http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3 http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/v3/mods-3-2.xsd
1 online resource (xxii, 293 pages) : illustrations (black and white, and colour), maps (black and white)
Many people today have never heard of the Comoros, but these islands were once part of a prosperous regional trading economy that stretched halfway around the world. A key node in the trading networks of the Indian Ocean, the Comoros prospered by exchanging slaves & commodities with Arab & Indian merchants. By the 16th century, the archipelago served as an important supply point on the route from Europe to Asia. The 20th century brought the establishment of French colonial rule & a plantation economy. Today, the island nation suffers chronic mismanagement & relies on remittances from a diaspora community in France. Iain Walker traces the history & unique culture of these enigmatic islands, from their first settlement by Africans, Arabs and Austronesians, through their heyday within the greater Swahili world, to their decline as a forgotten outpost of the French colonial empire.
Includes bibliographical references and index.