Geography of Comoros – The Ultimate Free Guide 2021
Learn facts and Geography of Comoros including Major Geographical Features, Natural resources, Region, area, Capital, Border countries, rivers in Comoros.
- The Comoro Islands or Comoros form an archipelago of volcanic islands situated off the southeastern coast of Africa, to the east of Mozambique and northwest of Madagascar.
- The islands are politically divided between the Union of the Comoros, a sovereign country, and Mayotte, an Overseas Department of France.
- The Comoros archipelago consists of four main islands aligned along a northwest–southeast axis at the north end of the Mozambique Channel, between Mozambique and the island of Madagascar. Still widely known by their French names, the islands officially have been called by their Swahili names by the Comorian government.
- Grande Comore is the largest island, sixty-seven kilometers long and twenty-seven kilometers wide, with a total area of 1,146 square kilometers. The most recently formed of the four islands in the archipelago, it is also of volcanic origin.
- There are no coral reefs along the coast, and the island lacks a good harbor for ships. One of the largest remnants of the Comoros’ once-extensive rain forests is on the slopes of Kartala.
- The national capital has been at Moroni since 1962.
- Anjouan, triangular shaped and forty kilometers from apex to base, has an area of 424 square kilometers. Three mountain chains – Sima, Nioumakele, and Jimilime – emanate from a central peak, Mtingui (1,575 m), giving the island its distinctive shape.
Geography of Comoros
- Mohéli is thirty kilometers long and twelve kilometers wide, with an area of 290 square kilometers. It is the smallest of the four islands and has a central mountain chain reaching 860 meters at its highest.
- Mayotte, geologically the oldest of the four islands, is thirty-nine kilometers long and twenty-two kilometers wide, totaling 375 square kilometers, and its highest points are between 500 and 600 meters above sea level. Because of greater weathering of the volcanic rock, the soil is relatively rich in some areas.
Location:
Indian Ocean
Area:
2,034 km2
Capital:
Moroni
Population:
1,008,246
Bordering Countries:
Comoros is an archipelago island nation in the Indian Ocean located off the eastern coast of Africa. Surrounding countries include Mozambique, Madagascar, and Seychelles.
Total Islands:
4
Geographical Coordinates:
12°08′24″S 44°15′00″E
World Region or Continent:
Africa
General Terrain:
Two volcanoes form the island’s most prominent topographic features: La Grille in the north, with an elevation of 1,000 meters, is extinct and largely eroded; Kartala in the south, rising to a height of 2,361 meters, last erupted in 1977. A plateau averaging 600 to 700 meters high connects the two mountains
Geographical High Point:
Karthala
Climate:
- The climate is marine tropical, with two seasons: hot and humid from November to April, the result of the northeastern monsoon, and a cooler, drier season the rest of the year.
- Average monthly temperatures range from 23 to 28 °C (73.4 to 82.4 °F) along the coasts. Although the average annual precipitation is 2,000 millimeters (78.7 in), water is a scarce commodity in many parts of the Comoros.
- Mohéli and Mayotte possess streams and other natural sources of water, but Grande Comore and Anjouan, whose mountainous landscapes retain water poorly, are almost devoid of naturally occurring running water.
Major cities:
- Moroni
- Mutsamudu
- Fomboni
- Domoni
- Sima
- Ouani
- Mirontsi
- Mkiriwadjumoi
- Koni-Djodjo
- Moya
Major Land forms:
Grand Comore (Njazidja), the largest island, is an irregular plateau anchored by two volcanoes. The land rises to the island’s highest point – the active crater of Mount Kartala, a large, gently sloping volcano in the shape of a flattened dome, built almost exclusively of lava flow
Major Rivers and Lakes:
There are no Rivers and lakes in Comoros
Natural Resources:
Natural resources of Comoros are arable land, water, forests, beautiful landscapes, and biodiversity.
Major Geographical Features:
Biomes & Ecosystems:
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Topography:
In the center of Grande Comore lies a desert lava field; to the north, a number of volcanic peaks rise from a plateau nearly 600 m (2,000 ft) in altitude. The island of Anjouan, to the southeast, has steep hills reaching heights of nearly 1,500 m (5,000 ft) in a central volcanic massif.
Oceans:
The Indian Ocean
Islands:
- Grande Comore (Ngazidja)
- Mohéli (Mwali)
- Anjouan (Nzwani)
Mountain Ranges:
Mount Karthala
Abakambouni
La Grille
Banc Vailheu
See Also:
