Udzima wa Komori (Union of the Comoros) Quiz

Answer: Indian Ocean

The Mozambique Channel is the part of the Indian Ocean that lies between the island of Madagascar and the east coast of the continent of Africa. To be precise, the country of Mozambique is on the western side of the channel. The islands that comprise the Union of the Comoros are situated near its northern end.

As well as the Comoros, there are a number of other islands in the Mozambique Channel, most of which are part of the French-claimed district of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands called the Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean.

Answer: English

The Comoro islands were historically a significant site for ships involved in coastal trade, and European powers found them a useful waystation on the journey to the eastern parts of Asia in the days before the Suez Canal provided a shortcut that did not involve traveling around the southern tip of Africa. After centuries of being part of various African sultanates, they came under French control in the 19th century, and became part of the colony of Madagascar in 1908. 1946 saw them become listed as an overseas territory in their own right, and independence was declared in 1975.

The most common language in use is Comorian ('Shamisiwa'), which is a member of the Bantu language family. There are a number of dialects, with sufficient differences that each island has its own name for their language. Comorian had no official alphabet, and was traditionally written using Arabic script, but the French introduced a Latin script, which is still officially promoted, but less widely used than the Arabic script. The title of this quiz uses the Comorian form of the country's name, and it is also the language used for the national anthem, 'Udzima wa ya Masiwa'.

Answer: They represent the four main islands in the union.

The Comorian flag makes a number of statements about the four islands. Not only is the star and crescent symbol on a green background made up of four stars, but the horizontal stripes also represent the four islands: from top to bottom, yellow stands for Mohéli (Mwali in Comorian), white for Mayotte (Mahoré), red for Anjouan (Nzwani), and blue for Grande Comore (Ngazidja).

The emphasis on four is possibly because of the history of several of the islands declaring (temporarily) independence from the Union before returning to it, or it may be because of territorial disputes over one of the four main islands.

Answer: Mayotte (Mahoré)

Mayotte (Mahoré) is actually made up of two islands and a number of tiny islets. The larger island is called Grande-Terre by the French, Maore in Comorian, and is the location of the largest city, Mamoudzou. The international airport, however, is located on the smaller island, Petite-Terre (Pamanzi). In 1974, the people of Mayotte voted to remain part of France, and not to join the Union of the Comoros, but the islands are still included symbolically in the Comorian flag, and they are mentioned in the national anthem as being part of the country.

The Union of the Comoros also dispute the Glorioso Islands, which are a nature reserve with a total area of five square kilometres or 1200 acres, with France and Madagascar (and, until 2012, with the Seychelles, who relinquished their claim in a maritime boundary agreement with France).

Answer: Islam

Every new constitution (and the time since independence has been fairly chaotic in the Comoros, with at least twenty coups) has led to a new set of national symbols, including five official flags before the one which was adopted in 2002. Most of them were green, with a crescent and four stars, a common symbol used by Islamic nations. One flag had a red strip above a green one, with the crescent on the red stripe. About 98% of the population of the Comoros practice Sunni Islam, with a very small group, mostly immigrants from France, practicing Roman Catholicism.

Answer: Ylang-ylang

Despite its small size, the Union of the Comoros is the world's largest exporter of ylang-ylang oil. The name ylang-ylang is sometimes used to refer to the tree as well as to the oil produced from its flowers. The tree originated in Indonesia, and has since been established in a number of areas around the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

The flowers are believed to have aphrodisiac properties, which explains why they are spread on the marital bed in Indonesia, and the oil that is extracted from them is used in aromatherapy to treat high blood pressure and acne.

Its scent blends well with other floral, fruity and wood scents, making it a popular ingredient in many perfumes, including the renowned Chanel No. 5.

Answer: Mount Karthala

All of the islands are volcanic in origin, but only Mount Karthala is still active, averaging an eruption every five years over the last century. The picture in the question showed the lava flows that characterise much of the surface of Kgazidja. Because this is the most recent volcanic island of the archipelago, the surface soil is very thin, and does not hold water well, which makes agriculture difficult. The slopes of Mount Karthala, however, do have tropical rainforest covering, which is under threat both from logging and from clearing the land to use the more fertile soil found there for agricultural enterprises. The forests are home to a number of birds which can only be found on the slopes of Mount Karthala, including Humblot's flycatcher, the Comoro white-eye, and the Karthala scops owl.

The incorrect options are not actual mountains - Moroni is the national capital, and the capital of the island of Grande Comore (Ngazidja); Fomboni is the capital of Mohéli (Mwali), and Mutsamudu is the capital of Anjouan (Nzwani).

Answer: World's biggest bat

Livingstone's fruit bat, modestly named by and for the explorer David Livingstone who discovered them in 1863, has a wingspan of nearly two metres (6.5 feet). Although they were abundant at the time of discovery, their numbers dwindled significantly over the ensuing 150 years, with about 150 specimens then known to exist in the wild, all on the single island of Anjouan (Nzwani). Some specimens have been moved to a zoo in the United Kingdom, in an attempt to establish a breeding program.

Not only are the Comoros home to over 20 endemic species of birds and nine species of reptiles, but the surrounding waters are also (and perhaps more famously) one of the only places in the world where coelecanths live. Until one was caught off the coast of South Africa in 1938, these cartilaginous fish were thought to have been extinct for something like 70 million years. More recently, a second species of coelecanth has been discovered in Indonesia. Coelecanths are quite substantial fish - a specimen caught in 1974 had a length of 170 cm (nearly six feet) and weighed in at 60 kg (over 130 pounds).

Answer: Mohéli (Mwali)

To visit the Mohéli Marine Park you will need to make your way to Nioumachoua, the island's second-largest city, on the southern coast. The actual marine park was created as a joint project of ten villages along the coast, who organised collaborative management of the park in order to conserve biodiversity in the region, and promote sustainable development, especially in the hope of attracting tourists to the area.

While you are there, you can participate in a number of activities, including whale watching (July through October), fishing on the reef with a local guide, boating and sailing, diving on the coral reefs, hiking along the beaches and up in the mountains, and checking out the wildlife (including Livingstone's fruit bat, which lives in the region).

Answer: Oud (a member of the lute family)

All four of these instruments feature in a twabar orchestra, along with the gabusi (another member of the lute family) and the violin. The oud has the pear-shaped body typical of members of the lute family, and is distinguished by having an unusually short neck, and no frets.

It features in the musical traditions of many countries in Africa and around the Mediterranean Sea, with a probable origin in the Fertile Crescent. Originally (as described in the 9th century), it had four strings, tuned in fourths, and a fifth string tuned so as to provide a double octave playing range on the open strings. Over time, the single strings were turned into paired strings (called courses), and the number of courses increased to five or six.

The origin of the instrument's name is a matter of debate, one suggestion being that it comes from an Arabic word for a thin piece of wood, which may be a reference to the plectrum (a flat piece or wood, metal or plastic) that is traditionally used to sound the strings when playing the oud.