Comoros:
A series of islands off the south-east coast of Africa, Comoros is a poor, unstable country populated mainly by subsistence farmers. Since independence from France, there have been a number of coups and attempted coups. On April 30, 1999, the army seized power in a bloodless coup, after three days of rioting and violent protests against an autonomy deal that gave more autonomy to two of the country's three islands. Colonel Assoumani says he will stay in power for only one year and stick to the new deal. An election is going to be held within the next year.
Eighty-six per cent of the people of Comoros are Muslim. It was settled by Polynesians, Africans, Indonesians, Persians and Arabs, and some Europeans and Indians. The government is promoting tourism and building hotels, hoping to attract foreigners to the beaches, coral reefs and interior forests. There are basically no environmental initiatives, however, so it remains to be seen how well Comoros will do at preserving the environment it wishes to use to attract visitors.