ComorosComoros IslandsVolcanic island
Grande Comore
1,019 km² rising to 2,361 m out of the Mozambique Channel.
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
1,019km²
Area
227km
Coastline
2,361m
Highest point
Mount Karthala
379,367
People
29°C
Warmest sea
March
289km
To the mainland
When to go to Grande Comore
Best for the beach in June and from August to November.
The sea is warmest in March (29 °C) and coolest in August (26 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Largest island of the Comoros
Grande Comore is an volcanic island in Comoros. It belongs to Comoros Islands. It covers 1,019 km², with 227 km of coastline. Its highest point, Mount Karthala, rises to 2,361 m. About 379,367 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 289 km away.
Getting there
- Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport (HAH)airport on the island, with scheduled flights
- FerriesMohéli - Grande Comore, Mohéli - Grande Comore (Vedette)
- 289 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- June and from August to Novemberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
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On the island
What you find on Grande Comore.
- 32beachesPlage d'Itsandra, Plage de Buuni, Plage de Mitsamiouli and 29 more
- 10viewpointsIconi Crater, Karthala Crater Viewpoint, Karthala Northern Crater Viewpoint and 7 more
- 4ferry terminalsMoroni, Moroni Port Entrance, Chindini and 1 more
- 2named peaksPlateau de Diboini
- 9volcanoesMount Karthala, La Grille, Volcan Mouandzaza Ambouani and 6 more
- 4castles and fortscoeur historique, Noyau Du village (Hafeshouma) and 2 more
- 1ruins and archaeological sitesRuines du Palais de Kavhiridjewo (XVIe siècle)
- 1dive centresComoros Plongée
- 36hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 103restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 592 m above the sea. 28 % of it is below 200 m.
- 13 %0–50 m
- 16 %50–200 m
- 25 %200–500 m
- 28 %500–1,000 m
- 16 %1,000–2,000 m
- 3 %> 2,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
20 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Moroni74,749 people
- Nkourani10,000 people
- Ouellah5,478 people
- Ikoni5,474 people
- Mbéni5,128 people
- Mvouni4,791 people
- Tsidjé4,600 people
- Ntsoudjini3,559 people
- Foumbouni3,386 people
- Mitsoudjé3,129 people
- Itsandra2,684 people
- Dembéni2,657 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 |
| Night low (°C) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| Sea (°C) | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 29 |
| Rain (mm) | 202 | 154 | 160 | 151 | 65 | 39 | 33 | 21 | 20 | 39 | 40 | 97 |
| Wet days | 25 | 22 | 25 | 22 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 18 |
| Sun h/day | 6.8 | 6.9 | 7.6 | 8.0 | 8.2 | 8.2 | 8.3 | 8.9 | 9.0 | 9.3 | 9.5 | 8.5 |
| Wind (km/h) | 18 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 13 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.1 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.2 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | +0.6 | ±0.0 | +0.5 |
| 2021 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +0.3 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | −0.2 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.1 | −0.3 | +0.4 | −0.1 |
| 2022 | +0.5 | −0.1 | −0.2 | ±0.0 | −0.2 | −0.1 | −0.2 | −0.1 | −0.2 | −0.2 | −0.4 | −0.2 |
| 2023 | −0.1 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | +0.4 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.9 | +0.8 |
| 2024 | +0.6 | +1.0 | +1.0 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +1.0 | +1.2 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +0.5 |
| 2025 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +0.8 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +0.8 | +0.7 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
France
MozambiqueAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q244978) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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