The islands that today make up the small island nation of Comoros have been conquered and ruled by various groups from the nearby areas including the Persians, Indonesians, and Africans. Comoros was first discovered by Europeans in 1505. The Portuguese were the first to visit, but it was the French who colonized the islands starting in 1841.
The islands were used for agriculture and many of the crops were exported to other lands. In 1975 some of the islands declared independence from France. The island of Mayotte decided to keep their ties with France. Since then the country of Comoros has had a series of coups and civil unrest over its short history.
The Geography of Comoros
Total Size: 2,170 square km
Size Comparison: slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC
