Moroni the largest city of the Comoros and since 1962 the capital. Its estimated population in 2003 was 60,200 residents. The city is located on the western coast of Grande Comore island. Moroni is served by the Moroni Hahaya International Airport. There is also a harbour with regular transport to the African mainland and the other islands in the Comoros archipelago, as well as Madagascar and other Indian ocean islands. Moroni once played a major role in a thriving world economy of the western Indian ocean. Communities on the islands are mentioned in ancient documents. Domoni, one of these communities, for example, was described as a major trading center in the fifteenth century with trade contacts in Africa and Asia. We know from archaeological evidence that it traded with places as far away as Japan. After the Portuguese appeared in the Indian Ocean and before the opening of the Suez Canal, many European and American vessels stopped in the islands for supplies. The Comoros are "Islands in a Forgotten Sea" with the prospects and problems many small countries in the world are experiencing.