1984 Edition

Agriculture

food crops — rice, manioc, maize, fruits, vegetables, coconuts, cinnamon, yams; export crops — essential oils for perfumes (mainly ylang-ylang), vanilla, copra, cloves Comoros (continued) Congo

cash crops — coffee, vanilla, cloves, sugar, tobacco, sisal, rice, raphia; food crops — rice, cassava, cereals, potatoes, corn, beans, bananas, coconuts, and peanuts; animal husbandry widespread; imports some rice, milk, and cereal

Airfields

4 total, 4 usable; 4 with permanentsurface runways; 1 with runways 2,4403,659 m, 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

158 total, 124 usable; 29 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 46 with runways 1,2202,439 m

Area

2,171 km2; 4 main islands; 48% cultivated; 29% uncultivated; 16% forest; 7% pasture Water

Branches

presidency; 38-member legislature (Federal Assembly)

Army, Navy, Air Force

executive — a 19-member Supreme Revolutionary Council (made up of military and political leaders); assisted by cabinet called Council of Ministers; unicameral legislative — Popular National Assembly; Military Committee for Development; regular courts are patterned after French system, and a High Council of Institutions reviews all legislation to determine its constitutional validity

Popular Army, Aeronaval Forces (includes Navy and Air Force)

Budget

(1980) revenues $10.2 million, foreign revenue $12.9 million, current expenditures, $20 million, development expenditures $3 million

(1981) revenues $310 million (est), current expenditures $372 million (est.), net lending $236 million

Capital

Moroni

Antananarivo

Civil air

4 major transports

6 major transport aircraft

Coastline

340 km People

169 km People

Communists

information not available

Communist party of virtually no importance; small and vocal group of Communists has gained strong position in leadership of AKFM, the rank and file of which is non-Communist

Elections

Abdallah Abderemane won 1978 presidential election with 99% majority; next presidential election scheduled to take place in 1984 and legislative election in 1987

referendum held in December 1975 gave overwhelming approval to government and new constitution; elections for Popular National Assembly held in June 1977 and in August 1983; only one political grouping allowed to take part in the election, "The National Front for the Defense of the Revolution," which presented a single list of candidates; a presidential election in November 1982 returned President Ratsiraka with an 80% majority; the challenger, Monja Jaona, received 20% and was later arrested after leading demonstrations to protest election fraud Political parties and leaders: seven parties are now allowed limited political activity under the national front and are represented on the Supreme Revolutionary Council: Advance Guard of the Malagasy Revolution (AREMA), Didier Ratsiraka; Congress Party for Malagasy Independence (AKFM), Pastor Richard Andriamanjato; Movement for National Unity (VONJY), Dr. Marojama Razanabahiny; Malagasy Christian Democratic Union (UDECMA), Norbert Andriamorasatu; Militants for the Establishment of a Proletarian Regime (MFM), Manandafy Rakotonirina; National Movement for the Independence of Madagascar (MONIMA), Monja Jaona; Socialist Organization MONIMA (VS MONIMA), Jaona Remanindry

Electric power

5,500 kW capacity (1983); 10 million kWh produced (1983); 25 kWh per capita

170,000 kW capacity (1983); 700 million kWh produced (1983), 75 kWh per capita

Ethnic divisions

Antalote, Caf re, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava

about 15 ethnic groups divided into some 75 tribes, almost all Bantu; most important ethnic groups are Kongo (48%) in south, Sangha (20%) and M'Bochi (12%) in north, Teke (17%) in center; about 8,500 Europeans, mostly French

Exports

$17 million (f.o.b., 1981); perfume oils, vanilla, copra, cloves

$432.5 million (f.o.b., 1982); coffee, vanilla, sugar, cloves; agricultural and livestock products account for about 85% of export earnings

External debt

$1.3 billion, debt service payment 30% of exports

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications

Fishing

catch 53,520 metric tons (1979)

GDP

$3.2 billion (1980), about $360 per capita; real growth rate 0% (1978-81)

GNP

$90 million (1981), about $230 per capita

Government leader

Ahmed ABDALLAH ABDEREMANE, President

Adm. Didier RATSIRAKA, President

Highways

1,000 km total; approximately 295 km bituminous, remainder crushed stone or gravel

27,500 km total; 4,694 km paved, 81 1 km crushed stone, gravel, or stabilized soil; remainder improved and unimproved earth (est.)

