The archipelago of the Comoros in the Indian Ocean, composed of the islands of Mayotte, Anjouan, Moheli, and Grand Comore declared independence from France on 6 July 1975. France did not recognize the independence of Mayotte, which remains under French administration. Since independence, Comoros has endured political instability through realized and attempted coups. In 1997, the islands of Anjouan and Moheli declared independence from Comoros. In 1999, military chief Col. AZALI Assoumani seized power of the entire government in a bloodless coup; he initiated the 2000 Fomboni Accords, a power-sharing agreement in which the federal presidency rotates among the three islands, and each island maintains its local government. AZALI won the 2002 federal presidential election as president from Grand Comore Island, and each island in the archipelago elected its president. AZALI stepped down in 2006 and President SAMBI was elected to office as president from Anjouan. In 2007, Mohamed BACAR effected Anjouan's de-facto secession from the Union of Comoros, refusing to step down when Comoros' other islands held legitimate elections in July. The African Union (AU) initially attempted to resolve the political crisis by applying sanctions and a naval blockade to Anjouan, but in March 2008 the AU and Comoran soldiers seized the island. The island's inhabitants generally welcomed the move. In May 2011, Ikililou DHOININE won the presidency in peaceful elections widely deemed to be free and fair. Former President AZALI Assoumani was declared the winner of the closely contested 2016 presidential election.

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

slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC

0 km

340 km

tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)

volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills

highest point: Karthala 2,360 m

fish

arable land 46.7%; permanent crops 29.6%; permanent pasture 8.1%

1.3 sq km (2012)

cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); volcanic activity on Grand Comore

soil degradation and erosion results from crop cultivation on slopes without proper terracing; deforestation

important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel

794,678 (July 2016 est.)

Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava

Arabic (official), French (official), Shikomoro (official; a blend of Swahili and Arabic) (Comorian)

Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2%

Comoros’ population is a mélange of Arabs, Persians, Indonesians, Africans, and Indians, and the much smaller number of Europeans that settled on the islands between the 8th and 19th centuries, when they served as a regional trade hub. The Arab and Persian influence is most evident in the islands’ overwhelmingly Muslim majority – about 98% of Comorans are Sunni Muslims. The country is densely populated, averaging nearly 350 people per square mile, although this varies widely among the islands, with Anjouan being the most densely populated.

Given the large share of land dedicated to agriculture and Comoros’ growing population, habitable land is becoming increasingly crowded. The combination of increasing population pressure on limited land and resources, widespread poverty, and poor job prospects motivates thousands of Comorans each year to attempt to illegally migrate using small fishing boats to the neighboring island of Mayotte, which is a French territory. The majority of legal Comoran migration to France came after Comoros’ independence from France in 1975, with the flow peaking in the mid-1980s.

At least 150,000 to 200,000 people of Comoran citizenship or descent live abroad, mainly in France, where they have gone seeking a better quality of life, job opportunities, higher education (Comoros has no universities), advanced health care, and to finance elaborate traditional wedding ceremonies (aada). Remittances from the diaspora are an economic mainstay, in 2013 representing approximately 25% of Comoros’ GDP and significantly more than the value of its exports of goods and services (only 15% of GDP). Grand Comore, Comoros’ most populous island, is both the primary source of emigrants and the main recipient of remittances. Most remittances are spent on private consumption, but this often goes toward luxury goods and the aada and does not contribute to economic development or poverty reduction. Although the majority of the diaspora is now French-born with more distant ties to Comoros, it is unclear whether they will sustain the current level of remittances.

1.71% (2016 est.)

26.9 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)

7.4 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)

-2.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)

MORONI (capital) 56,000 (2014)

24.6

335 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

3.47 children born/woman (2016 est.)

19.4% (2012)

6.7% of GDP (2014)

2.2 beds/1,000 population (2006)

urban: 92.6% of population

rural: 89.1% of population

total: 90.1% of population

urban: 7.4% of population

rural: 10.9% of population

total: 9.9% of population (2015 est.)

urban: 48.3% of population

rural: 30.9% of population

total: 35.8% of population

urban: 51.7% of population

rural: 69.1% of population

total: 64.2% of population (2015 est.)

NA

NA

NA

5.8% (2014)

16.9% (2012)

5.1% of GDP (2014)

federal presidential republic

3 islands and 4 municipalities*; Anjouan (Ndzuwani), Domoni*, Fomboni*, Grande Comore (N'gazidja), Moheli (Mwali), Moroni*, Moutsamoudou*

6 July 1975 (from France)

Independence Day, 6 July (1975)

previous 1996; latest ratified 23 December 2001; amended 2009, 2014 (2016)

mixed legal system of Islamic religious law, the French civil code of 1975, and customary law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros or CRC [AZALI Assoumani]

Democratic Rally of the Comoros or RDC [Mouigni BARAKA]

Juwa Party or PJ [Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI]

Party for the Comorian Agreement (Partie Pour l'Entente Commorienne) or PEC [Fahmi Said IBRAHIM]

Rally for an Alternative of Harmonious and Integrated Development or RADHI [Abdou SOEFO]

Rally with a Development Intiiative for Enlightened Youth or RIDJA [Said Larifou]

Union for the Development of the Comoros or UPDC [Mohamed HALIFA]

