Comoros

Comoros is the kind of place most people couldn't point to on a map, which is precisely what makes it interesting. Sitting in the Mozambique Channel between mainland Africa and Madagascar, this archipelago of four volcanic islands smells like a perfume factory. That's not a metaphor - Comoros is the world's largest producer of ylang-ylang, the essential oil that ends up in Chanel No. 5 and most of the expensive perfumes you've never been able to afford. Vanilla and cloves round out the aromatic trifecta, earning the country the nickname "The Perfume Islands."

The real showstopper, though, swims offshore. In 1938, a fisherman near Comoros hauled up a coelacanth - a fish that scientists believed had been extinct for 65 million years. The waters around these islands remain one of the only places on Earth where this living fossil persists. On land, Mount Karthala on Grande Comore is one of the world's most active volcanoes, with a summit crater lake that changes color between eruptions. The country has experienced over twenty coups or attempted coups since independence in 1975, making it one of the most politically turbulent nations on the planet - yet the people remain remarkably warm, the beaches remain stunning, and the spice trade keeps humming along.