Map of Comoros | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Comoros has endured 19 coups or attempted coups since gaining independence from France in 1975. In 1997 the islands of Anjouan and Moheli declared independence from Comoros. In 1999 military chief Col. AZALI seized power. He pledged to resolve the secessionist crisis through a confederal arrangement named the 2000 Fomboni Accord. In December 2001 voters approved a new constitution and presidential elections took place in the spring of 2002. Each island in the archipelago elected its own president and a new union president took office in May 2002.


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Location: Southern Africa group of islands at the northern mouth of the Mozambique Channel about two-thirds of the way between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique

Geographic coordinates: 12 10 S 44 15 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 2,170 km²
Land: 2,170 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 340 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate: tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)

Terrain: volcanic islands interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Le Kartala 2,360 m

Natural resources: NEGL

Land use
Arable land: 35.87%
Permanent crops: 23.32%
Other: 40.81% (2005)

Irrigated land: NA

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); Le Kartala on Grand Comore is an active volcano

Geography
Note: important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel


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Population: 690,948 (July 2006 est.)
Growth rate: 2.87% (2006 est.)
Below poverty line: 60% (2002 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Comoran
Adjective: Comoran

Ethnic groups: Antalote Cafre Makoa Oimatsaha Sakalava

Languages: Arabic (official) French (official) Shikomoro (a blend of Swahili and Arabic)

Religions: Sunni Muslim 98% Roman Catholic 2%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 42.7% (male 148,009/female 147,038)
15-64 years: 54.3% (male 185,107/female 190,139)
65 years and over: 3% (male 9,672/female 10,983) (2006 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 18.6 years
Male: 18.4 years
Female: 18.9 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.87% (2006 est.)

Birth rate: 36.93 births/1000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate: 8.2 deaths/1000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2006 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: soil degradation and erosion results from crop cultivation on slopes without proper terracing; deforestation
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male/female
Total population: 0.99 male/female (2006 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 72.85 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 81.27 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 64.19 deaths/1000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 62.33 years
Male: 60 years
Female: 64.72 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.03 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.12% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 56.5%
Male: 63.6%
Female: 49.3% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Union of the Comoros
Conventional short form: Comoros
Local long form: Union des Comores
Local short form: Comores

Government type: republic

Capital
Name: Moroni
Geographic coordinates: 11 41 S, 43 16 E
Time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 3 islands and 4 municipalities*; Grande Comore (Njazidja) Anjouan (Nzwani) Domoni* Fomboni* Moheli (Mwali) Moroni* Moutsamoudou*

Dependent areas

Independence: 6 July 1975 (from France)

National holiday: Independence Day 6 July (1975)

Constitution: 23 December 2001

Legal system: French and Sharia (Islamic) law in a new consolidated code

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI (since 26 May 2006);
Head of government: President Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI (since 26 May 2006);
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections: as defined by the 2001 constitution, the presidency rotates every four years among the elected presidents from the three main islands in the Union; election last held 14 May 2006 (next to be held by May 2010); prime minister appointed by the president; note - the post of Prime Minister has been vacant since May 2002
Election results: Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI elected president; percent of vote - Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI 58.0%, Ibrahim HALIDI 28.3%, Mohamed DJAANFAMI 13.7%

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 18 and 25 April 2004 (next to be held in 2009)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CdIA 12, CRC 6; note - 15 additional seats are filled by deputies from local island assemblies

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supremes (two members appointed by the president two members elected by the Federal Assembly one elected by the Council of each island and others are former presidents of the republic)

Political parties and leaders: Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros [AZALI Assowmani]; Camp of the Autonomous Islands (a coalition of parties organized by the island Presidents in opposition to the Union President); Front National pour la Justice or FNJ [Ahmed RACHID] (Islamic party in opposition); Mouvement pour la Democratie et le Progress or MDP-NGDC [Abbas DJOUSSOUF]; Parti Comorien pour la Democratie et le Progress or PCDP [Ali MROUDJAE]; Rassemblement National pour le Development or RND [Omar TAMOU Abdoulhamid AFFRAITANE]

