Comoro Islands
Native name: Komori (in Comorian) جزر القمر (in Arabic) Archipel des Comores (in French) | |
---|---|
Mayotte (Maore) | |
Area | 2,034 km2 (785 sq mi) |
Highest elevation | 2,361 m (7746 ft) |
Highest point | Karthala |
Administration | |
Comoros | |
Islands | Grande Comore (Ngazidja) Mohéli (Mwali) Anjouan (Nzwani) |
Largest settlement | Moroni (capital) (pop. 60,200) |
President | Azali Assoumani |
Demographics | |
Population | 1,008,246 (2016 est.) |
The Comoro Islands or the Comoros (
Geography
The Comoro Islands are located in the Mozambique Channel to the north-west of Madagascar and facing Mozambique. These volcanic islands, covering a total area of 2034 km2, are as follows:
- Union of the Comoros, with its capital Moroni
- Ndzuwani (also known as Anjouan): part of the Union of the Comoros
- Mwali (also known as Mohéli): part of the Union of the Comoros
- Grande-Terre and Petite-Terre (also known as Pamanzi), where the Dzaoudzi–Pamandzi International Airportis located.
The Glorioso Islands, comprising Grande Glorieuse, Île du Lys and eight little rock islets, were administratively attached to the archipelago before 1975, and, geologically speaking, form a part of the archipelago.
Notable reefs that are part of the archipelago are as follows:
- Banc Vailheu, or Raya, a submerged volcano located 20 km west of Grand Comoro
- Banc du Geyser, a reef measuring 8 by 5 km in area, situated 130 km North-East of Grande-Terre
- Banc du Leven, a former island between Madagascar and Grande-Terre which is now submerged
History
The Comoros may have been settled as early as the 6th century; among the peoples who crossed the sea to populate the islands are
During the colonial period, French settlers established plantations, initially producing sugar, an intensive process dependent on the labor of numerous Africans. In the twentieth century, they cultivated perfume plants and spices, such as
In 1974, France organized a referendum for self-determination in the archipelago. Except in Mayotte, the population voted overwhelmingly in favour of independence. Following the unilateral declaration of independence in 1975, France maintained sovereignty over Mayotte.
The three remaining islands formed the Etat Comorian, which later became the Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoro Islands and is today the
In 1996, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 was hijacked and crashed off the shore of the grande island. 125 people died onboard, including the three hijackers who caused the crash. 50 people survived.
In 1997, demands for increased autonomy on the islands of Ndzuani (Anjouan) and Mwali (Moheli) led to the breakup of the Federal Islamic Republic. In 2001, the government reformed as the Union of the Comoros under a new constitution which gave each of the three islands more autonomy than had been enjoyed previously. In 2008, the President of Anjouan refused to hold free elections. He was forced to flee following military intervention by troops of the Comorian Union and the African Union. The island country continues its present form of confederal government, albeit with minor changes approved in referendums in 2009 and 2018.[1]
Mayotte, which had voted to retain French suzerainty in the 1975 referendum, expressed a wish to accede to the status of a département d'outre-mer (DOM) (
Geology
The Comoro Archipelago consists of volcanic islands. These volcanic islands, together with the high mountains in the north of Madagascar, were formed in the
Climate
The Comoro Archipelago enjoys a tropical maritime climate, characterized by slight daytime temperature variations throughout the year of around 26 °C (78.8 °F) at sea level and by abundant precipitation: 2,679 mm (105.5 in) a year. The average temperature of the sea water is 25 °C (77 °F). There are two seasons in the Comoros: the hot and humid season flowing in from the north-west from November to April and the dry season from May to October. The climate on Mayotte is, nevertheless, noticeably warmer and drier. The climate is also characterized by important local variations in temperature and precipitation according to altitude, relief and the degree of exposure to the elements. Annual precipitation therefore varies in the region of 1,000 to 6,000 mm (39.4 to 236.2 in) and the absolute minimum of 0 °C (32 °F) is reached on the summit of
The hot, dry season is caused by a vast
The two winds that bring the two different seasons are called the Kashkasi (in November) and the Kusi.
