Grande Comore (; ) is an island in

Comoros The Comoros, officially the Union of the Comoros, is an archipelagic country made up of three islands in Southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city is Moroni, ...

off the coast of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. It is the largest island in the Comoros nation. Most of its population is of the Comorian ethnic group. Its population is about 316,600. The island's capital is Moroni, which is also the national capital. The island is made up of two

shield volcano A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more viscous lava ...

es, with

Mount Karthala Mount Karthala or Karthola ( ''Al Qirṭālah'') is an active volcano and the highest point of the Comoros at above sea level. It is the southernmost and larger of the two shield volcanoes forming Grande Comore island, the largest island in the ...

being the country's highest point at above sea level. According to the 2009 revision of the constitution of 2002, it is governed by an elected Governor, as are the other islands, with the federal government being much reduced in power. The name Ngazidja is sometimes seen in the now nonstandard form Njazidja.

History

For several centuries, Grande Comore was divided into a number of sultanates, including Bambao,

Itsandra Itsandra was one of the two major sultanates on the island of Grande Comore before the French colonization of the Comoros. It was taken over by the Sultanate of Anjouan in 1886 and became a part of the united Sultanate of Ngazidja Grande Comore ...

, Mitsamihuli, Mbajini, Hambuu, Washili, Hamahame, Mbwankuu, Mbude and Domba. The sultans were also known as ''mfaume''. In 1886, the ruler of

Anjouan Anjouan () is an autonomous volcanic island in the Comoro Islands in the southwestern Indian Ocean, part of the Comoros, Union of the Comoros. It is known in Comorian languages, Shikomori as Ndzuani, Ndzuwani or Nzwani, and, until the early twentie ...

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

Said Ali bin Said Omar declared a "state of Ngazidja", usurping the other sultanates and accepting a French protectorate over the island. In 1893, Sultan Said Ali was sent into exile on

Réunion Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...

. In 1908,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

annexed the island and the sultanates were abolished. In 1975, Grande Comore,

and

Mohéli Mohéli , also known as Mwali, is an autonomously-governed island that forms part of the Union of the Comoros. It is the smallest of the three major islands in the country. It is located in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa and it is the ...

declared independence as the nation of Comoros. On 23 November 1996,

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 was a scheduled international flight serving the route Addis Ababa–Nairobi–Brazzaville–Lagos–Abidjan. On 23 November 1996, the aircraft serving the flight, a Boeing 767-200ER, was hijacked en route from A ...

was hijacked while in Ethiopian airspace en route from

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

. The Boeing 767-260ER crash-landed in the Indian Ocean near Grande Comore after running out of fuel, killing 125 out of the 175 people on board, including 3 of the hijackers. In 1997, the Comoros nation began to fall apart as Anjouan and Moheli seceded. Grande Comore became the only island under federal control. By 2002, however, Grande Comore was reunited with the other islands under the new constitution.

Abdou Soule Elbak In Medicine, abdo is short for abdominal. As a name, notable people called Abdo, Abdou, Abdouh or Abdu include: People Abdo/Abdu/Abdou/Abdoun/Abdoh/Abbud/Aboud/Aboodi... is A masculine Arabic name, and a nickname for Abdul . The name is also of ...

was elected President of Grande Comore in May 2002. He received only 17% of the vote in the first round, coming in first place, and received 60% of the vote in the runoff. He remained in his post until the July 2007 elections, at which point

Mohamed Abdoulwahab Mohamed Abdoulwahab (also spelled Abdouloihabi) (born 31 December 1959) is a Comorian politician. He was president of the autonomous island of Grande Comore in the Comoros from 30 June 2007 to 2011. A lawyer and veteran politician, he held sever ...

won the island's presidency. The position of the President of Grande Comore was later transferred into the position of

Governor of Grande Comore The Governor of Grande Comore is the head of the autonomous government of Grande Comore (Ngazidja), the largest island of the Comoros. The position was established in 2002 following the adoption of the Comorian Constitution of 2001. The president ...

Transport

Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport (, , AIMPSI) is an international airport serving Moroni in Comoros. It is named after Prince Saïd Ibrahim. It is located north of the village of Hahaya. Airlines and destinations ;Notes : Turkish A ...

serves the island.

References

External links

Comoros Island election information
{{Coord, 11, 35, S, 43, 20, E, region:KM_type:adm1st, display=title Comoros archipelago Autonomous islands of the Comoros