Mohéli [mɔ.e.li] , also known as Mwali , is an autonomously-governed island that forms part of the Union of the Comoros . It is the smallest of the three major islands in the country. It is located in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa and it is the smallest of the four major Comoro Islands . Its capital and largest city is Fomboni .
17-514: Until 1830, Mohéli was part of the Ndzuwani Sultanate, which also controlled the neighbouring island of Anjouan . In 1830, migrants from Madagascar led by Ramanetaka , who later changed his name to Abderemane, took over the island and established the sultanate of Mwali. In the mid-nineteenth century its ruler was Queen Jumbe-Souli . In 1886, France made the island a protectorate. Until 1889, Mwali had its own French resident , but
34-456: Is a national park in the Comoros . It includes marine, coastal, and terrestrial areas on and around the island of Mohéli . The park has an area of 643.62 km . Established as Mohéli Marine Park on 19 April 2001, it was first protected area in the Comoros . It was redesignated a national park in 2010. In 2015 the park was expanded to include about three-quarters of Mohéli's terrestrial area. It
51-420: Is the southernmost territory of the southernmost Arabic-speaking country. The marine portion of the park extends from the southern and eastern shores of the island. It includes a fringing reef some distance from the shore, which encloses a lagoon 10 to 60 meters deep, along with eight small mountainous islets, along with the open ocean beyond the reef to a depth of 100 meters. There are 91 ha of mangroves along
68-522: The Moheli scops owl ( Otus moheliensis ) and Moheli brush warbler ( Nesillas mariae ), which are endemic to Mohéli, and other species of birds, reptiles, and insects endemic to the Comoro Islands. The park also includes Lake Dziani-Boudouni, a freshwater crater lake in the island's southern lowlands. The lake covers an area of 30 ha, and may be linked to subterranean volcanic vents. It supports
85-687: The Union of the Comoros . Mohéli's population, as of 2006, is about 38,000. Its main ethnic group, as on the other Comoros islands Grande Comore and Anjouan as well as the French territory Mayotte , is the Comorian ethnic group, a synthesis of Bantu , Arab , Malay and Malagasy culture . The main religion is Sunni Islam . On 19 April 2001, the first protected area in this country – Mohéli Marine Park – was gazetted. This
102-404: The masked booby ( Sula dactylatra ), brown noddy ( Anous stolidus ), white-tailed tropicbird ( Phaethon lepturus ), lesser frigatebird ( Fregata ariel ), and great frigatebird ( Fregata minor ). The terrestrial portion of the park has rugged terrain, with deep stream valleys separated by ridges. The highest point is Mont Mlédjélé (790 m). Most of the island was once forested, but most of
119-485: The Comoros, a week after Anjouan. Mohéli's secessionist leaders were Said Mohamed Soefu who became president , and Soidri Ahmed , who became prime minister . Mohéli rejoined Comoros in 1998. In 2002, Mohéli ratified the new Comorian constitution, which provided for a less centralized federal government and more power to the island governments. It helped settle continuing political turmoil on Comoros and continuing secessionism on Anjouan. The same year, Mohamed Said Fazul
136-864: The UN Foundation and four other international groups, to promote community-based initiatives aimed at furthering sustainable development. The marine park was redesignated Mohéli National Park in 2010, and in 2015 was expanded to include approximately three-quarters of the island's land area. A 6,268 ha tract encompassing the highlands of the interior of the western part of the island, including Mount Mlédjélé, has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports populations of Comoro olive pigeons , Comoro blue pigeons , tropical shearwaters , Moheli scops owls , Malagasy harriers , Moheli brush warblers , Moheli bulbuls , Comoro thrushes , Humblot's sunbirds and red-headed fodies . Mohéli Bandar Es Eslam Airport between
153-568: The forest was cleared for agriculture or livestock raising, or degraded by activities like timber harvesting. A large enclave of relatively intact forest remains on the west and south-facing slopes of Mount Mlédjélé. The forest is home to the native trees Pterophylla comorensis and Khaya madagascariensis , which are valued for their timber, and many other species of trees, shrubs, ferns, and orchids, including many Comorian endemic species. Native animals include Livingstone's fruit bat ( Pteropus livingstonii ), which lives only on Mohéli and Anjouan,
170-437: The island governors' elections , it was Mohamed Said Fazul who won against President Ikililou's wife ( Hadidja Dhoinine ) in the 5-year governorship elections. It is therefore the second time he takes the reins of the island of Moheli. As a reminder, at the national level, it is the former president (2002-2006) Azali Assoumani who won the elections before Mohamed Ali Soilih . This is his second term (2016-2021) as President of
187-455: The island was then subjugated to the residency of Anjouan. The sultanate was dismantled in 1909 following the French annexation of the island. French colonial stamps bearing the inscription "Mohéli" were circulated between 1906 and 1912. In 1975, Mohéli agreed to join the Comoros nation, along with Grande Comore and Anjouan. Political, economic and social turmoil affected Mohéli and the Comoros in general. On 11 August 1997, Mohéli seceded from
SECTION 10
#1732783247029204-469: The last by a supporter of Azali Assoumani . In 2007, Mohamed Ali Said was elected president of the autonomous island of Moheli (currently president instead of governor) against Said Mohamed Fazul. After shortening his two-year term, which was to end in 2012, due to problems with the electoral calendar, Mohamed Ali Said was re-elected governor of the autonomous island of Moheli in December 2010 against
221-490: The presidential majority candidate Said Ali Hilali . The election of the island's councillors was won by an absolute majority by Mohamed Ali Said's camp. Following the legislative and communal elections held in 2015, it was Governor Mohamed Ali Said's party that won the majority in the island assembly, allying with the councillors (equivalent to deputies at the national level) of those of President Ikililou's supporters and related parties (UPDC party). In May 2016, following
238-465: The shore of the island, and seagrass beds in the lagoon. A notable feature of the park is the population of coelecanths , the park is home to varieties of sharks and humpback whales . Other marine species include the dugong ( Dugong dugon ), green sea turtle ( Chelonia mydas ), hawksbill turtle ( Eretmochelys imbricata ), eight species of dolphins, and two species of bottlenose whales. The islets are breeding colonies for seabirds, including
255-646: The villages of Fomboni and Djoièzi on the north coast of the island is the only airport on Mohéli. 12°15′S 43°45′E / 12.250°S 43.750°E / -12.250; 43.750 Ndzuwani Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.150 via cp1114 cp1114, Varnish XID 933502769 Upstream caches: cp1114 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 08:40:47 GMT Moheli Marine Park Mohéli National Park
272-457: Was elected president. His supporters won most seats in Mohéli's delegation to Parliament in the legislative elections of 2004. Mohamed Said Fazul was elected president of Mohéli in 2002 against Mohamed Hassanaly . The legislative assembly of the autonomous island of Moheli has ten seats and was elected on 14 and 21 March 2004. Nine seats were won by the supporters of Said Mohamed Fazul and
289-584: Was the culmination of a unique process by which the local communities in the ten villages around the park boundaries negotiated a collaborative arrangement with the government for the establishment and management of the park. The marine park programme was among the 27 finalists selected from nearly 500 nominations by the Equator Initiative, a partnership between the United Nations Development Programme ( UNDP ), IUCN,
#28971