Fast Facts
- Named for: jazīra al qamar Arabic something like جَزِيرَة قَمَر Islands of the Moon)
- Long/Lat: 11.7 S/43.3 E, 10,400 mi East or 10 hrs from Castro Valley
- Population: 883,000, about 13 CV’s worth
- Size: 863 sq mi, 57 Castro Valleys.
- Avg temp in April: 83 F/29 C
- Median household income: Low, ~$3,000 annually
- Official languages: Arabic & French (Ethnicity = Comorian, but heavily influenced by the Bantu, Arabic, and French)
- Main industries: Spice exports; ylang-ylang an essential perfume oil, 80% of world’s supply comes from Comoros
So far, we’ve explored a few places in the Northern Hemisphere, so this is a good time to go south. How about an island chain, off the coast of Southeast Africa?
The country of the Comoros includes three islands: Ngazidja (Grande Comore), Mwali (Mohéli), and Ndzwani (Anjouan). A fourth island to the southeast, Mayotte, has noticeably different name: it’s French.
What were the French doing there? And, if you notice the Arabic reference to the name al Qamar or al-Qumr, what were the Arabs doing there?
Continue reading “C is for Comoros”