KomoriThe Islands of the Moon

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Photo gallery

Landscapes, towns, flora and fauna of the four islands. All the images are under a free licence.

View the photo full size: The Nioumachoua islets, jewels of Mohéli National Park
Moroni, capital of the Union of the Comoros, between the Indian Ocean and the slopes of Karthala The heart of Moroni: the Friday Mosque and the bay of the old harbour The Friday Mosque, a white silhouette on the Moroni seafront The old Friday Mosque of Moroni, founded in the 15th century Minaret in the old town of Moroni Shady alleys in the medina of Moroni The old harbour of Moroni, where dhows once moored Boats and dugout canoes in the harbour of Moroni The seashore near Moroni Itsandra beach, a few minutes north of Moroni The caldera of Karthala, one of the largest active craters in the world Old lava flows from Karthala running down to the sea Outrigger canoes on the white sand of Mitsamiouli The wild coast of Mohéli A ship at anchor off Fomboni, the main town of Mohéli The Nioumachoua islets, jewels of Mohéli National Park The Nioumachoua mangrove, a nursery for marine life Djoumbé Fatima, queen of Mohéli in the 19th century Domoni, the old city of the sultans on the east coast of Anjouan Mutsamudu, squeezed between the ocean and the green slopes of Anjouan Overview of Mutsamudu, the main town of Anjouan The port of Mutsamudu, Anjouan's gateway from the sea Stone steps in the medina of Mutsamudu A narrow alley in the old town of Mutsamudu The lagoon of Mayotte seen from the summit of Mount Choungui The lagoon at Dembéni, with Petite-Terre on the horizon The lagoon and M'Bouzi islet M'Bouzi islet, a national nature reserve off Mamoudzou Plage du Préfet, in Mayotte Tahiti Plage, one of the busiest coves in Mayotte The welcome sign at Tahiti Plage, in Sada Hamouro beach, on the east coast of Grande-Terre Soulou beach, in the north-west of Mayotte N'Gouja beach, in the south of Mayotte The turquoise waters of N'Gouja, kingdom of the turtles A green turtle grazing on the seagrass beds of N'Gouja A green turtle escorted by a pilot fish in the lagoon A dugong, a rare and protected visitor to the Mayotte Marine Nature Park Lake Dziani, a crater lake with emerald-green waters on Petite-Terre Aerial view of the Dziani Dzaha crater The shores of Dziani Dzaha Dzaoudzi, the former capital on its rock on Petite-Terre The barge, the link between Grande-Terre and Petite-Terre The peak of Mount Choungui seen from the north Mount Choungui, sentinel of southern Mayotte The double coral barrier reef seen from Mount Choungui Mamoudzou, the largest town in Mayotte, facing the lagoon The Mamoudzou seafront The mosque of Mtsapéré, in Mamoudzou Pink sunset over the lagoon at Mamoudzou The Mayotte lemur (maki), the island's emblematic primate Coelacanth caught in 1974 off Grande Comore (Natural History Museum, Vienna) Livingstone's fruit bat, a giant bat endemic to Anjouan and Mohéli (illustrative photo) Livingstone's fruit bat, one of the rarest mammals in the Indian Ocean (illustrative photo) The mongoose lemur, found on Anjouan and Mohéli (illustrative photo) Ylang-ylang flowers, the fragrant gold of the Comoros Ylang-ylang plantation near a distillery on Nosy Be (Madagascar): illustrative photo A humpback whale breaching (illustrative photo) A green turtle in open water (illustrative photo) Map of the Comoros archipelago published in 1976, a year after independence Detail of an 1808 map of Africa on which the archipelago appears under the name “Camora” British nautical chart of the Comoro Islands, published in 1879 Sultan Saïd Ali ben Saïd Omar of Bambao surrounded by notables of Ngazidja, before 1916 Saïd Ali ben Saïd Omar, sultan of Grande Comore, photographed in exile in Réunion in 1897 Andriantsoly, ruler of Mayotte who ceded the island to France in 