CIA World Fact Book, 2004/Comoros


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!| Background:
 * Unstable Comoros has endured 19 coups or attempted coups since gaining independence from France in 1975. In 1997, the islands of Anjouan and Moheli declared their 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 was sworn in on 26 May 2002.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: water: 0 sq km land: 2,170 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Le Kartala 2,360 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: permanent crops: 23.32% other: 40.81% (2001) !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Environment - international agreements: signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements !| Geography - note:
 * 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
 * slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC
 * 0 km
 * 340 km
 * territorial sea: 12 nm
 * tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)
 * volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills
 * lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
 * NEGL
 * arable land: 35.87%
 * NA sq km
 * 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
 * important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel
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!| Population: !| Age structure: 15-64 years: 54.2% (male 174,216; female 179,050) 65 years and over: 3% (male 9,136; female 10,171) (2004 est.) !| Median age: male: 18.3 years female: 18.9 years (2004 est.) !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: !| Sex ratio: under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.) !| Infant mortality rate: female: 68.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 85.9 deaths/1,000 live births !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 59.29 years female: 63.91 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Nationality: adjective: Comoran !| Ethnic groups: !| Religions: !| Languages: !| Literacy: total population: 56.5% male: 63.6% female: 49.3% (2003 est.)
 * 651,901 (July 2004 est.)
 * 0-14 years: 42.8% (male 140,083; female 139,245)
 * total: 18.6 years
 * 2.94% (2004 est.)
 * 38 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 8.63 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
 * total: 77.22 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 61.57 years
 * 5.15 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * 0.12% (2001 est.)
 * NA
 * NA
 * noun: Comoran(s)
 * 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
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!| Country name: conventional short form: Comoros local short form: Comores local long form: Union des Comores !| Government type: !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: note: a Transitional National Unity Government (GUNT) was formed on 20 January 2002 following the passing of the new constitution; the GUNT governed until the presidential elections on 14 April 2002 !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: !| Executive branch: election results: President AZALI Assoumani elected president with 75% of the vote 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 NA April 2007); prime minister appointed by the president; note - AZALI has not appointed a Prime Minister since he was sworn into office in May 2002 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 !| Legislative branch: !| Judicial branch: !| Political parties and leaders: !| Political pressure groups and leaders: !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: chancery: (temporary) care of the Permanent Mission of the Union of the Comoros to the United Nations, 420 East 50th Street, New York, NY 10022 telephone: [1] (212) 972-8010 and 223-2711 FAX: [1] (212) 983-4712 and 715-0699 !| Diplomatic representation from the US: !| Flag description:
 * conventional long form: Union of the Comoros
 * independent republic
 * Moroni
 * 3 islands; Grande Comore (Njazidja), Anjouan (Nzwani), and Moheli (Mwali); note - there are also four municipalities named Domoni, Fomboni, Moroni, and Moutsamoudou
 * 6 July 1975 (from France)
 * Independence Day, 6 July (1975)
 * 23 December 2001
 * French and Sharia (Islamic) law in a new consolidated code
 * 18 years of age; universal
 * 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
 * unicameral Assembly of the Union (30 seats; half the deputies are selected by the individual islands' local assemblies and the other half by universal suffrage; deputies serve for five years); note - elections for the former legislature, the Federal Assembly (dissolved in 1999) were held on 1 and 8 December 1996; the next elections for the Assembly of the Union were scheduled to be held on 18 and 25 April 2004
 * 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)
 * Forces pour l'Action Republicaine or FAR [Col. Abdourazak ABDULHAMID]; Forum pour la Redressement National or FRN (alliance of 12 parties); Front Democratique or FD [Moustoifa Said CHEIKH]; Front National pour la Justice or FNJ (Islamic party in opposition) [Ahmed RACHID]; Movement des Citoyens pour la Republique or MCR [Mahamoud MRADABI]; Mouvement Populaire Anjouanais or MPA (Anjouan separatist movement) [leader NA]; Mouvement pour la Democratie et le Progress or MDP-NGDC [Abbas DJOUSSOUF]; Movement pour le Socialisme et la Democratie or MSD (splinter group of FD) [Abdou SOEFOU]; Parti Comorien pour la Democratie et le Progress or PCDP [Ali MROUDJAE]; Rassemblement National pour le Development or RND (party of the government) [Omar TAMOU, Abdoulhamid AFFRAITANE]
 * NA
 * ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AMF, AU, 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, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WMO
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Mahmoud M. ABOUD (ambassador to the US and Canada and permanent representative to the UN)
 * the US does not have an embassy in Comoros; the ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to Comoros
 * 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: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 4% services: 56% (2001 est.) !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: NA !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: !| Labor force - by occupation: !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA (2001 est.) !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Debt - external: !| Economic aid - recipient: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: note: prior to January 1999, the official rate was pegged to the French franc at 75 Comoran francs per French franc; since 1 January 1999, the Comoran franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 491.9677 Comoran francs per euro !| Fiscal year:
 * 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, to privatize commercial and industrial enterprises, to improve health services, to diversify exports, to promote tourism, and to 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.
