The economy of the Comoros

The Comoros served as a station for merchants who sailed to the Far East and India until the Suez Canal was opened.
Since the SUez Canal opening, the traffic passing through the Mozambique Channel was reduced.

Coconuts are the only native commodities the land exports. A plantation based economy which uses about one third of the land for growing export crops was established by French-settlers; French-owned companies and wealthy Arab merchants.