Madagascar-lies-just-400-kilometers-off-the-East-African-coast-Yet-the-Malagasy-peoples-cuisine-rituals-and-religious-beliefs-resemble-those-of-Borneo-some-9000-kilometers-to-the-east-Their-language-is-more-closely-related-to-Hawaiian-than-to-Bantu-a

D. People in the Comoros speak Bantu languages and have much less genetic relationship to Austronesians than Malagasy do. This would explain Burney's surprise at the discovery of an Austronesian connection for the Comoros, as it would be unexpected given the linguistic and genetic differences between the Comoros and the Malagasy.