Global - Technology - Review

The Comoros are small islands in the Indian Ocean between Mozambique and Madagascar. The country is poor and suffers from high unemployment and an unstable political system: there have been a number of coups since independence. The capital, Moroni, is situated on Grand Comore, the largest island. The climate is tropical, and there is heavy rainfall throughout the year. Also on Grand Comore is the active volcano Karthala, which has already erupted twice during the present century. The island of Anjuan has a deep water harbour, which Moroni lacks. Agriculture and fishing are the major industries: vanilla is an important crop, and the islands are the world’s largest supplier of the essential oil of ylang-ylang, used in aromatherapy. The Coelacanth, the so-called ‘living fossil’ fish lives in Comorian waters, but has no commercial value. The volcanic soils are very fertile: mangroves grow in the coastal regions, and bananas and mangoes are found inland. The Comoros have a local music style called twarab, played on the oud, a type of lute. One of the islands, Mayotte, is still administered by France, the former colonial power.