Introduction
Moroni is the capital and largest city of Comoros, a nation made up of several islands off the southeastern coast of Africa. The city lies on the western edge of the country's largest island, Grande Comore, in the Indian Ocean.
Places of interest
Moroni was founded by Arabs from the Middle East. The city has a number of modern office buildings, but it still has a traditional Arabic appearance. Its streets are winding, and its houses and storefronts are built close together. Throughout the town there are numerous mosques, or Islamic places of worship, including the pilgrimage center known as Chiounda.
Economy
The port in Moroni does not have natural protection against the sometimes rough ocean, but the city does engage in a fair amount of shipping and trade. The main goods that are exported from the city's port include vanilla, cloves, and ylang-ylang, which is a tree whose leaves produce oil for perfume. Restaurants and hotels employ a number of people who help support the city's tourist industry. However, Comoros is a very poor nation and many people in Moroni, and throughout the islands, are unemployed.
History
Moroni was founded by one of the Muslim sultans, or rulers, who controlled the islands from about the 12th to the 19th century. The French took over Moroni and the rest of the Comoros in 1843. Dzaoudzi, the principal city of the Comoros island of Mayotte, was the original capital of the Comoros. However, the capital was moved to Moroni in 1958. In 1975 three of the islands became the independent country of Comoros, with Moroni as its capital.
In the 20th century the islands experienced a number of coups, or government takeovers. As the capital city, Moroni was the site of many protests against the government as well as violence during the takeovers. Population (1995 estimate), 34,170.
