first settlers were probably Malagasy people from Madagascar, before they were assimilated by Bantu-speaking people from mainland Africa. To this day, the people of Comoros mostly speak Comorian, a Bantu language that is closely related to Swahili, with a minority speaking Malagasy. In the 16th century, a Muslim people known as the Shirazi arrived to the region, infusing their culture to the local population. According to folk beliefs, they are descended from Persians of Shiraz, Iran, though given the negligible amount of Persian customs in modern-day Comorians, it is more likely that they are actually Swahilis who adopted the ethnic name "Shirazi" as a result of their admiration of Persian traders.
The first Europeans who came, the Portuguese, weren't interested and passed on, so the islands remained independent until the 18th century, when Madagascar (then an independent kingdom) started attacking the islands in search of slaves. In the 19th century, France swooped in, wanting to halt British expansion in the region following its loss of Mauritius and Seychelles during The Napoleonic Wars. It conquered Mayotte in 1841, then Grande Comore, Mohéli, and Anjouan in 1886. Initially administrated as protectorates ruled by local sultans, France annexed the islands in 1912 and ruled them as a province of Madagascar.
Comoros, along with Madagascar, fell control to Vichy France for three years during World War II, but were taken by the British, who held them until 1946. Afterwards, France severed Comoros' relations with Madagascar, and upgraded its status to overseas territory.
The Comorians were initially content with being a part of France, as they voted against independence in 1958. However, the political situation changed by the 1970s, as France was increasingly pressured by the natives to give the islands sovereignty. A 1974 referendum showed that Comorians overwhelmingly wanted independence, with nearly all of the "non" votes coming from Mayotte. A year later, Comoros unilaterally declared independence, defying France's plan to do it in 1978. While France acquiesced, it refused to leave Mayotte until a separate referendum could be held in the island in 1976. As it turned out, Mayotte overwhelmingly voted against independence, meaning France ultimately remains in the region, after all. The Mayotte Question is still a sore point to Comorians, and Comoros continues to claim Mayotte as part of its territory to this day.
Independence wasn't a happy ending for the Comorians, however. Since 1975, the country has experienced more than twenty coups or coup attempts, probably the most among all African countries. The first president, Ahmed Abdallah of the right-wing Comorian Democratic Union, ruled for only a month before he was deposed by leftists, including Ali Soilih, who attempted to emulate Maoist governance, including the creation of a militia modeled after the Red Guards. In 1978, Soilih was deposed and assassinated by French mercenaries who helped him into power, and Abdallah was restored as president. The mercenaries were led by the infamous Bob Denard, who essentially served as the shadow dictator of Comoros from 1975 to 1989. Denard had close contacts with the white-dominated governments of Rhodesia and South Africa, and enabled the islands to serve as a safe haven for the Rhodesian and South African-backed RENAMO who participated in the Mozambican Civil War. He also provided South Africa with a lifeline as it was increasingly isolated by the world thanks to Apartheid. In the process, the economy of Comoros was squandered, and the people remained in poverty by the time Abdallah's government fell.
In 1989, Abdallah was assassinated by assailants connected to Denard's mercenaries. Abdallah had wanted to expel Denard, who no longer had the support of France (which had been losing interest in maintaining its influence in Africa since the early 1980s), Rhodesia (whose white minority rule ended in 1979), and South Africa (which was fighting a doomed war in preserving white minority rule). France subsequently stepped in and took Denard away. In 1995, Denard made one last attempt to rule Comoros by launching a waterborne invasion, briefly occupying the country and forcing President Said Mohamed Djohar to flee to Réunion. French troops assisted Comoros in launching Operation Azalee, which dislodged Denard. He was taken to France and sentenced to four years in jail, though he never served them before dying in 2007.
Despite Denard being out of the picture, instability still reigns in Comorian politics. A military junta under Colonel Azali Assoumani ruled Comoros from 1999 to 2002, and Assoumani continued to rule as civilian president until 2006, when Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi was elected as president in the country's first free and fair elections. Assoumani, who regained the presidency in 2016, briefly left the position to an interim president in 2019 for three months before taking office again, and has also modified the constitution to allow presidents to run for two consecutive terms, leading the opposition to accuse him of wanting to extend his terms until 2029. There was also a crisis in Anjouan in 2008, when the sitting regional president refused to step down after his tenure ended, causing the Comorian army to invade the island to restore order.
Since the islands were formed from volcanic activity, you can guess there are still lots of it going around here. And considering how small the islands are, every time there's an eruption, their population have to be evacuated.
It produces a lot of vanilla and is the world's biggest exporter of ylang-ylang (used to make essential oil).
Works related to Comoros
The Comorian flag
The Comorian national anthem
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Government
- Federal presidential republic
- President: Azali Assoumani
- President of the Assembly: Moustadroine Abdou
Miscellaneous
- Capital and largest city: Moroni
- Population: 850,886
- Area: 1,861 km² (719 sq mi) (171st)
- Currency: Comorian franc (CF) (KMF)
- ISO-3166-1 Code: KM
- Country calling code: 269
- Highest point: Mount Karthala (2360 m/7,743 ft) (111st)
- Lowest point: Indian Ocean (3,741 m/12,274 ft) (-)