Federation Comorienne des Consomateurs or FCC [Mohamed Said Abdallah MCHANGANA]

Mouvement des Entreprises comorienne or MODEC [Faharate HOUSSEIN]

Union des Chambres de Commerce et de l'Industrie et de l'Agriculture or UCCIA [Fahmy THABIT]

Confederation des Travailleurs Comoriens or CTC

ACP, AfDB, AMF, AOSIS, AU, CAEU (candidates), COMESA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

the US does not have an embassy in Comoros; the US Ambassador to Madagascar 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, N'gazidja, Ndzuwani, and Mahore (Mayotte - department of France, but claimed by Comoros)

four stars and crescent; national colors: green, white

One of the world's poorest countries, Comoros is made up of three islands that are hampered by 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 and a heavy dependence on foreign grants and technical assistance. Agriculture, including fishing, hunting, and forestry, accounts for 50% of GDP, employs 80% of the labor force, and provides most of the exports. Export income is heavily reliant on the three main crops of vanilla, cloves, and ylang-ylang; and Comoros' export earnings are easily disrupted by disasters such as fires and extreme weather. Despite agriculture’s importance to the economy, the country imports roughly 70% of its food; rice, the main staple, accounts for the bulk of imports.

Authorities are negotiating with the IMF for triennial program assistance. The government - which is racked by internal political disputes - is struggling to provide basic services, upgrade education and technical training, privatize commercial and industrial enterprises, improve health services, diversify exports, promote tourism, and reduce the high population growth rate. Recurring political instability, sometimes initiated from outside the country, has inhibited growth. Remittances from about 200,000 Comorans contribute about 25% of the country’s GDP. In December 2012, IMF and the World Bank's International Development Association supported $176 million in debt relief for Comoros, resulting in a 59% reduction of its future external debt service over a period of 40 years. In late 2013, a US-based investment company invested $200 million in a project to explore for hydrocarbons in Comoran territorial waters, the largest financial investment in the country’s history.

$1.259 billion (2016 est.)

$1.232 billion (2015 est.)

$1.22 billion (2014 est.)

$622 million (2015 est.)

2.2% (2016 est.)

1% (2015 est.)

2% (2014 est.)

$1,500 (2016 est.)

$1,500 (2015 est.)

$1,600 (2014 est.)

11.9% of GDP (2016 est.)

19.2% of GDP (2015 est.)

12.8% of GDP (2014 est.)

vanilla, cloves, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), coconuts, bananas, cassava (manioc)

fishing, tourism, perfume distillation

0.5% (2016 est.)

245,200 (2013 est.)

6.5% (2014 est.)

44.8% (2004 est.)

26.5% of GDP (2016 est.)

-3.3% of GDP (2016 est.)

calendar year

1.2% (2016 est.)

1.3% (2015 est.)

1.93% (31 December 2010)

2.21% (31 December 2009)

10.5% (31 December 2016 est.)

10.5% (31 December 2015 est.)

$201.8 million (31 December 2016 est.)

$169 million (31 December 2015 est.)

$303 million (31 December 2016 est.)

$251.7 million (31 December 2015 est.)

$180.1 million (31 December 2016 est.)

$142.4 million (31 December 2015 est.)

-$56 million (2016 est.)

$5 million (2015 est.)

$19.2 million (2016 est.)

$18.9 million (2015 est.)

vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), cloves

India 28.7%, France 17%, Germany 8.7%, Saudi Arabia 7.1%, Singapore 6.6%, Netherlands 6.1%, Mauritius 5.3% (2015)

$191.2 million (2016 est.)

$195.9 million (2015 est.)

rice and other foodstuffs, consumer goods, petroleum products, cement and construction materials, transport equipment

China 18.9%, Pakistan 16.2%, France 14.7%, UAE 11.3%, India 6.3% (2015)

$133.3 million (31 December 2016 est.)

$132.8 million (31 December 2015 est.)

Comoran francs (KMF) per US dollar -

449.1 (2016 est.)

443.6 (2015 est.)

443.6 (2014 est.)

370.81 (2013 est.)

382.9 (2012 est.)

44 million kWh (2014 est.)

40.92 million kWh (2014 est.)

0 kWh (2013 est.)

0 kWh (2013 est.)

22,000 kW (2014 est.)

95.5% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

4.5% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2016 es)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

1,300 bbl/day (2014 est.)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

1,350 bbl/day (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2014 es)

200,000 Mt (2013 est.)

national state-owned TV station and a TV station run by Anjouan regional government; national state-owned radio; regional governments on the islands of Grande Comore and Anjouan each operate a radio station; a few independent and small community radio sta (2007)

.km

D6 (2016)

4 (2013)

National Army for Development (l'Armee Nationale de Developpement, AND): Comoran Security Force (also called Comoran Defense Force (Force Comorienne de Defense, FCD), includes Gendarmerie), Comoran Coast Guard, Comoran Federal Police (2015)

18 years of age for 2-year voluntary male and female military service; no conscription (2015)

claims French-administered Mayotte and challenges France's and Madagascar's claims to Banc du Geyser, a drying reef in the Mozambique Channel; in May 2008, African Union forces assisted the Comoros military recapture Anjouan Island from rebels who seized it in 2001