Africa in the Indian Ocean by Tor Sellström is about the island nations of the Western Indian Ocean excluding the more Asia-oriented Maldives. It starts with an overview of the main issues that have shaped the region: the slave trade, colonialism (which has persisted past decolonization), the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, granting these nations vast EEZs), and piracy (from Caribbean corsairs to Somali hijackers).
Madagascar, the Great Island, is distinguished by an Austronesian migration. Together with European proselytizing and administration, this has led to ethno-religious tensions that stymie national unity and leave the country among the poorest in the region and worldwide.
Comoros, home of the Dark Eldar, is marked by a close connection to the Arab and Islamic worlds, the legacy of monsoon traders. Divided into several tiny islands with very little in the way of arable land and mineral resources, the nation is mired in poverty. A record of government overthrows (some via French meddling) leaves institutional weakness in its wake.
Reunion is a French external department, kept afloat by massive budgetary transfers from the metropole. Marked by la vie chére ("the expensive life", due to the cost of importing goods), the island suffers from periodic unrest.
Mauritius, graveyard of the dodo, is a highly developed nation due to successful diversification from sugar into textiles (accomplished by export processing zones), tourism, finance (offshore investments), and communications (gateway between Asia and Africa). British rule left Indians as the largest demographic group, with close relations to the subcontinent as a consequence.
Seychelles, despite a less diversified economy than Mauritius, ranks even higher in HDI as the only African nation with very high development (>0.8).
Mayotte was detached from Comoros by France to serve as a strategic naval port to solidify its influence in the Indian Ocean. Along with the Scattered Islands around Madagascar, it serves as an irritant in French regional diplomacy due to contesting claims.
Chagos, also known as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), was left out of Mauritius. Anglo-American plotting led to expulsion of the native inhabitants and declaration of the area as a marine sanctuary. Said to be for the protection of Great Chagos Bank, the world's largest coral reef, the conservation effort is really to isolate the major US naval installation at Diego Garcia.
Grak, Private Instigator - I have been waiting for this book for years! Author Joseph J. Bailey plants his tongue firmly in his creek and creates a work on par with those of Terry Pratchett.![[party]](/images/smilies/partytime.gif "Party [party]")
Bailey's your guy! 