Terrestrial ecology
Partly as a result of international pressure during the 1990s, the government of the Union has begun to take greater care of the environment. Measures have been taken not only to preserve the rare fauna, but also to check the destruction of the environment, especially on Anjouan, which is densely populated. More precisely, in order to minimize the felling of trees for fuel,
Flora
Like most islands, the diversity of the local flora suffers from two pressures, on the one hand the reduction of available space caused by humans settling in what used to be the wildest areas, and the invasion of exotic plant species such as guava trees. Much of the remaining habitat is not protected, and the islands' growing population puts more pressure on the remaining wild lands.[4]
Fauna
The islands are home to eight species of native terrestrial mammal – three species of fruit bat, three insectivorous bat species, and two lemur species. Two bat species, Livingstone's fruit bat (Pteropus livingstonii) and the Comoro rousette (Rousettus obliviosus), are endemic.[4] Livingstone's fruit bat, discovered by David Livingstone in 1863, was previously abundant, but has now been reduced to a population of about 1,200 specimens restricted to Anjouan and Moheli. A British preservation group sent an expedition to the Comoros in 1992, with the object of transporting some specimens to Great Britain, in order to form a reproducing colony.
Native lemurs include the
Mammals introduced to the islands by humans include the Javan mongoose (Urva javanica)[4] and tailless tenrec (Tenrec ecaudatus).
Twenty-two species of birds are endemic to the archipelago. Endemic species include the
Native invertebrates include Scolopendra, venomous centipedes that can reach up to 25 centimetres long.
No large African animals (elephants, giraffes, lions, crocodiles, zebras or antelopes) are found on the Comoros, despite the islands being relatively close to the mainland.
Freshwater ecology
Freshwater habitats on the islands include streams originating in the islands' forested highlands and flowing into the sea, as well as crater lakes. These habitats are home to species of freshwater and brackish water fish, frogs, waterbirds, dragonflies, and caddisflies.[6]
Mayotte and Moheli have perennial streams and lakes. Mayotte is the oldest of the islands, and has many meandering streams which descend from mountain forests, as well as two lakes – Dziani Karehani and Dziani Dzaha. Mohéli also has freshwater streams, and the freshwater but sulfurous lake Dziani Boundouni.[6]
Grande Comore, the largest and youngest island, is volcanically active and has thin and rocky soils, with no perennial streams or large stream valleys. Anjouan also has few permanent freshwater habitats.[6]
All of the freshwater fish on the Comoros are from secondary families, i.e. families of fish which can tolerate salt water. No primary families – fish families adapted to freshwater and intolerant of salt water – are native to the island, on account of the islands' oceanic origin and relatively recent geologic origins.[6]
Marine ecology
Mayotte, the oldest island, is surrounded by a
The other Comoro Islands are surrounded by fringing reefs, which form a narrow platform extending a short distance from the coast. Reefs fringe about 60% of the coast of Grande Comore, 80% of Anjouan's coast, and 100% of Mohéli's coast. The Sima Peninsula on Anjouan is surrounded by a vast reef. The islands also have rocky reefs on basalt substrates.[9]
Mayotte has 7.6 km2 of
Mayotte has 8.5 km2 of mangroves.[10] There are approximately 120 ha of mangroves on the other Comoro islands, 75% of which are on the south coast of Mohéli, particularly around Damou and Mapiachingo. Smaller areas of mangrove are also found on Grande Comore and Anjouan. There are seven mangrove species in the Comoros, with Rhizophora mucronata and Avicennia marina the most abundant.[9]
Marine mammals in the Comoros' seas include the
Other marine fauna include the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), most abundantly on Mohéli and Mayotte where they still come to lay eggs, and the coelacanth, a deepwater fish known from fossils over 300 million years old.
Marine protected areas
Four marine national parks were established in 2010 – Coelacanth National Park (92.76 km2) along the south shore of Grande Comore, Mitsamiouli Ndroude National Park (23.14 km2) along the north shore of Grande Comore, Mohéli National Park (643.62 km2) around Mohéli, and Shisiwani National Park (64.97 km2) around Anjouan's Sima Peninsula.[12]
Politics
The Comoro Archipelago is divided between:
- The Union of the Comoros, a sovereign nation formed by the three islands of Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli.
- Overseas Departmentof the French Republic (département d'outre-mer). This island is also claimed by the Union of the Comoros according to Article 1 of its Constitution.
Mayotte became a French Department on 31 March 2011.
The United Nations General Assembly continued to condemn the French presence in Mayotte until 1994. France, however, used its power of veto in the UN to prevent the Security Council from passing a resolution condemning France. The African Union judged the French presence on Mayotte to be illegal.[13]
The Comoros underwent a political crisis that started off in 1997 with the separatism on Anjouan. The political authorities on the island had turned the population of the island against the central government, advocating at first reunification with France, and later a greater autonomy bordering on independence.
