The Comoros is a volcanic archipelago in the Indian Ocean waters of the Mozambique Channel. The nation state’s largest island, Grande Comore (Ngazidja) is ringed by beaches and old lava from the active Mount Karthala volcano. Around the port and medina in the capital, Moroni, are carved doors and a white colonnaded mosque, the Ancienne Mosquée du Vendredi, recalling the islands’ Arab heritage. The smallest of the islands, Moheli, is a protected natural site and is ringed with coral reefs attracting marine life such as dolphins, manta rays and humpback whales.