Our journey brings us to the Comoros, a volcanic archipelago tucked between Madagascar and Mozambique in the Indian Ocean. There are around 900,000 people living here, and the capital is Moroni, a city known for its beautiful white mosques and narrow winding streets. The official languages are Comorian, Arabic, and French.

The Comoros covers about 1,862 square kilometers, or 719 square miles. To imagine its size, the country is roughly the same size as the state of Delaware in the U.S. In European terms, it is approximately the same size as the island of Tenerife in Spain. It is made up of three main islands: Grande Comore, Mohéli, and Anjouan.

The most popular sport is Football, but you will also see many people practicing Traditional Wrestling on the sandy beaches. Their national animal is the Coelacanth, a prehistoric fish once thought to be extinct for millions of years until it was found swimming in the deep waters off the Comorian coast!

The flag features four horizontal stripes of yellow, white, red, and blue with a green triangle on the left containing a white crescent and four stars, where the four stripes and stars represent the four main islands of the archipelago.

The food is a fragrant mix of African, Arab, and French flavors. The national dish is Langouste à la Vanille, which is lobster cooked in a rich, creamy vanilla sauce. This might sound like a dessert, but the Comoros is one of the world’s top producers of Vanilla and Ylang-ylang (a flower used in Chanel No. 5), so they use these incredible scents in their cooking and perfumes every day!

The Comoros is home to Mount Karthala, one of the largest and most active volcanoes in the world, which has a massive crater you can actually hike into. The islands are nicknamed the “Perfume Isles” because the air often smells like a mix of cloves, jasmine, and orange blossoms. In the waters around Mohéli, you can find giant sea turtles nesting on the beaches and humpback whales breaching in the sea. The islands also have a unique culture of “The Grand Marriage,” a massive multi-day celebration that a person must perform to become an important elder in their community.

From the volcanic peaks to the scent of spices on the breeze, the Comoros is a hidden gem of the Indian Ocean. Marahaba! That means “Thank you!”