James Baquet Three of Africa’s four smallest countries are island groups lying to the east of the continent; the fourth, Sao Tome and Principe, is an island group to the west. From the smallest, they are: the Seychelles, the aforementioned Sao Tome and Principe, Mauritius and today’s country, the Comoros. Unlike the Seychelles and Mauritius, which are found in open sea, the Comoros Islands are sheltered in the northern end of the Mozambique Channel, which runs between that country and the island of Madagascar. The country is made up of three major islands and numerous smaller ones. The largest island, Grande Comore, lies in the northeast; its capital, Moroni, is also the national capital. South and slightly east of there is Moheli, the smallest island; some of the islands off its coast have been designated the Moheli Marine Park, which protects a population of coelacanths, a fish long considered a “living fossil.” The third island, Anjouan, is due east of Moheli. A fourth major island, Mayotte in the southeast, is claimed by Comoros, though the people of Mayotte did not follow those of the other islands when they voted for independence from France in 1974. Thus, Mayotte continues to be administered by France, which endorses Mayotte’s rejection of Comorian sovereignty over it. In fact, with Mayotte excluded, Comoros becomes Africa’s third-smallest country. The people of Comoros are mainly Afro-Arabs. The Shirazi people, descended from Persian immigrants associated with the city of Shiraz on the southwestern coast of Iran, are one of the largest ethnic groups. Malagasy (Austronesian and Southeast African peoples from Madagascar) and Indians, as well as the descendants of French settlers and other Europeans, along with Chinese people, are also to be found. Comorian, a Swahili-related language, is widely spoken, as are Arabic and French. All three are official, though Comorian dominates. The people are as much as 99 percent Sunni Muslim. Some of the remaining fraction are Roman Catholics, a holdover from the days of French rule. Vocabulary: Which word above means: 1. protected 2. left out, not included 3. a prefix meaning “African” 4. from the islands of the central and south Pacific 5. remains of an ancient living thing 6. ocean away from any landmass 7. small portion 8. a language widely spoken on the coast of East Africa 9. something remaining from a former period 10. supports, approves | 