500 francs 1994

 500 francs 1994
The Comoros are between Madagascar and Africa, and consist of four large, two medium and several dozens of small islands. The name of the islands came from the Arabic word al-qamar - the moon. The main population of the islands is the Antalaotra. The name of the monetary unit tells us that earlier the Comoros were a French colony. At  present, the Comoros are an independent republic, but France has bitten  off a good piece in the form of the island of Mayotte, which is a  disputed territory. On the front side of the banknote, on the right is a portrait of a girl in bright national clothes - kanga. In the center of the building is a mosque with a picture of a crescent and a star - symbols of Islam. Based on this image, it is easy to guess that Islam is the main religion of the Comoros. It is noteworthy, but the star and crescent moon became symbols of Islam only in the 1960s. Often, we can meet these symbols on the flags of countries receiving Ottoman empires. In the left part there are national dresses, painted with bright patterns.

On  the reverse side of the banknote - an island landscape, two girls  carrying baskets of fruit, behind, next to a palm tree, a fishing boat. If  the front is not provided with information about religion, about the  people inhabiting the Comoros, then on the reverse side, with the help  of girls with baskets and a fishing boat, the artist wanted to point out  the main occupations of the local population. Indeed, the main occupations are agriculture, fisheries and livestock. Such an emphasis on agriculture is due to the fact that there are absolutely no minerals on the islands. More than half of the population is illiterate and lives below the poverty line. Do you know what is common between New Zealand and the Comoros? 

The fact that they almost never get into the news.