It is believed in many academic circles that the earliest inhabitants of the islands were Polynesian and Melanesian settlers who ventured to the islands by sea. The earliest archaeological site on the island, which is found on Nzwani, suggests that these early residents arrived around the sixth century AD; this is contested by some who believe that the islands were populated much earlier. Settlers from many backgrounds arrived over time to populate the islands, including those from Madagascar, Indonesia, and those of Swahili descent. As trade became a booming industry on the island, Muslim traders brought Islam to the islands. The Muslim influence became more predominant than any other culture on the islands. In 1841, the French began to colonize the area. After time, the French took control of the islands and the Comoros became an official French colony. This occurred around 1912. It was the French who planted crops such as cocoa, ylang-ylang, and sugar cane, which became the main economy of the islands.
A man named Ahmed Allah declared the Comoros Islands independent and became the country’s first president. This took place in 1975; some years of political turmoil passed and there were some transitions in the way the country was run over the years. Strict Islamic law controlled the country for some years, though a French-trained soldier took over and the Islamic influence declined ever so slightly, though it eventually took over again. Now though, peaceful political processes have united the islands like never before. Today, the government is considered a federal presidential republic, with a multi-party system.
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