Lighthouses of the Union of the Comoros

The Comoros are a group of islands in the Mozambique Channel midway between Madagascar and the African continent. The four major islands are Njazidja (Grande Comore), Mwali (Mohéli), Nzwani (Anjouan), and Mahoré (Mayotte). France acquired control over the islands one by one over a long period between 1841 and 1909, and the islands became a French colony officially in 1912. Independence was planned for 1978, but in 1975 the Comorian parliament declared independence unilaterally. Deputies from Mayotte abstained, however, and Mayotte has remained part of the French community, now as an overseas department. The other three islands comprise the Union of the Comoros.

The country has three ports: Moroni on Grande Comore, Fomboni on Mohéli, and Mutsamudu on Anjouan. It appears that each port has its own port authority, which is presumably responsible for navigational aids on its island.

Lighthouses of Mayotte are listed on a separate page.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume D of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112.

Phare de Moroni
Moroni Light, Grande Comore, April 2010
Flickr Creative Commons photo by islascomores
Lighthouses
* Moroni
1904. Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); quick-flashing white light. 22 m (75 ft) square cylindrical masonry minaret with a lantern at the top. Entire building painted white. A 2010 photo is above, a 2007 closeup photo and a 2004 view are available, the light is centered (behind the ship) in Omar Alhakimi's 2009 photo, and Google has a good satellite view. Located on the waterfront in Moroni, the national capital and principal town of Njazidja (Grande Comore). Site open, tower closed. ARLHS COM-002; Admiralty D6902; NGA 32752.
* Vigie
1903. Active; focal plane 84 m (276 ft); quick-flashing white light. 5 m (17 ft) square cylindrical concrete (?) tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands. No lantern; the light is shown through a rectangular opening. Originally this was the rear light of a range. Located on the waterfront of Mutsamudu, on the northwest coast of Nzwani (Anjouan). Site open, tower closed. ARLHS COM-004; Admiralty D6882.1; NGA 32732.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: East: Mayotte | West: Mozambique

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Posted October 30, 2005. Checked and revised June 30, 2012. Lighthouses: 2. Site copyright 2012 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.