History of the Comoros (1978–89)
The Comoros is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa. France first established colonial rule in the Comoros in 1841. Agreement was reached with France in 1973 for the Comoros to become independent in 1978. On July 6, 1975, but the Comorian parliament passed a unilateral resolution declaring independence. The deputies of Mayotte, which remained under French control, abstained. Referendums on all four of the islands excluding Mayotte showed strong support for independence. Ahmed Abdallah proclaimed the Comoros' independence on September 5, 1975 and became its first president.
Moroni, Comoros
Moroni's earliest history is poorly known. The earliest secure evidence for settlement in the Comoros Islands comes no earlier than the 7th century, with Bantu-speaking agriculturalists. Ceramic finds from the 7th to 10th century demonstrate that the Islands were part of the developing Swahili civilization. The 11th century Egyptian "Book of Curiosities" identifies the Comoros Islands as part of the Zanj coast, indicting the islands' participation in the broader Indian Ocean world. Moroni was a well established Swahili town by the late medieval period, widely engaged in trade networks throughout the Indian Ocean. The city's oldest mosque, built in 1427, is a testament to the city's wealth, contemporary with the golden ages of other Swahili cities.