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Comoros
Introduction
Geography
People
Government
Economy
Communications
Transportation
Military
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Background:
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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:
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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 |
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Geographic coordinates:
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12 10 S, 44 15 E |
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Area:
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total: 2,170 sq km
land: 2,170 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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340 km |
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
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Climate:
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tropical marine; rainy season (November to May) |
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Terrain:
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volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low
hills |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Le Kartala 2,360 m |
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Natural resources:
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NEGL |
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Land use:
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arable land: 35.87%
permanent crops: 23.32%
other: 40.81% (2005) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km |
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Natural hazards:
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cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); Le
Kartala on Grand Comore is an active volcano |
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Environment - current issues:
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soil degradation and erosion results from crop cultivation on
slopes without proper terracing; deforestation |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel
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Population:
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690,948 (July 2006 est.) |
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Age structure:
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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.) |
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Median age:
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total: 18.6 years
male: 18.4 years
female: 18.9 years (2006 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.87% (2006 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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36.93 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
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Death rate:
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8.2 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 72.85 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 81.27 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 64.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 62.33 years
male: 60 years
female: 64.72 years (2006 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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5.03 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Comoran(s)
adjective: Comoran |
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Ethnic groups:
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Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava |
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Religions:
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Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2% |
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Languages:
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Arabic (official), French (official), Shikomoro (a blend of
Swahili and Arabic) |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 56.5%
male: 63.6%
female: 49.3% (2003 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Union of the Comoros
conventional short form: Comoros
local long form: Union des Comores
local short form: Comores |
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Government type:
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independent republic |
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Capital:
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Moroni |
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Administrative divisions:
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3 islands and 4 municipalities*; Grande Comore (Njazidja),
Anjouan (Nzwani), Domoni*, Fomboni*, Moheli (Mwali), Moroni*,
Moutsamoudou* |
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Independence:
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6 July 1975 (from France) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 6 July (1975) |
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Constitution:
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23 December 2001 |
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Legal system:
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French and Sharia (Islamic) law in a new consolidated code |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President AZALI Assoumani (since 26 May
2002); note - following a 1999 coup AZALI was appointed
president; in January 2002 he resigned his position to run in
the 14 April 2002 presidential elections; Prime Minister
Hamada Madi BOLERO was appointed interim president until
replaced again by AZALI in May 2002 when BOLERO was appointed
Minister of External Defense and Territorial Security; the
president is both the chief of state and the head of
government
head of government: President AZALI Assoumani (since 26
May 2002); note - following a 1999 coup AZALI was appointed
president; in January 2002 he resigned his position to run in
the 14 April 2002 presidential elections; Prime Minister
Hamada Madi BOLERO was appointed interim president until
replaced again by AZALI in May 2002 when BOLERO was appointed
Minister of External Defense and Territorial Security; the
president is both the chief of state and the head of
government
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 April 2002 (next to be held 14 May 2006); prime
minister appointed by the president; note - AZALI has not
appointed a Prime Minister since he was sworn into office in
May 2002
election results: President AZALI Assoumani elected
president with 75% of the vote |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral Assembly of the Union (33 seats; 15 deputies are
selected by the individual islands' local assemblies and the
18 by universal suffrage; deputies serve for five years);
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 |
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Judicial branch:
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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) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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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 (Islamic
party in opposition) [Ahmed RACHID]; 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] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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International organization participation:
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ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AMF, AU, COMESA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,
ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (observer),
ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, OIF,
OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO,
WIPO, WMO |
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Flag description:
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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
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Economy - overview:
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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. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$441 million (2002 est.) |
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$402 million (2005 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3% (2005 est.) |
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$600 (2005 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 40%
industry: 4%
services: 56% (2001 est.) |
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Labor force:
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144,500 (1996 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture: 80% |
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Unemployment rate:
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20% (1996 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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60% (2002 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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3% (2005 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $27.6 million
expenditures: $NA (2001 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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vanilla, cloves, perfume essences, copra, coconuts, bananas,
cassava (tapioca) |
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Industries:
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tourism, perfume distillation |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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-2% (1999 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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18 million kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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16.74 million kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2003) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2003) |
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Oil - consumption:
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700 bbl/day (2003 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA bbl/day |
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Oil - imports:
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NA bbl/day |
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Natural gas - production:
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0 cu m (2003 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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0 cu m (2003 est.) |
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Current account balance:
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-$17 million (2005 est.) |
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Exports:
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$34 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), cloves, copra |
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Exports - partners:
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US 43.8%, France 18.6%, Singapore 16.5%, Turkey 4.8%, Germany
4.5% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$115 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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rice and other foodstuffs, consumer goods, petroleum products,
cement, transport equipment |
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Imports - partners:
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France 23.5%, South Africa 11%, Kenya 7.5%, UAE 7.2%, Italy
4.9%, Pakistan 4.7%, Mauritius 4.2%, Singapore 4.1% (2004) |
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Debt - external:
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$232 million (2000 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$24 million (2003 est.) |
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Currency (code):
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Comoran franc (KMF) |
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Exchange rates:
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Comoran francs (KMF) per US dollar - 395.6 (2005), 396.21
(2004), 435.9 (2003), 522.74 (2002), 549.78 (2001)
note: the Comoran franc is pegged to the euro at a rate
of 491.9677 Comoran francs per euro |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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13,200 (2003) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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2,000 (2003) |
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Telephone system:
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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 |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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NA |
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Internet country code:
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.km |
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Internet hosts:
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6 (2005) |
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Internet users:
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8,000 (2005)
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Airports:
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4 (2005) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2005) |
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Roadways:
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total: 880 km
paved: 673 km
unpaved: 207 km (1999) |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 117 ships (1000 GRT or over) 522,157 GRT/738,339
DWT
by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 85, container 1,
livestock carrier 1, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum
tanker 7, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 4,
specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 59 (Bangladesh 1, Bulgaria 1, Canada 1,
Greece 8, India 1, Kenya 1, Kuwait 1, Lebanon 3, Nigeria 2,
Norway 1, Pakistan 2, Philippines 1, Russia 5, Saint Vincent
and the Grenadines 1, Saudi Arabia 3, Syria 3, Turkey 10,
Ukraine 12, US 2) (2005) |
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Ports and terminals:
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Mayotte, Moutsamoudou
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Military branches:
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Comoran Security Force |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males age 18-49: 138,940
females age 18-49: 139,491 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males age 18-49: 98,792
females age 18-49: 106,415 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$12.87 million (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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3% (2005 est.)
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