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 in a bloodless coup, and helped negotiate the 2000 Fomboni Accords power-sharing agreement in which the federal presidency rotates among the three islands, and each island maintains its own local government. AZALI won the 2002 Presidential election, and each island in the archipelago elected its own president. AZALI stepped down in 2006 and President SAMBI took office. Since 2006, Anjouan's President Mohamed BACAR has refused to work effectively with the Union presidency. This year BACAR effected Anjouan's de-facto secession from the Union, refusing to step down in favor of fresh Anjouanais elections when Comoros' other islands held legitimate elections in July. The African Union (AU) has stepped in to assist in resolving the political crisis, including applying sanctions and a naval blockade on Anjouan, but the situation remains at an impasse.

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
12 10 S, 44 15 E
Africa
total: 2,170 sq km ; land: 2,170 sq km ; water: 0 sq km
slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC
0 km
340 km
territorial sea: 12 nm ; exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)
volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m ; highest point: Le Kartala 2,360 m
NEGL
arable land: 35.87% ; permanent crops: 23.32% ; other: 40.81% (2005)
NA
1.2 cu km (2003)
Total: 0.01 cu km/yr (48%/5%/47%) ; Per capita: 13 cu m/yr (1999)
cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); Le Kartala on Grand Comore is an active volcano
soil degradation and erosion results from crop cultivation on slopes without proper terracing; deforestation
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
important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel
711,417 (July 2007 est.)
0-14 years: 42.6% (male 151,920/female 150,851) ; 15-64 years: 54.4% (male 191,096/female 196,120) ; 65 years and over: 3% (male 9,933/female 11,497) (2007 est.)
total: 18.7 years ; male: 18.4 years ; female: 18.9 years (2007 est.)
2.84% (2007 est.)
36.35 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
7.95 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female ; under 15 years: 1.007 male(s)/female ; 15-64 years: 0.974 male(s)/female ; 65 years and over: 0.864 male(s)/female ; total population: 0.985 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
total: 70.66 deaths/1,000 live births ; male: 78.86 deaths/1,000 live births ; female: 62.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total population: 62.73 years ; male: 60.37 years ; female: 65.15 years (2007 est.)
4.97 children born/woman (2007 est.)
0.12% (2001 est.)
NA
NA
noun: Comoran(s) ; adjective: Comoran
Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava
Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2%
Arabic (official), French (official), Shikomoro (a blend of Swahili and Arabic)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write ; total population: 56.5% ; male: 63.6% ; female: 49.3% (2003 est.)


conventional long form: Union of the Comoros ; conventional short form: Comoros ; local long form: Union des Comores ; local short form: Comores
republic
name: Moroni ; geographic coordinates: 11 42 S, 43 14 E ; time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
3 islands and 4 municipalities*; Grande Comore, Anjouan, Domoni*, Fomboni*, Moheli, Moroni*, Mutsamudu*

6 July 1975 (from France)
Independence Day, 6 July (1975)
23 December 2001
French and Islamic law in a new consolidated code
18 years of age; universal
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%
unicameral Assembly of the Union (33 seats; 15 deputies are selected by the individual islands' local assemblies and 18 by universal suffrage; to 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
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)
Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros or CRC [AZALI Assowmani]; Camp of the Autonomous Islands or CdIA (a coalition of parties organized by the islands' 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]
NA
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, ITSO, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO
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 Mahore (Mayotte - territorial collectivity of France, but claimed by Comoros); the crescent, stars, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam
chief of mission: Representative to the US and Ambassador to the UN Mohamed TOIHIRI ; chancery: Mission to the US, 336 East 45th Street (2nd floor), New York, NY 10017 ; telephone: [1] (212) 750-1637
the US does not have an embassy in Comoros; the ambassador to Madagascar is accredited to Comoros





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. The political problems caused the economy to contract in 2007. Remittances from 150,000 Comorans abroad help supplement GDP.
$1.262 billion (2007 est.)
$402 million (2005 est.)
-1% (2007 est.)
$600 (2005 est.)
agriculture: 40% ; industry: 4% ; services: 56% (2001 est.)
144,500 (1996 est.)
agriculture: 80% ; industry and services: 20% (1996 est.)
20% (1996 est.)
60% (2002 est.)
lowest 10%: NA% ; highest 10%: NA%

3% (2005 est.)

revenues: $27.6 million ; expenditures: $NA (2001 est.)

vanilla, cloves, ylang-ylang, perfume essences, copra, coconuts, bananas, cassava (tapioca)
fishing, tourism, perfume distillation
-2% (1999 est.)
20 million kWh (2005)
fossil fuel: 90.6% ; hydro: 9.4% ; nuclear: 0% ; other: 0% (2001)
18.6 million kWh (2005)
0 kWh (2005)
0 kWh (2005)
0 bbl/day (2005)
700 bbl/day (2005 est.)
0 bbl/day (2004)
709.1 bbl/day (2004)
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005)
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
-$17 million (2005 est.)
$32 million f.o.b. (2006)
vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), cloves, copra
Netherlands 35.8%, France 18.3%, Italy 12.8%, Singapore 7.8%, Turkey 5%, US 4.6% (2006)
$143 million f.o.b. (2006)
France 24.8%, UAE 9.9%, South Africa 6.4%, Pakistan 6.3%, Kenya 5%, China 4.8%, India 4.4%, Italy 4.2% (2006)


$232 million (2000 est.)



Comoran franc (KMF)
KMF
Comoran francs (KMF) per US dollar - NA (2007), 392.03 (2006), 395.6 (2005), 396.21 (2004), 435.9 (2003) ; note: the Comoran franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 491.9677 Comoran francs per euro
calendar year
$25.23 million (2005 est.)
16,900 (2005)
16,100 (2005)
general assessment: sparse system of microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communication stations; fixed-line connections only about 2 per 100 persons; mobile cellular usage about 2 per 100 persons ; domestic: HF radiotelephone communications and microwave radio relay ; international: country code - 269; HF radiotelephone communications to Madagascar and Reunion
AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001)
90,000 (1997)
NA
1,000 (1997)
.km
6 (2007)
1 (2000)
21,000 (2006)

4 (2007)
total: 4 ; 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 ; 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)




total: 880 km ; paved: 673 km ; unpaved: 207 km (1999)

total: 144 ships (1000 GRT or over) 657,755 GRT/954,498 DWT ; by type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 101, chemical tanker 3, container 1, livestock carrier 4, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 6, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 1 ; foreign-owned: 70 (Bangladesh 1, Bulgaria 1, Cyprus 1, Greece 8, India 2, Kenya 1, Kuwait 1, Lebanon 5, Norway 1, Pakistan 2, Philippines 1, Russia 9, Saudi Arabia 1, Syria 8, Turkey 8, Ukraine 13, UAE 5, US 2) (2007)
Mayotte, Mutsamudu

National Development Army (AND): Comoran Security Force; Comoran Federal Police (2007)

males age 18-49: 138,940 ; females age 18-49: 139,491 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 98,792 ; females age 18-49: 106,415 (2005 est.)

2.8% (2006)

claims French-administered Mayotte



