Mwali is the smallest of the islands in the Comoro archipelago. Referred to by the French
as Moheli, it has an area of 81 square miles (211 square kilometers). The island has rich
soil, magnificent forests and fine pasture lands. The valleys and slopes of the island are
covered with coconut trees, coffee trees, cacao and ylang-ylang trees, and a wide variety
of crops. Three small islets on the south side of the island near the harbor of
Nioumachoua provide a natural sheltering place for sailing ships during inclement
weather. In the past, one of these islands--Shisiwa Unefu--was used as a leper
colony. With a population of approximately 30,000, Mwali is the least densely
populated (370 inhabitants per square mile) of the four islands. In September 1997,
a group of secessionists declared the island independent of the Comoro Republic but
this claim was rejected and Mwali has now agreed to join the Union of the Comoro Islands. |
Mwali is the smallest of the islands in the Comoro archipelago. Referred to by the French
as Moheli, it has an area of 81 square miles (211 square kilometers). The island has rich
soil, magnificent forests and fine pasture lands. The valleys and slopes of the island are
covered with coconut trees, coffee trees, cacao and ylang-ylang trees, and a wide variety
of crops. Three small islets on the south side of the island near the harbor of
Nioumachoua provide a natural sheltering place for sailing ships during inclement
weather. In the past, one of these islands--Shisiwa Unefu--was used as a leper
colony. With a population of approximately 30,000, Mwali is the least densely
populated (370 inhabitants per square mile) of the four islands. In September 1997,
a group of secessionists declared the island independent of the Comoro Republic but
this claim was rejected and Mwali has now agreed to join the Union of the Comoro Islands.