International organization participation: ACCT ACP AfDB AMF AU COMESA FAO FZ G-77 IBRD ICAO ICCt ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO InOC Interpol IOC ITU LAS NAM OIC OIF OPCW (signatory) UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Representative to the US and Ambassador to the UN Mahmoud M. ABOUD
In the us chancery: Mission to the US, 336 East 45th Street (2nd floor), New York, NY 10,017
In the us telephone: [1] (212) 750-1637
From the us: the US does not have an embassy in Comoros; the ambassador to Madagascar is accredited to Comoros

Flag description: four equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) white red and blue with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist; centered within the triangle is a white crescent with the convex side facing the hoist and four white five-pointed stars placed vertically in a line between the points of the crescent; the horizontal bands and the four stars represent the four main islands of the archipelago - Mwali Njazidja Nzwani and Mayotte (a territorial collectivity of France but claimed by Comoros); the crescent stars and color green are traditional symbols of Islam

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: One of the world's poorest countries Comoros is made up of three islands that have inadequate transportation links a young and rapidly increasing population and few natural resources. The low educational level of the labor force contributes to a subsistence level of economic activity high unemployment and a heavy dependence on foreign grants and technical assistance. Agriculture including fishing hunting and forestry contributes 40% to GDP employs 80% of the labor force and provides most of the exports. The country is not self-sufficient in food production; rice the main staple accounts for the bulk of imports. The government - which is hampered by internal political disputes - is struggling to upgrade education and technical training privatize commercial and industrial enterprises improve health services diversify exports promote tourism and reduce the high population growth rate. Increased foreign support is essential if the goal of 4% annual GDP growth is to be met. Remittances from 150,000 Comorans abroad help supplement GDP.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $441 million (2002 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 3% (2005 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $600 (2005 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 40%
Industry: 4%
Services: 56% (2001 est.)

Agriculture products: vanilla cloves perfume essences copra coconuts bananas cassava (tapioca)

Industries: tourism perfume distillation

Industrial production growth rate: -2% (1999 est.)

Labor force: 144,500 (1996 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 80%
By occupation industry and services: 20%

Unemployment rate: 20% (1996 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 60% (2002 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $27.6 million
Expenditures: $N/A (2001 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3% (2005 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance: $-17 million (2005 est.)

Exports: $34 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Commodities: vanilla ylang-ylang (perfume essence) cloves copra
Partners: France 27.7% Singapore 16.8% Japan 15.1% Germany 13.7% US 5.8% Netherlands 5.1% (2005)

Imports: $115 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Commodities: rice and other foodstuffs consumer goods petroleum products cement transport equipment
Partners: France 20.5% South Africa 11.7% UAE 9.1% Kenya 8% Pakistan 5% Mauritius 4.4% Belgium 4.3% India 4.1% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $232 million (2000 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates
Note: the Comoran franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 491.9677 Comoran francs per euro


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Electricity
Production: 18 million kWh (2003)
Consumption: 16.74 million kWh (2003)
Exports: 0 kWh (2003)
Imports: 0 kWh (2003)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2003 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2003 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 16,900 (2005)
Mobile cellular: 16,100 (2005)

Telephone system
General assessment: sparse system of microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communication stations
Domestic: HF radiotelephone communications and microwave radio relay
International: country code - 269; HF radiotelephone communications to Madagascar and Reunion

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .km
Hosts: 5 (2006)
Users: 20,000 (2005)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 3% (2005 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 4 (2006)
With paved runways total: 4
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3 (2006)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 880 km
Paved: 673 km
Unpaved: 207 km (1999)

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 121 ships (1000 GRT or over) 564,882 GRT/801,238 DWT
By type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 85, chemical tanker 1, container 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 5, specialized tanker 1
Foreign owned: 72 (Bangladesh 1, Bulgaria 1, Greece 10, India 1, Kenya 1, Kuwait 1, Lebanon 6, Nigeria 2, Norway 1, Pakistan 2, Philippines 1, Russia 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Saudi Arabia 3, Syria 4, Turkey 11, UAE 6, Ukraine 14, US 2) (2006)

Ports and terminals: Mayotte Moutsamoudou


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Disputes international: claims French-administered Mayotte

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs