COMOROS                                                                         
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 2,170 km2; land area: 2,170 km2                                     
                                                                                
Comparative area: slightly more than 12 times the size of                       
Washington, DC                                                                  
                                                                                
Land boundaries: none                                                           
                                                                                
Coastline: 340 km                                                               
                                                                                
Maritime claims:                                                                
                                                                                
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;                                                
                                                                                
Territorial sea: 12 nm                                                          
                                                                                
Disputes: claims French-administered Mayotte                                    
                                                                                
Climate: tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)                        
                                                                                
Terrain: volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains                  
to low hills                                                                    
                                                                                
Natural resources: negligible                                                   
                                                                                
Land use: arable land 35%; permanent crops 8%; meadows and                      
pastures 7%; forest and woodland 16%; other 34%                                 
                                                                                
Environment: soil degradation and erosion; deforestation;                       
cyclones possible during rainy season                                           
                                                                                
Note: important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel                  
                                                                                
PEOPLE                                                                          
Population: 476,678 (July 1991), growth rate 3.5% (1991)                        
                                                                                
Birth rate: 47 births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
Death rate: 12 deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)                          
                                                                                
Infant mortality rate: 87 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                       
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: 54 years male, 59 years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: 7.0 children born/woman (1991)                            
                                                                                
Nationality: noun--Comoran(s); adjective--Comoran                               
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava                   
                                                                                
Religion: Sunni Muslim 86%, Roman Catholic 14%                                  
                                                                                
Language: Shaafi Islam (a Swahili dialect), Malagasy, French                    
                                                                                
Literacy: 48% (male 56%, female 40%) age 15 and over can                        
read and write (1980)                                                           
                                                                                
Labor force: 140,000 (1982); agriculture 80%, government 3%; 51% of             
population of working age (1985)                                                
                                                                                
Organized labor: NA                                                             
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros                         
                                                                                
Type: independent republic                                                      
                                                                                
Capital: Moroni                                                                 
                                                                                
Administrative divisions: 3 islands; Anjouan, Grande Comore,                    
Moheli; note--there may also be 4 municipalities named Domoni, Fomboni,         
Moroni, and Mutsamudu                                                           
                                                                                
Independence: 6 July 1975 (from France)                                         
                                                                                
Constitution: 1 October 1978, amended October 1982 and January 1985             
                                                                                
Legal system: French and Muslim law in a new consolidated code                  
                                                                                
National holiday: Independence Day, 6 July (1975)                               
                                                                                
Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)                     
                                                                                
Legislative branch: unicameral Federal Assembly (Assemblee                      
Federale)                                                                       
                                                                                
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)                                   
                                                                                
Leaders:                                                                        
                                                                                
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Said                           
Mohamed DJOHAR (since 11 March 1990)                                            
                                                                                
Political parties:                                                              
Comoran Union for Progress (Udzima), Said Mohamed DJOHAR, president;            
National Union for Democracy (UNDC), Mohamed TAKI                               
                                                                                
Suffrage: universal at age 18                                                   
                                                                                
Elections:                                                                      
                                                                                
President--last held 11 March 1990 (next to be held March 1996);                
results--Said Mohamed DJOHAR (Udzima) 55%; Mohamed TAKI Abdulkarim              
(UNDC) 45%;                                                                     
                                                                                
Federal Assembly--last held 22 March 1987 (next to be held March                
1992);                                                                          
results--percent of vote by party NA;                                           
seats--(42 total) Udzima 42                                                     
                                                                                
Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA,                
IDB, IFAD, ILO, IMF, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,                    
UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO                                                            
                                                                                
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Amini Ali MOUMIN; Chancery                
(temporary) at the Comoran Permanent Mission to the UN, 336 East 45th           
Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10017; telephone (212) 972-8010;                
                                                                                
US--Ambassador Kenneth N. PELTIER; Embassy at address NA, Moroni                
(mailing address B. P. 1318, Moroni); telephone 73-22-03, 73-29-22              
                                                                                
Flag: green with a white crescent placed diagonally (closed side of             
the crescent points to the upper hoist-side corner of the flag); there          
are four white five-pointed stars placed in a line between the points of        
the crescent; the crescent, stars, and color green are traditional              
symbols of Islam; the four stars represent the four main islands of the         
archipelago--Mwali, Njazidja, Nzwani, and Mayotte (which is a territorial       
collectivity of France, but claimed by the Comoros)                             
                                                                                