Since 2006, the former President of the Union of the Comoros,
See also
- Music of the Comoro Islands
- Comorian society
References
- ^ a b "Comoros". omar.ottenheimer.com. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ^ GlobalVolcanism Program: Karthala www.volcano.si.edu
- ^ Esson J., M.F.J., Flower, D.F. Strong, B.G.J. Upton, and W.J. Wadsworth, Geology of the Comores archipelago western Indian Ocean Geological Magazine 107 (6) 549-557 1970 Flower, M.F.J., Evidence for the role of phlogopite in the genesis of alkali basalts Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 32 (2) 126-137 1971 Flower, M.F.J., Rare earth element distribution in lavas and ultramafic xenoliths from the Comores archipelago, western Indian Ocean Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 31 (4) 335-346 1971 Flower, M.F.J., R N Thompson, One-atmosphere melting and crystallization relations of lavas from Anjouan Comores Archipelago western Indian Ocean Earth and Planetary Science Letters 12 (1) 97-107 1971 Flower, M.F.J., Petrology of volcanic rocks from Anjouan Comores archipelago, Bull, volcanol., 36 (1) 238-250 1973 Flower, M.F.J., Evolution of basaltic and differentiated lavas from Anjouan Comores Archipelago, Contrib. Mineral. Petrol., 38 (3) 237-260 1973 Flower, M.F.J., Trace-element distribution in lavas from Anjouan and Grande Comore western Indian Ocean Chem. Geol., 12 (2) 81-98 1973
- ^ a b c d e "Comoros forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
- ISBN 1-881173-88-7.
- ^ a b c d "Comoros - Mayotte". Freshwater Ecoregions of the World (FEOW). Accessed 10 August 2021.
- ^ "France Country Profile | Nairobi Convention Secretariat". www.nairobiconvention.org.
- ^ "Mayotte (France)". IUCN. Accessed 10 August 2021
- ^ a b c "Biodiversity" Comoros Country Profile, Nairobi Convention. Accessed 10 August 2021.
- ^ a b Ewan Trégarot, Pierre Failler & Jean-Philippe Maréchal (2017) Evaluation of coastal and marine ecosystem services of Mayotte: Indirect use values of coral reefs and associated ecosystems, International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management, 13:3, 19-34, DOI: 10.1080/21513732.2017.1407361
- ^ Kiszka, Jeremy & Breysse, Olivier & Vely, Michel & Boinali, Kamardine. Marine mammals around the Comoros archipelago (Mozambique Channel) (2021).
- ^ Protected Area Profile for Comoros from the World Database of Protected Areas UNEP-WCMC (2021). Accessed 10 August 2021.
- ^ # ↑ document de l'Union africaine [archive]
Further reading
- Ottenheimer, Martin, and Harriet Ottenheimer. Historical dictionary of the Comoro Islands (Scarecrow Press, 1994).
- Walker, Iain. Islands in a Cosmopolitan Sea: A History of the Comoros (Oxford University Press, 2019) online review.
- Olivier Hawlitschek, Rémy Eudeline & Antoine Rouillé, Terrestrial fauna of the Comoros Archipelago, (Field Guides, 2020), 338 p. (ISBN 979-10-699-5956-9).
Geology
- Esson J., M.F.J., Flower, D.F. Strong, B.G.J. Upton, and W.J. Wadsworth, Geology of the Comores archipelago western Indian Ocean Geological Magazine 107 (6) 549-557 1970
- Flower, M.F.J., Evidence for the role of phlogopite in the genesis of alkali basalts Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 32 (2) 126-137 1971
- Flower, M.F.J., Rare earth element distribution in lavas and ultramafic xenoliths from the Comores archipelago, western Indian Ocean Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 31 (4) 345-346 1971
- Flower, M.F.J., R N Thompson, One-atmosphere melting and crystallization relations of lavas from Anjouan Comores Archipelago western Indian Ocean Earth and Planetary Science Letters 12 (1) 97-107 1971
- Flower, M.F.J., Petrology of volcanic rocks from Anjouan Comores archipelago, Bull, volcanol., 36 (1) 238-250 1973
- Flower, M.F.J., Evolution of basaltic and differentiated lavas from Anjouan Comores Archipelago, Contrib. Mineral. Petrol., 38 (3) 237-260 1973
- Flower, M.F.J., Trace-element distribution in lavas from Anjouan and Grande Comore western Indian Ocean Chem. Geol., 12 (2) 81-98 1973