Comoros

Airports

4 total, 4 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

4 major transport aircraft

Highways

750 km total; about 210 km bituminous, remainder crushed stone or gravel

Ports

Mutsamudu, Moroni

Telecommunications

sparse system of radio relay and high-frequency radio communication stations for interisland and external communications to Madagascar and Reunion; over 1,800 telephones; stations--2 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV

Branches

Comoran Defense Force (FCD), Federal Gendarmerie (GFC)

Defense expenditures

$NA, 3% of GDP (1981)

Manpower availability

males 15-49, 101,332; 60,592 fit for military service

Agriculture

accounts for 40% of GDP; most of population works in subsistence agriculture and fishing; plantations produce cash crops for export--vanilla, cloves, perfume essences, and copra; principal food crops--coconuts, bananas, cassava; world's leading producer of essence of ylang-ylang (for perfumes) and second-largest producer of vanilla; large net food importer

Budget

revenues $88 million; expenditures $92 million, including capital expenditures of $13 million (1990 est.)

Currency

Comoran franc (plural--francs); 1 Comoran franc (CF) = 100 centimes

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY80-89), $10 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $406 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $22 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $18 million

Electricity

16,000 kW capacity; 24 million kWh produced, 55 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates

Comoran francs (CF) per US$1--256.54 (January 1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985); note--linked to the French franc at 50 to 1 French franc

Exports

$16 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--vanilla, cloves, perfume oil, copra; partners--US 53%, France 41%, Africa 4%, FRG 2% (1988)

External debt

$242 million (December 1990)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

$245 million, per capita $530; real growth rate 1.5% (1990 est.)

Imports

$41 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--rice and other foodstuffs, cement, petroleum products, consumer goods; partners--Europe 62% (France 22%, other 40%), Africa 5%, Pakistan, China (1988)

Industrial production

growth rate 3.4% (1988 est.); accounts for 5% of GDP

Industries

perfume distillation, textiles, furniture, jewelry, construction materials

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.9% (1989)

Overview

One of the world's poorest countries, Comoros is made up of several islands that have poor transportation links, a young and rapidly increasing population, and few natural resources. The low educational level of the labor force contributes to a low level of economic activity, high unemployment, and a heavy dependence on foreign grants and technical assistance. Agriculture, including fishing and forestry, is the leading sector of the economy. It contributes about 40% to GDP, employs 80% of the labor force, and provides most of the exports. The country is not self-sufficient in food production, and rice, the main staple, accounts for 90% of imports. During the period 1982-86 the industrial sector grew at an annual average rate of 5.3%, but its contribution to GDP was only 5% in 1988. Despite major investment in the tourist industry, which accounts for about 25% of GDP, growth has stagnated since 1983. A sluggish growth rate of 1.5% during 1985-90 has led to large budget deficits, declining incomes, and balance-of-payments difficulties.

Unemployment rate

over 16% (1988 est.)

Climate

tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)

Coastline

340 km Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm

Comparative area

slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC

Disputes

claims French-administered Mayotte

Environment

soil degradation and erosion; deforestation; cyclones possible during rainy season

Land boundaries

none

Land use

arable land 35%; permanent crops 8%; meadows and pastures 7%; forest and woodland 16%; other 34%

Natural resources

negligible

Note

important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel

Terrain

volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills

Total area

2,170 km2; land area: 2,170 km2

Administrative divisions

3 islands; Anjouan, Grande Comore, Moheli; note--there may also be 4 municipalities named Domoni, Fomboni, Moroni, and Mutsamudu

Capital

Moroni

Constitution

1 October 1978, amended October 1982 and January 1985

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Amini Ali MOUMIN; Chancery (temporary) at the Comoran Permanent Mission to the UN, 336 East 45th Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10017; telephone (212) 972-8010; US--Ambassador Kenneth N. PELTIER; Embassy at address NA, Moroni (mailing address B. P. 1318, Moroni); telephone 73-22-03, 73-29-22

Executive branch

president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Flag

green with a white crescent placed diagonally (closed side of the crescent points to the upper hoist-side corner of the flag); there are four white five-pointed stars placed in a line between the points of the crescent; the crescent, stars, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam; the four stars represent the four main islands of the archipelago--Mwali, Njazidja, Nzwani, and Mayotte (which is a territorial collectivity of France, but claimed by the Comoros)

Independence

6 July 1975 (from France)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Cour Supreme) Chief of State and Head of Government--President Said Mohamed DJOHAR (since 11 March 1990) Comoran Union for Progress (Udzima), Said Mohamed DJOHAR, president; National Union for Democracy (UNDC), Mohamed TAKI

Legal system

French and Muslim law in a new consolidated code

Legislative branch

unicameral Federal Assembly (Assemblee Federale)

Long-form name

Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros

Member of

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, ILO, IMF, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO

National holiday

Independence Day, 6 July (1975)

Suffrage

universal at age 18 President--last held 11 March 1990 (next to be held March 1996); results--Said Mohamed DJOHAR (Udzima) 55%; Mohamed TAKI Abdulkarim (UNDC) 45%; Federal Assembly--last held 22 March 1987 (next to be held March 1992); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(42 total) Udzima 42

Type

independent republic

Birth rate

47 births/1,000 population (1991)

Death rate

12 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

Ethnic divisions

Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava

Infant mortality rate

87 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

Labor force

140,000 (1982); agriculture 80%, government 3%; 51% of population of working age (1985)

Language

Shaafi Islam (a Swahili dialect), Malagasy, French

Life expectancy at birth

54 years male, 59 years female (1991)

Literacy

48% (male 56%, female 40%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980)

Nationality

noun--Comoran(s); adjective--Comoran

Net migration rate

0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

Organized labor

NA

Population

476,678 (July 1991), growth rate 3.5% (1991)

Religion

Sunni Muslim 86%, Roman Catholic 14%

Total fertility rate

7.0 children born/woman (1991)