ABSTRACT
Nicknamed the “Perfumed Islands” thanks to its fragrant plant life and natural beauty, the Comoros archipelago, formally known as Union of the Comoros, is a small, mountainous island country in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Eastern Africa. The population of 865,000 people is composed of several ethnic groups including Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, and Sakalava; the overwhelming majority are Sunni Muslim. Three official languages are spoken throughout the country: Arabic, French, and Shikomoro, a blend of Swahili and Arabic. Of the three islands that make up the Comoros, Anjouan is the most densely populated, with the capital, Maroni, also being fairly dense. Despite these high-density areas, as much as two-thirds of the population live in rural areas.
