The Comoro Islands or Comoros (Shikomori Komori; , Juzur al-qamar; ) form an archipelago of volcanic islands situated off the southeastern coast of Africa, to the east of Mozambique and northwest of Madagascar. The islands are politically divided between the Union of the Comoros, a sovereign country, and Mayotte, an Overseas Department of France. Geography The Comoro Islands are located in the Mozambique Channel to the north-west of Madagascar and facing Mozambique. These volcanic islands, covering a total area of 2034 km2, are as follows: Ngazidja (also known as Grande Comore): the largest island of the Union of the Comoros, with its capital Moroni Ndzuwani (also known as Anjouan): part of the Union of the Comoros Mwali (also known as Mohéli): part of the Union of the Comoros Mayotte (also known as Maore): a French overseas department. Mayotte is composed of two islands, Grande-Terre and Petite-Terre (also known as Pamanzi). where the Dzaoudzi–Pamandzi International Airport is located. The Glorioso Islands, comprising Grande Glorieuse, Île du Lys and eight little rock islets, were administratively attached to the archipelago before 1975, and, geologically speaking, form a part of the archipelago. Notable reefs that are part of the archipelago are as follows: Banc Vailheu, or Raya, a submerged volcano located 20 km west of Grand Comoro Banc du Geyser, a reef measuring 8 by 5 km in area, situated 130 km North-East of Grande-Terre Banc du Leven, a former island between Madagascar and Grande-Terre which is now submerged History The Comoros may have been settled as early as the 6th century; among the peoples who crossed the sea to populate the islands are Bantu-speaking peoples, Austronesian (including Malagasy), Arabs, Somalis, Portuguese, French, and Indians. Islam probably arrived during the 10th century. The Comoros islands formed, with Zanzibar, Pemba, Lamu, and the coastal towns of Kenya and Tanzania, a united and prosperous region of Swahili culture, trading in local goods which were exported to the African coast, Madagascar, the Middle East and India. In that period, political power was in the hands of local rulers. During their explorations of the Comoros region, the Portuguese made landfall on the Islands of the Moon, in 1505; kamar is Arabic for moon. During the colonial period, French settlers established plantations, initially producing sugar, then, in the twentieth century, perfume plants and spices such as ylang ylang, vanilla and cloves as well as copra. In 1946, the Comoros