Fun facts about the Comoros Islands
Welcome to the Comoros Islands
#COMOROS #AFRICA #TRAVEL
Welcome to Kids adventures in Africa channel. This week we explore a tiny island nation known for its perfumes, humongous scary fish and lots of lava action. Welcome to the beautiful Comoros Islands.
The Comoros is an archipelago of volcanic islands off the east coast of Africa. It lies in the warm Indian Ocean waters between Mozambique and Madagascar.
The name Comoro comes from the Arabic word for “moon” but the residents call their country Masiwa, which means “the Islands”. The weather here is typical island climate - tropical and humid.
Moroni is the capital city. The name means "the heart of the fire". And it's so named because the cityi sits at the foot of Mount Karthala, an active volcano that erupts once every decade. Due to volcanic activity, the islands have no indegenous mammals or reptiles except for bat's.
But what it lacks in mammals it more than makes up for in sea life. The Comoros host the largest population of coelacanths in the world. This rare and poisonous fish can grow up 2metres long. Comorians call it kombessa and have traditionally used its rough, tough scales as sandpaper, for roughening bicycle tyres when mending a puncture.
The reefs surrounding the Comoro Islands, especially those of the Mohéli National Park, are among the most vibrant in the world. Green turtles, dolphins, manta rays, rock lobsters, and seasonal humpback whales are very common.
Close to a million people call the comoros home, making the island the 4th smallest country in africa. Comorians speak Shikomori, which means the language of the islands. when you want to say hello in Shikomori you say, Yedje!
Most Comorians are farmers and close to 2 thirds of the population live in rural areas. Their cuisine consists mainly of seafood, rice, cassava, and coconuts
Some people call the Comoros the perfume Islands. And it's a well deserved nickname. The Comoros Islands are the world's primary producer of Ylang Ylang. Ylang Ylang is the main ingredient in many world famous perfumes such as Chanel no.5.
Along with perfumes, the Comoros is also known for producing aromatic spices like cloves cardammon nutmeg and vanilla. It's the world's 2nd largest producer of vanilla after Madagascar.
The trees of the island are also aromatic. Especially the highly valued sandalwood tree which Comorians grind into a paste called m'sinndanu. And apply on their faces as sunscreen.
and that's it for the Comoros Islands. Give us a thumb s up if you've learnt something new. And join us next time as we visit the Republic of Congo!
