Comoros

A country comprising the three main islands and numerous islets of the Comoro Islands in the Indian Ocean off southeast Africa between Mozambique and Madagascar. Settled by peoples from Africa, Indonesia, and Arabia, the islands were ceded to France between 1841 and 1909. They declared their independence from France in 1975, although Mayotte, the largest of the group, voted to retain its status as a French territory. Moroni, on Grand Comoro Island, is the capital of the country. Population: 711,000.