1987 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1987 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Boundary disputes
- none; claims Frenchadministered Mayotte
- none; claimed by
Climate
tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)
Coastline
- 340 km
- 165 km (excluding islets)
Comparative area
- about half the size of Delaware
- about twice the size of Washington, D.C.
Continental shelf
200 meters or to depth of exploitation
Environment
soil degradation and erosion; deforestation; cyclones possible during rainy season
Extended economic zone
- 200 nm
- 200 nm
Land use
35% arable land; 8% permanent crops; 7% meadows and pastures; 16% forest and woodland; 34% other
Special notes
important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel
Terrain
interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills
Territorial sea
- 12 nm
- 12 nm
Total area
- 2,170 km?; land area: 2,170 km?
- Hire M‘Zembourou 10km Administered by France, claimed by Comoros lte Pamanzi
- 375 km?; land area: 375 km?
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava
Infant mortality rate
92.3/1,000 (1983)
Labor force
140,000 (1982); 80% agriculture, 3% government; significant unemployment
Language
Shaafi Islam (a Swahili dialect), Malagasy, French
Life expectancy
48.8
Literacy
15%
Nationality
noun—Comoran(s); adjective—Comoran
Population
415,220 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 3.82%
Religion
86% Sunni Muslim, 14% Roman Catholic
Government
Administrative divisions
each of the three main islands is an administrative unit under a governor appointed by the President, three separate municipalities (Moroni, Mutsamudu, Domoni)
Branches
presidency; 38-member legislature (Federal Assembly)
Capital
Moroni
Elections
Abdallah Abderemane won 1984 presidential election with 99% majority; Federal Assembly elected in March
Government leader
Ahmed ABDALLAH ABDEREMANE, President (since October 1978)
Legal system
French and Muslim law in a new consolidated code
Member of
AfDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, HO, IMF, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Official name
Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros
Political party
sole legal political party is Comoran Union for Progress (UCP)
Suffrage
universal adult
Type
independent republic
Voting strength
UCP holds 37 seats in the Federal Assembly
Economy
Agriculture
food crops—rice, manioc, maize, fruits, vegetables, coconuts, cinnamon, yams; export crops—essential oils for perfumes (mainly ylang-ylang), vanilla, copra, cloves
Budget
domestic revenues, $11 million; external grants, $29 million; current expenditures, $14 million; capital expenditures, $7 million; extrabudgetary expenditures, $44 million (1984)
Electric power
4,000 kW capacity; 5 million kWh produced, 1) kWh per capita (1986)
Exports
$15 million (f.0.b., 1985 est.); perfume oils, vanilla, copra, cloves
GNP
$114 million, about $290 per capita (1985 est.)
Imports
$25 million (f.0.b., 1985 est.); rice and other foodstuffs, cement, fuels, chemicals, textiles
Major industry
perfume distillation
Major trade partners
exports—France, FRG, US; imports—France, Kenya, Reunion
Monetary conversion rate
331 Communauté Financiére Africaine (CFA) francs=US$1 (September 1986)
Communications
Airfields
4 total, 4 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
2 major transport aircraft
Highways
1,110 km total; about 400 km bituminous, remainder crushed stone or gravel
Ports
) major (Mutsamudu); 2 minor
Railroads
none
Telecommunications
sparse system of radio-relay and high frequency radio communication stations for interisland and external communications to Madagascar and Reunion; 1,800 telephones (0.4 per 100 popl.); 2 AM stations, 1 FM station, no TV stations
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Presidential Guard, Gendarmerie
Military budget
for fiscal year ending 31 December 1981, $2.9 million; about 16% of the central government budget
Military manpower
males 15-49, 86,000; 51,000 fit for military service