nPostednon July 6, 2014
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Hipnhooray, today, in celebration of Comoros’s 1975 independence fromnFrance!
Hipnhooray, today, in celebration of Comoros’s 1975 independence fromnFrance!n
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nYounknow the drill: speeches and family get-togethers, traditional musicnand dance, and a lot of good food.
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nWell,nthat’s what the people of Comoros are busy doing today. The rest ofnus can take the opportunity to learn a bit about this nation.
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Okay,nwhere the heck is Comoros?
Okay,nwhere the heck is Comoros?n
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nThennation of Comoros is a chain of islands in the Indian Ocean, nearnAfrica and Madagascar. It is the third smallest African nation innsize and #52 out of 58 African countries in population. But when Insay this, I am leaving out a group of two islands and nearby islets;nthis group of islands is referred to by the largest island’s name:nMayotte. n
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nWhynwould I leave out Mayotte? Because Mayotte is contested…. n
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nInn1973, leaders in Comoros reached an agreement with ministers ofnFrance to gain independence in the next few years, and soon each ofnthe four major islands had referendum (a general election to getnvoters’ opinion on a single political question) about whether or notnto become independent of France. n
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OnnGrand Comore, Moheli, and Anjouan, the people voted overwhelminglynfor independence.
OnnGrand Comore, Moheli, and Anjouan, the people voted overwhelminglynfor independence.n
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nButnon Mayotte, the people voted overwhelmingly to stick with France!
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nSonMayotte remains an “overseas department” of France, although somenComorans think it should be a part of their nation instead. n
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nWouldnit surprise you to learn that Comoros is one of the poorest nationsnin the world, with a very unstable government, whereas Mayotte isnrelatively prosperous? So perhaps you see why the people of Mayottenare even more unlikely now to want to change their status than theynwere in the 1970s. For example, in a 2009 referendum on the question,nmore than 95% of the population voted to stick with France rathernthan joining Comoros.
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n(I’mnnot sure you could more than 95% of the U.S. population to agree tonanything—not even, perhaps, that the Earth is round!)
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nMorenon Comoros…
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Evennthough Comoros is a really small nation, it is the second largestnproducer of vanilla in the world, after Madagascar. And it is thenlargest producer of ylang-ylang, which is used to make fragrant oils.
Evennthough Comoros is a really small nation, it is the second largestnproducer of vanilla in the world, after Madagascar. And it is thenlargest producer of ylang-ylang, which is used to make fragrant oils.n
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nComorosnoffers some wonderful scuba diving and snorkeling, as the islandsnhave fringing reefs around them. n
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nThenworld’s largest bat—Livingstone’s Fruit Bat—lives only onnComoros. The bat has a wingspan of around six feet!
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nAlsonon this date:
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nRepublicnDay in Malawi
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nAnniversarynof Althea Gibson’s win at Wimbledon
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nPlannahead:
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nChecknout my Pinterest boards for:
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nJulyn holidays
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nJulyn birthdays
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nHistoricaln anniversaries in July
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest boards for:
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nAugustn holidays
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nAugustn birthdays
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- Historicaln anniversaries in August
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