ECONOMY                                                                         
Overview: One of the world's poorest countries, Comoros is made                 
up of several islands that have poor transportation links, a young and          
rapidly increasing population, and few natural resources. The low               
educational level of the labor force contributes to a low level of              
economic activity, high unemployment, and a heavy dependence on foreign         
grants and technical assistance. Agriculture, including fishing and             
forestry, is the leading sector of the economy. It contributes about 40%        
to GDP, employs 80% of the labor force, and provides most of the exports.       
The country is not self-sufficient in food production, and rice, the main       
staple, accounts for 90% of imports. During the period 1982-86 the              
industrial sector grew at an annual average rate of 5.3%, but its               
contribution to GDP was only 5% in 1988. Despite major investment in the        
tourist industry, which accounts for about 25% of GDP, growth has               
stagnated since 1983. A sluggish growth rate of 1.5% during 1985-90 has         
led to large budget deficits, declining incomes, and balance-of-payments        
difficulties.                                                                   
                                                                                
GDP: $245 million, per capita $530; real growth rate 1.5% (1990                 
est.)                                                                           
                                                                                
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.9% (1989)                                   
                                                                                
Unemployment rate: over 16% (1988 est.)                                         
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $88 million; expenditures $92 million,                         
including capital expenditures of $13 million (1990 est.)                       
                                                                                
Exports: $16 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);                                       
                                                                                
commodities--vanilla, cloves, perfume oil, copra;                               
                                                                                
partners--US 53%, France 41%, Africa 4%, FRG 2% (1988)                          
                                                                                
Imports: $41 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);                                       
                                                                                
commodities--rice and other foodstuffs, cement, petroleum products,             
consumer goods;                                                                 
                                                                                
partners--Europe 62% (France 22%, other 40%), Africa 5%, Pakistan,              
China (1988)                                                                    
                                                                                
External debt: $242 million (December 1990)                                     
                                                                                
Industrial production: growth rate 3.4% (1988 est.); accounts                   
for 5% of GDP                                                                   
                                                                                
Electricity: 16,000 kW capacity; 24 million kWh produced,                       
55 kWh per capita (1989)                                                        
                                                                                
Industries: perfume distillation, textiles, furniture, jewelry,                 
construction materials                                                          
                                                                                
Agriculture: accounts for 40% of GDP; most of population works in               
subsistence agriculture and fishing; plantations produce cash crops for         
export--vanilla, cloves, perfume essences, and copra; principal food            
crops--coconuts, bananas, cassava; world's leading producer of essence of       
ylang-ylang (for perfumes) and second-largest producer of vanilla; large        
net food importer                                                               
                                                                                
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY80-89), $10                    
million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments          
(1970-88), $406 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $22 million;             
Communist countries (1970-89), $18 million                                      
                                                                                
Currency: Comoran franc (plural--francs); 1 Comoran franc                       
(CF) = 100 centimes                                                             
                                                                                
Exchange rates: Comoran francs (CF) per US$1--256.54 (January                   
1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30       
(1986), 449.26 (1985); note--linked to the French franc at 50 to 1 French       
franc                                                                           
                                                                                
Fiscal year: calendar year                                                      
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
Highways: 750 km total; about 210 km bituminous, remainder crushed              
stone or gravel                                                                 
                                                                                
Ports: Mutsamudu, Moroni                                                        
                                                                                
Civil air: 4 major transport aircraft                                           
                                                                                
Airports: 4 total, 4 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways;                  
none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 3 with            
runways 1,220-2,439 m                                                           
Telecommunications: sparse system of radio relay and high-frequency             
radio communication stations for interisland and external communications        
to Madagascar and Reunion; over 1,800 telephones; stations--2 AM, 1 FM,         
1 TV                                                                            
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Branches: Comoran Defense Force (FCD), Federal Gendarmerie (GFC)                
                                                                                
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 101,332; 60,592 fit for                     
military service                                                                
                                                                                
Defense expenditures: $NA, 3% of GDP (1981)                                     
                                                                                
