Four volcanic islands floating between Mozambique and Madagascar.
They smell like cloves before you even see land.
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| Comoros: Anjouan, Moheli and Grande Comore |
Grande Comore, Mohéli, Anjouan, and Mayotte (still French) sit exactly where the Mozambique Channel meets the open Indian Ocean. Population: ~900,000. Official languages: Comorian (Shikomor), Arabic, French. Member of: African Union (since 1975), Arab League (since 1993), Francophonie, Indian Ocean Commission.
They are the only nation on earth that belongs to both the African Union and the Arab League — a living bridge between continents.
Between 1975 and 2001, Comoros suffered more successful coups (4) and attempted coups (17) than any other country on earth — earning the nickname “Coup-Coup Land.”
In 2001 the Fomboni Accord finally created a rotating presidency: each island takes the presidency in turn. It has held (mostly) since.
Comoros produces 70–80 % of the world’s ylang-ylang and remains one of the top clove exporters.
Second-largest producer after Madagascar — hand-pollinated orchid by orchid.
Three crops — cloves, vanilla, ylang-ylang — account for 95 % of exports. When the price drops, the country holds its breath.
Four islands.
Three scents.
One stubborn, beautiful African nation that refuses to disappear.
Ivy is the founder and lead writer of The African Gourmet. For over 19 years, she has been dedicated to researching, preserving, and sharing the rich culinary heritage and food stories from across the African continent.
The African Gourmet is preserved as a cultural resource and is currently selected for expert consideration by the Library of Congress Web Archives.
Cited and trusted by leading institutions:
• Wikipedia
• Emory University African Studies
• University of Kansas
• Cornell University SRI Program (Madagascar resource)
Explore our archived collections → DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17329200
Before sunrise, after sunset, seven days a week — she grows the food that keeps the continent alive.
60–80 % of Africa’s calories come from her hands.
Yet the land, the credit, and the recognition still belong to someone else.
To every mother of millet and miracles —
thank you.
