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Introduction | Comoros

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.

Geography | Comoros

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 references: | Africa
Area: | total: 2,170 sq km land: 2,170 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - 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 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 sq km
Natural hazards: | cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); Le Kartala on Grand Comore is an active volcano
Environment - current issues: | soil degradation and erosion results from crop cultivation on slopes without proper terracing; deforestation
Environment - international agreements: | 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
Geography - note: | important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel

People | Comoros

Population: | 690,948 (July 2006 est.)
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.)
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/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: | 8.2 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio: | 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.)
Infant mortality rate: | 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.)
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.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.12% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | NA
Nationality: | noun: Comoran(s) adjective: Comoran
Ethnic groups: | Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava
Religions: | Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2%
Languages: | Arabic (official), French (official), Shikomoro (a blend of Swahili and Arabic)
Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 56.5% male: 63.6% female: 49.3% (2003 est.)

Government | Comoros

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: | independent republic
Capital: | Moroni
Administrative divisions: | 3 islands and 4 municipalities*; Grande Comore (Njazidja), Anjouan (Nzwani), Domoni*, Fomboni*, Moheli (Mwali), Moroni*, Moutsamoudou*
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
Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

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

Legislative branch:

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

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) [leader NA]; 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]

Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA
International organization participation: | 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
Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Representative to the US and Ambassador to the UN Mahmoud M. ABOUD chancery: Mission to the US, 336 East 45th Street (2nd floor), New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 750-1637
Diplomatic representation from the US: | the US does not have an embassy in Comoros; the ambassador to Mauritius 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

Economy | Comoros

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.

GDP (purchasing power parity): | $441 million (2002 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): | $402 million (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 3% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): | $600 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 40% industry: 4% services: 56% (2001 est.)
Labor force: | 144,500 (1996 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 80%
Unemployment rate: | 20% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: | 60% (2002 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 3% (2005 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $27.6 million expenditures: $NA (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products: | vanilla, cloves, perfume essences, copra, coconuts, bananas, cassava (tapioca)
Industries: | tourism, perfume distillation
Industrial production growth rate: | -2% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: | 18 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 90.6% hydro: 9.4% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption: | 16.74 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2003)
Oil - consumption: | 700 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports: | NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: | NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 0 cu m (2003 est.)
Current account balance: | $-17 million (2005 est.)
Exports: | $34 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities: | vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), cloves, copra
Exports - partners: | US 43.8%, France 18.6%, Singapore 16.5%, Turkey 4.8%, Germany 4.5% (2004)
Imports: | $115 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities: | rice and other foodstuffs, consumer goods, petroleum products, cement, transport equipment
Imports - partners: | 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)
Debt - external: | $232 million (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: | $24 million (2003 est.)
Currency (code): | Comoran franc (KMF)
Currency code: | KMF
Exchange rates: | 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
Fiscal year: | calendar year

Communications | Comoros

Telephones - main lines in use: | 13,200 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 2,000 (2003)
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
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001)
Radios: | 90,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: | NA
Televisions: | 1,000 (1997)
Internet country code: | .km
Internet hosts: | 6 (2005)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 1 (2000)
Internet users: | 8,000 (2005)

Transportation | Comoros

Airports: | 4 (2005)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2005)
Roadways: | total: 880 km paved: 673 km unpaved: 207 km (1999)

Merchant marine:

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)

Ports and terminals: | Mayotte, Moutsamoudou

Military | Comoros

Military branches: | Comoran Security Force
Manpower available for military service: | males age 18-49: 138,940 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: | males age 18-49: 98,792 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $12.87 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 3% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues | Comoros

Disputes - international: | claims French-administered Mayotte

This page was last updated on 29 March, 2006