Imports

$33 million (f.o.b., 1981); rice and other foodstuffs, cement, fuels, chemicals, textiles

$522.5 million (c.i.f., 1982); consumer goods, foodstuffs, primary products (crude oil, fertilizers, metal products), capital goods

Inland waterways

of local importance only; isolated streams and small portions of Canal des Pangalanes

Labor force

140,000(1982); 87% agriculture, 3% government Government

about 40% of population economically active (1983); 75% agriculture, 25% commerce, industry, government; 79,100 wage earners; 40,000-60,000 unemployed

Land boundaries

4,514 km Water

Language

Shaafi Islam (a Swahili dialect), Malagasy, French

French (official); many African languages with Lingala and Kikongo most widely used

Legal system

French and Muslim law in a new consolidated code

based on French civil law system and traditional Malagasy law; constitution of 1959 modified in October 1972 by law establishing provisional government institutions; new constitution accepted by referendum in December 1975; legal education at National School of Law, University of Madagascar; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Limits of territorial waters (claimed)

12 nm (fishing 200 nm; 200 nm exclusive economic zone)

200

Literacy

15%

over 50%

Major industries

agricultural processing (meat canneries, soap factories, brewery, tanneries, sugar refining), light consumer goods industries (textiles, glassware), cement plant, auto assembly plant, paper mill, oil refinery

Major industry

perfume distillation

Major trade partners

France, Madagascar, Kenya, Italy, FRG, Tanzania, and US

France, US, other EC; trade with Communist countries remains a minute part of total trade

Member of

Af DB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, IDA, IDE— Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, ILO, IMF, ITU, NAM, OAU, QIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO Economy

AfDB, EAMA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IRC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, OCAM, UN, UNESCO, UPU, VVFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO Economy

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 31 December 1981, $2.9 million; about 16% of the central government budget Land 349,650 km2; 63% dense forest or wood; 31% meadow; 4% urban or waste; 2% cultivated (est.)

for fiscal year ending 31 December 1983, $62.1 million; about 15% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 102,000; 60,000 fit for military service .S/ii;),s: 1 landing craft

males 15-49, 2,135,000; 1,306,000 fit for military service; 88,000 reach military age (20) annually

Monetary conversion rate

422.25 Communaute Financiere Africaine (CFA) francs=US$l (February 1983) Communications

442.9 Malagasy francs=US$l (31 August 1983)

National holiday

Independence Day, 26 June

Nationality

noun — Comoran(s); adjective — Comoran

noun — Congolese (sing., pi.); adjective — Congolese or Congo

Official name

Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros

People's Republic of the

Organized labor

20% of total labor force (1979 est.) Government

Political party

sole legal political party is Comoran Union for Progress (UCP)

Political subdivisions

the three islands are organized into seven regions

6 provinces

Population

455,000 (July 1984), average annual growth rate 2.8%

1,745,000 (July 1984), average annual growth rate 3.0%

Ports

1 minor (on Anjouan Island); Moroni on Grande Comore); Majunga, Madagascar, is used for major trade

4 major (Tamatave, Diego Suarez, Majunga, Tulear)

Railroads

none

884 km 1.000-meter gauge

Religion

86% Shirazi Muslim, 14% Roman Catholic

48% animist, half nominally 47% Christian, 2% Muslim •

Suffrage

universal adult

universal for adults (18 and above)

Telecommunications

sparse system of radio-relay and HF radiocommunication stations for interisland, island, and external communications to Malagasy and Reunion; 1,200 telephones (0.3 per 100 popl.); 2 AM stations and 1 FM station; no TV station Defense Forces

fair system includes open-wire lines, coaxial cables, and radiorelay links; 1 Indian Ocean satellite station; 37,100 telephones (0.4 per 100 popl.); 14 AM, no FM, and 24 TV stations Defense Forces

Type

three of the four islands compose an independent republic, following local government's unilateral declaration of independence from France in July 1975; the other island, Mayotte, disallowed declaration and is now a French territorial community but is claimed by the Comoros

real authority in hands of President Ratsiraka, although Supreme Revolutionary Council is theoretically ultimate executive authority

Voting strength

UCP won 37 seats in the Federal Assembly (March 1982)

number of registered voters (1982)— 4.8 million; in 1977 local elections, President Ratsiraka 's AREMA captured approximately 89.5% of the 73,000 available positions on 1 1,400 local Executive Committees; AKFM won about 7.3% of the seats, MONIMA 1.7%, and VONJY 1.4%; UDECMA won only about 45 seats; in the 1983 legislative election AREMA won 117 out of the 137 seats in the Popular National Assembly