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| Introduction | Comoros |
| 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. |
| People | Comoros |
| Population: | 651,901 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 42.8% (male 140,083; female 139,245) 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: | total: 18.6 years male: 18.3 years female: 18.9 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 2.94% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 38 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 8.63 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 77.22 deaths/1,000 live births female: 68.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 85.9 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 61.57 years male: 59.29 years female: 63.91 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 5.15 children born/woman (2004 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 short form: Comores local long form: Union des Comores |
| Government type: | independent republic |
| Capital: | Moroni |
| Administrative divisions: | 3 islands; Grande Comore (Njazidja), Anjouan (Nzwani), and Moheli (Mwali); note - there are also four municipalities named Domoni, Fomboni, Moroni, and Moutsamoudou |
| Independence: | 6 July 1975 (from France) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 6 July (1975) |
| Constitution: | 23 December 2001 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: | 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 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: | 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 |
| 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: | 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] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA |
| International organization participation: | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AMF, AU, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WMO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Mahmoud M. ABOUD (ambassador to the US and Canada and permanent representative to the UN) 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: | 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 |
| 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: | 11 (2003) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 1 (2000) |
| Internet users: | 5,000 (2003) |
| Transportation | Comoros |
| Highways: | total: 880 km paved: 673 km unpaved: 207 km (1999 est) |
| Ports and harbors: | Fomboni, Moroni, Moutsamoudou |
| Merchant marine: | total: 62 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 452,801 GRT/681,343 DWT 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 (2003 est.) |
| Airports: | 4 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2004 est.) |
| Military | Comoros |
| Military branches: | Comoran Security Force |
| Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 154,843 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 91,825 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $6 million (2003) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 3% (2003) |
| Transnational Issues | Comoros |
| Disputes - international: | claims French-administered Mayotte |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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