 * purchasing power parity - $441 million (2002 est.)
 * 2% (2002 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $700 (2002 est.)
 * agriculture: 40%
 * 60% (2002 est.)
 * lowest 10%: NA
 * 3.5% (2001 est.)
 * 144,500 (1996 est.)
 * agriculture 80%
 * 20% (1996 est.)
 * revenues: $27.6 million
 * vanilla, cloves, perfume essences, copra, coconuts, bananas, cassava (tapioca)
 * tourism, perfume distillation
 * -2% (1999 est.)
 * 21.27 million kWh (2001)
 * 19.78 million kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 700 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * NA (2001)
 * $28 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
 * vanilla, ylang-ylang, cloves, perfume oil, copra
 * France 46.9%, Germany 18.8%, US 12.5% (2003)
 * $88 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
 * rice and other foodstuffs, consumer goods; petroleum products, cement, transport equipment
 * France 31.6%, Japan 13.7%, South Africa 10.3%, Kenya 5.1%, UAE 5.1%, Thailand 4.3% (2003)
 * $232 million (2000 est.)
 * $10 million (2001 est.)
 * Comoran franc (KMF)
 * KMF
 * Comoran francs (KMF) per US dollar - 435.9 (2003), 522.741 (2002), 549.779 (2001), 533.982 (2000), 461.775 (1999)
 * calendar year
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone system: domestic: HF radiotelephone communications and microwave radio relay international: country code - 269; HF radiotelephone communications to Madagascar and Reunion !| Radio broadcast stations: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet hosts: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 13,200 (2003)
 * 2,000 (2003)
 * general assessment: sparse system of microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communication stations
 * AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001)
 * 90,000 (1997)
 * NA
 * 1,000 (1997)
 * .km
 * 11 (2003)
 * 1 (2000)
 * 5,000 (2003)
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!| Highways: paved: 673 km unpaved: 207 km (1999 est) !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: by type: bulk 9, cargo 31, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 4, petroleum tanker 5, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea/passenger 2, specialized tanker 4 foreign-owned: Bahamas 1, Bulgaria 1, Cyprus 1, Greece 7, Honduras 1, India 1, Kenya 1, Lebanon 7, Liberia 1, Marshall Islands 3, Pakistan 4, Panama 2, Russia 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Saudi Arabia 2, Syria 4, Turkey 21, United Kingdom 1, United States 1, Yemen 2 (2004 est.) !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2004 est.)
 * total: 880 km
 * Fomboni, Moroni, Moutsamoudou
 * total: 62 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 452,801 GRT/681,343 DWT
 * 4 (2003 est.)
 * total: 4
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!| Military branches: !| Military manpower - availability: !| Military manpower - fit for military service: !| Military expenditures - dollar figure: !| Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
 * Comoran Security Force
 * males age 15-49: 154,843 (2004 est.)
 * males age 15-49: 91,825 (2004 est.)
 * $6 million (2003)
 * 3% (2003)
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