1841 The rampart of Ntsaoueni, built against raids and now protecting the town from storms Iconi, the former capital of a sultanate south of Moroni The governor's residence in Dzaoudzi, built on the site of Sultan Andriantsoly's palace The former colonial hospital on the rock of Dzaoudzi The bridal chamber of the manzaraka, the Mahoran grand marriage (Museum of Mayotte) A set of gold jewellery given at a Comorian grand marriage An embroiderer making a kofia, the traditional men's cap A stall of colourful fabrics at a Comorian market Women in colourful traditional dress in Domoni (Anjouan) Lac Salé (Niamawi), an ancient crater in the north of Grande Comore Bangoi-Kouni, village of the “miraculous mosque”, in the north-east of Grande Comore The mosque of Tsingoni, the old royal mosque of Mayotte (mihrab dated 1538) The Volo Volo market, in Moroni A white sand beach north of Mitsamiouli Bangoi-Kouni beach, in the north-east of Grande Comore Independence Day celebrations in Moroni The west stand of the Malouzini multi-sports stadium The stadium in Moroni Anjouan seen from the International Space Station (NASA, 2021) A beach on Mohéli The salt ecomuseum in Bandrélé Bandrélé islet, in the lagoon of Mayotte Sable Blanc islet, a sandbank in the lagoon of Mayotte The volcanic cliffs of Moya beach, on Petite-Terre A baby turtle on Moya beach, on Petite-Terre Mtsamboro islet, in the north-west of Mayotte Chissioua Mtsamboro, the fishermen's islet The departmental council of Mayotte, in Mamoudzou Mamoudzou town hall A landscape of Grande-Terre, in Mayotte The covered market in Mamoudzou The National Museum of the Comoros (CNDRS), in Moroni A waterfall in the forest of Mohéli A sea turtle on the coast of Mohéli The coral coast at Ouallah, in the south of Mohéli A padza, eroded red soil, in Mayotte Dapani, in the south of Mayotte Saziley point and Sable Blanc islet, in the south-east of Mayotte Lake Dzialandzé, a crater lake perched in the forests of the Anjouan highlands The village of Djoiezi, on the north coast of Mohéli The tail of a humpback whale off Mohéli Green turtles in the waters of Mohéli Women fishing with nets off Anjouan Women dancing at a celebration in Nioumamilima, in the Comoros, in 2009 At a traditional wedding, a mother sings the praises of the groom Traditional wedding outfits in Domoni (Anjouan) A game of mraha, the sowing game played on a wooden board, in the old town of Iconi Comorian fans at Olembé Stadium in Yaoundé during the AFCON round-of-16 match against Cameroon (24 January 2022) The Coelacanths before their AFCON round-of-16 match against Cameroon on 24 January 2022; in blue, defender Chaker Alhadhur, who started in goal A Comorian attack against the Cameroonian defence in the AFCON round of 16 (Yaoundé, 24 January 2022) El Fardou Ben Nabouhane in a Red Star Belgrade shirt, in 2018 Chaker Alhadhur with the Stade Malherbe Caen reserve team, in 2015 Youssouf M'Changama playing for Grenoble Foot 38, in 2018 Amir Abdou leading a training session of the Mauritania national team Feta Ahamada in her 100 m heat at the London Olympic Games, 3 August 2012 The crowd floods the pitch at the Moroni stadium after the final won by Coin Nord of Mitsamiouli, in 2008 A football match on the sports ground in Pamandzi, on Petite-Terre (2013) The athletics track and covered stand of the Pamandzi stadium, on Petite-Terre An outrigger canoe (laka) pulled up on a beach in Mayotte An outrigger canoe in the lagoon of Mayotte, between Grande-Terre and Petite-Terre Stamp issued by the Seychelles for the 2nd Indian Ocean Island Games, in 1985: boxing Seychellois athlete Lissa Labiche wins the high jump at the 2015 Island Games in Réunion

Click on an image to enlarge it: its author and licence appear below the photo. Full list: credits page.

KomoriThe Islands of the Moon
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