Historical Dictionary of the Comoro Islands

Islands of stark contrasts and complex syncretisms, the Comoros hold a major key to the history of the western Indian Ocean area. Recent archaeological studies have confirmed that the islands were a crossroads of the region. Extensive long-distance maritime trade was recorded in oral histories and is reflected today in the cultures of the Islands: a mix of Arabian, Asian, African, Malagasy, and European traits. The coelecanth (a fish once thought to have been extinct for seventy-five million years) can be caught. The Islands have attracted recent world-wide attention for the political activities of the notorious mercenary, Bob Denard. This book is an authoritative introduction to the Comoro Islands; past and present. It is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the history, economics, cultures, languages, geography, geology, or politics of the Western Indian Ocean.Ottenheimer, Martin is the author of 'Historical Dictionary of the Comoro Islands' with ISBN 9780810828193 and ISBN 0810828197.