Comoros History

History
The Comoros is an island country in the Indian Ocean located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel off the eastern coast of Africa between northeastern Mozambique and northwestern Madagascar. The capital and largest city in Comoros is Moroni. The religion of the majority of the population is Sunni Islam. The Comoros is the third-smallest African nation by area. As a nation formed at a crossroads of different civilisations, the archipelago is noted for its diverse culture and history. The archipelago was first inhabited by Bantu speakers who came from East Africa, supplemented by Arab and Austronesian immigration.

Comoros became part of the French colonial empire in the 19th century before becoming independent in 1975. Since declaring independence, the country has experienced more than 20 coups d'état or attempted coups, with various heads of state assassinated. Along with this constant political instability, the population of the Comoros lives with the worst income inequality of any nation, with a Gini coefficient over 60%, while also ranking in the worst quartile on the Human Development Index. As of 2008 about half the population lived below the international poverty line. The Union of the Comoros has three official languages—Comorian, Arabic and French.

Timeline
1503 - Discovery by Portuguese explorers 1793 - Malagasy warriors from Madagascar first started raiding the islands for slaves 1841 - France first established colonial rule in the Comoros 1865 - It is estimated that as much as 40% of the population consisted of slaves 1912 - The islands became a province of the colony of Madagascar 1961 - Independence from France 1975 - The Comorian parliament passed a unilateral resolution declaring independence

Websites

 * Arab Culture - TOTA, gives general information about Arab Culture