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Moroni

Capital of ComorosOn the west coast of Ngazidja (Grande Comore), the largest island of the Comoros, Moroni sits on a rocky volcanic shore at the foot of Mount Karthala, an active volcano whose crater is about 10 km to the southeast.

Why it's the capital

For centuries Moroni was a trading town, one of many on Ngazidja. It became the seat of colonial rule on the island after a treaty with France in 1886, and in 1958 it was decided to move the capital of the whole archipelago here from Dzaoudzi on Mayotte.

Fun facts

  1. The name Moroni means "at the river" in Shingazidja, the language of the island.
  2. The Badjanani Mosque, also called the Old Friday Mosque, was first built in 1427; its minaret was added in 1921.
  3. In 2026 the old medina of Moroni was one of six Comorian medinas added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, the first sites from the Comoros on the list.

Finding it on the globe

The Comoros are a small chain of islands at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel, between Mozambique and Madagascar. Moroni is on the west side of Ngazidja, the biggest island and the one farthest west.

Sources: Wikipedia: Moroni, Comoros, Wikipedia: Comoros, Wikipedia: Grande Comore, www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260725-six-ancient-comoros-medinas-join-unesco-s-heritage-list