MORONI

coastal town and capital of Comoros, southwestern Grande Comore (also called Njazidja) island in the Indian Ocean. It was founded by Arabic-speaking settlers and is the largest settlement of the Comoros Islands. Dzaoudzi, the principal city of the island of Mayotte, was the original administrative capital of the Comoros, but Moroni succeeded it in 1958. The port of Moroni consists of a small quay in a natural cove and lacks natural protection for shipping. Vanilla, cacao, and coffee are exported from the port, whose facilities include warehouse storage for imports and exports and for petroleum products. Moroni's industries manufacture soft drinks, processed and distilled essential oils, metal and wood products, and processed pozzolana (cement). Despite the presence of modern office buildings, Moroni retains a traditional Arabic appearance. The city has numerous mosques, including Chiounda, a pilgrimage centre. Roads link Moroni with the coastal towns of Hahaia to the north and Mitsoudje to the south. Iconi International Airport is located in southern Moroni. Pop. (1980) 17,267. according to the teaching of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an angel or resurrected being who appeared to Joseph Smith on Sept. 21, 1823, to inform him that he had been chosen to restore God's church on earth. Four years later Smith purportedly received plates of gold from Moroni, who, as the last of the ancient prophets, had buried them in a hill called Cumorah (near Palmyra, N.Y.) some 14 centuries earlier. On these plates were written history and teachings about ancient American prophets and peoples; it was this knowledge that Smith recorded in the Book of Mormon (see Mormon, Book of), which became accepted as a holy scripture by the Mormon Church.