The Comoros, officially the Union of the Comoros, is an independent country made up of three islands in southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city is Moroni. Separated by the mainland by the Mozambique Channel, Comoros has Tanzania to the northwest, Mozambique to the west, and the Seychelles to the northeast. The religion of the majority of the population, and the official state religion, is Sunni Islam. As a member of the Arab League, it is the only country in the Arab world which is entirely in the Southern Hemisphere. Comoros proclaimed their independence on July 6, 1975. It is also a member state of the African Union, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the Indian Ocean Commission. The country has three official languages: Ngazidja Comorian, French and Arabic.
The Comoros archipelago consists of four main islands aligned along a northwest–southeast axis at the north end of the Mozambique Channel, between Mozambique and the island of Madagascar. Still widely known by their French names, the islands officially have been called by their Swahili names by the Comorian government. They are Grande Comore (Njazidja), Mohéli (Mwali), Anjouan (Nzwani), and Mayotte (Mahoré). The islands' distance from each other—Grande Comore is some 200 kilometers from Mayotte, forty kilometers from Mohéli, and eighty kilometers from Anjouan—along with a lack of good harbor facilities, make transportation and communication difficult. Comoros are sunny islands.
Mayotte, officially the Department of Mayotte, is an overseas department and region and single territorial collectivity of France. It is located in the northern part of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Southeastern Africa, between Northwestern Madagascar and Northeastern Mozambique. Mayotte consists of a main island, Grande-Terre, a smaller island, Petite-Terre, as well as several islets around these two. Mayotte is the most prosperous territory in the Mozambique Channel, making it a major destination for immigration.
The coelacanths are fish belonging to the order Actinistia that includes two extant species in the genus Latimeria: the West Indian Ocean coelacanth, primarily found near the Comoro Islands off the east coast of Africa, and the Indonesian coelacanth. The name "coelacanth" originates from the Permian genus Coelacanthus, which was the first scientifically named coelacanth.
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international organizations involved. Generally speaking though, protected areas are understood to be those in which human presence or at least the exploitation of natural resources is limited.
The Comoro Islands or Comoros form an archipelago of volcanic islands situated off the southeastern coast of Africa, to the east of Mozambique and northwest of Madagascar. The islands are politically divided between the Union of the Comoros, a sovereign country, and Mayotte, an Overseas Department of France.
Mohéli[mɔ.e.li], also known as Mwali, is an autonomous island that forms part of the Union of the Comoros. It is the smallest of the three major islands in the country. It is located in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa and it is the smallest of the four major Comoro Islands. Its capital and largest city is Fomboni.
Latimeria is a rare genus of fish which contains the only living species of coelacanth. It includes two extant species: the West Indian Ocean coelacanth and the Indonesian coelacanth. They follow the oldest known living lineage of Sarcopterygii, which means they are more closely related to lungfish and tetrapods than to the common ray-finned fishes and cartilaginous fishes.
Marine protected areas (MPA) are protected areas of seas, oceans, estuaries or in the US, the Great Lakes. These marine areas can come in many forms ranging from wildlife refuges to research facilities. MPAs restrict human activity for a conservation purpose, typically to protect natural or cultural resources. Such marine resources are protected by local, state, territorial, native, regional, national, or international authorities and differ substantially among and between nations. This variation includes different limitations on development, fishing practices, fishing seasons and catch limits, moorings and bans on removing or disrupting marine life. In some situations, MPAs also provide revenue for countries, potentially equal to the income that they would have if they were to grant companies permissions to fish. The value of MPA to mobile species is unknown.
Protected areas of Canada consist of approximately 12.1 percent of the nation’s landmass and freshwater are considered conservation areas, including 11.4 percent designated as protected areas. Approximately 13.8 percent of Canada's territorial waters are conserved, including 8.9 percent designated as protected areas. Terrestrial areas conserved have increased by 65 percent in the 21st century, while marine areas conserved have increased by more than 3,800 percent.
Lanz and Cox Islands Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It is located off Cape Scott on northern Vancouver Island.
Whaleboat Island Marine Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, located just southeast of Ruxton Island, to the southeast of the city of Nanaimo.
The West Indian Ocean coelacanth is a crossopterygian, one of two extant species of coelacanth, a rare order of vertebrates more closely related to lungfish and tetrapods than to the common ray-finned fishes. The other extant species is the Indonesian coelacanth.
Sodwana Bay is a bay in South Africa on the KwaZulu Natal north coast, between St. Lucia and Lake Sibhayi. It is in the Sodwana Bay National Park, and the Maputaland Marine Reserve, and is a popular recreational diving destination. The term is commonly used to refer to both the marine reserve and the terrestrial park, as well as the geographical bay.
The Indonesian coelacanth is one of two living species of coelacanth, identifiable by its brown color. It is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN, while the other species, L. chalumnae is listed as critically endangered. Separate populations of the Indonesian coelacanth are found in the waters of north Sulawesi as well as Papua and West Papua.
Franklin Harbor Conservation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located on the east coast of Eyre Peninsula in the gazetted locality of Cowell about 5 kilometres south of the town centre in Cowell.
Western Kangaroo Island Marine Park is a marine protected area located south of South Australia in waters within the Australian Exclusive economic zone to the south-west of Kangaroo Island and ranging in depth from 15 metres to 165 metres.
Yambe Island is protected, uninhabited historic island located directly east of the city of Tanga in Tanga District of Tanga Region in Tanzania. It is the largest island in Tanga region. It is located entirely with the Tanga Coelacanth Marine Park (TCMP). The island is administered by the Tanzania Marine Parks and Reserves. The island is also home to medieval Swahili ruins that have yet to be excavated.
Shisiwani National Park is a national park along the Sima Peninsula in the eastern Comoros. It includes marine, coastal, and terrestrial areas along the western arm of the island of Anjouan. Its creation was announced in 2016 as part of a government effort to protect 25% of the Comoros by 2021. The park encompasses a saddle island and Ile de la selle off the tip of the peninsula and includes a significant coral reef and mangrove forest.
![Preserved specimen of Latimeria chalumnae in the Natural History Museum, Vienna, Austria [length: 170 cm (67 in) - weight: 60 kg (130 lb)]. This specimen was caught on 18 October 1974, next to Salimani/Selimani (Grand Comoro, Comoro Islands)
.mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}
11deg48'40.7''S 43deg16'3.3''E / 11.811306degS 43.267583degE / -11.811306; 43.267583. Latimeria Chalumnae - Coelacanth - NHMW.jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Latimeria_Chalumnae_-_Coelacanth_-_NHMW.jpg/330px-Latimeria_Chalumnae_-_Coelacanth_-_NHMW.jpg)
