COMOROS

officially Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros, Arabic Jumhuriyat al-Qumur al-Ittihadiyah al-Islamiyah, French Rpublique Fdrale Islamique des Comores independent state comprising a group of islands at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel of the Indian Ocean, between Madagascar and the southeast African mainland, about 180 miles (290 km) off the eastern coast of Africa. The islands from northwest to southeast include Ngazidja (Grande Comore), Mwali (Mohli), and Nzwani (Anjouan) but exclude the French-allied island of Mayotte to the southeast. The capital, Moroni, is located on Ngazidja. The total area (excluding Mayotte) is 719 square miles (1,862 square km). Additional reading Ren Battistini and Pierre Vrin, Gographie des Comores (1984), outlines and details the archipelago's physical features. A thorough history is provided by Jean Martin, Comores: quatre les entre pirates et planteurs (1983). Martin Ottenheimer and Harriet Ottenheimer, Historical Dictionary of the Comoro Islands (1994) is an excellent reference source; and Pierre Vrin, Les Comores (1994) gives an overview of geography, history, politics, culture, and economics. Martin Ottenheimer Harriet Joseph Ottenheimer