Comoros has endured more than 20 coups or attempted coups since gaining independence from France in 1975. In 1997, the islands of Anjouan and Moheli declared independence from Comoros. In 1999, military chief Col. AZALI seized power in a bloodless coup, and helped negotiate the 2000 Fomboni Accords power-sharing agreement in which the federal presidency rotates among the three islands, and each island maintains its local government. AZALI won the 2002 presidential election, and each island in the archipelago elected its president. AZALI stepped down in 2006 and President SAMBI was elected to office. In 2007, Mohamed BACAR effected Anjouan's de-facto secession from the Union, refusing to step down in favor of fresh Anjouanais elections 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 on Anjouan, but in March 2008 AU and Comoran soldiers seized the island. The move was generally welcomed by the island's inhabitants.

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

NEGL

NA

1.2 cu km (2003)

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

Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava

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

Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2%

737,284 (July 2012 est.)

2.063% (2012 est.)

31.49 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)

8.19 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)

-2.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)

MORONI (capital) 49,000 (2009)

280 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)

4.09 children born/woman (2012 est.)

3.4% of GDP (2009)

0.15 physicians/1,000 population (2004)

2.2 beds/1,000 population (2006)

0.1% (2009 est.)

fewer than 500 (2009 est.)

fewer than 100 (2009 est.)

25% (2000)

7.6% of GDP (2008)

republic

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

6 July 1975 (from France)

Independence Day, 6 July (1975)

23 December 2001

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

unicameral Assembly of the Union (33 seats; 15 deputies are selected by the individual islands' local assemblies and 18 by universal suffrage to serve for five years);

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)

Camp of the Autonomous Islands or CdIA (a coalition of parties organized by the islands' presidents in opposition to the Union President); Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros or CRC [AZALI Assowmani]; Front National pour la Justice or FNJ [Ahmed RACHID] (Islamic party in opposition); Mouvement pour la Democratie et le Progress or MDP-NGDC [Abbas DJOUSSOUF]; Parti Comorien pour la Democratie et le Progress or PCDP [Ali MROUDJAE]; Rassemblement National pour le Development or RND [Omar TAMOU, Abdoulhamid AFFRAITANE]

ACP, AfDB, AMF, AOSIS, AU, COMESA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, 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 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, Nzwani, and Mahore (Mayotte - territorial collectivity of France, but claimed by Comoros)

four stars and crescent

One of the world's poorest countries, Comoros is made up of three islands that have 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, high unemployment, and a heavy dependence on foreign grants and technical assistance. Agriculture, including fishing, hunting, and forestry, contributes 40% to 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. The country is not self-sufficient in food production; rice, the main staple, accounts for the bulk of imports. The government - which is hampered by internal political disputes - lacks a comprehensive strategy to attract foreign investment and is struggling to upgrade education and technical training, privatize commercial and industrial enterprises, improve health services, diversify exports, promote tourism, and reduce the high population growth rate. Political problems have inhibited growth, which averaged only about 1% in 2006-09 but more than 2% per year in 2010-11. Remittances from 150,000 Comorans abroad help supplement GDP. In September 2009 the IMF approved Comoros for a three-year $21 million loan, but the government has struggled to meet program targets, such as restricting spending on wages, strengthening domestic revenue collection, and moving forward on structural reforms.

$847.7 million (2011 est.)

$829.6 million (2010 est.)

$813 million (2009 est.)

$614 million (2011 est.)

2.2% (2011 est.)

2.1% (2010 est.)

1.8% (2009 est.)

$1,200 (2011 est.)

$1,200 (2010 est.)

$1,200 (2009 est.)

268,500 (2007 est.)

20% (1996 est.)

60% (2002 est.)

21.3% of GDP (2011 est.)

-1.4% of GDP (2011 est.)

4% (2011 est.)

2.8% (2010 est.)

1.93% (31 December 2010 est.)

2.21% (31 December 2009 est.)

10.5% (31 December 2011 est.)

10.5% (31 December 2010 est.)

$128.4 million (31 December 2011 est.)

$115.8 million (31 December 2010 est.)

$198.1 million (31 December 2011 est.)

$186.7 million (31 December 2010 est.)

$138.4 million (31 December 2011 est.)

$120.6 million (31 December 2010 est.)

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

fishing, tourism, perfume distillation

NA%

-$49.6 million (2011 est.)

-$39.2 million (2010 est.)

$18.5 million (2011 est.)

$13.2 million (2010 est.)

vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), cloves, copra

Singapore 36%, Turkey 23.7%, France 10.5%, Netherlands 7.9% (2011)

$219.9 million (2011 est.)

$194 million (2010 est.)

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

Pakistan 16.2%, France 15.8%, UAE 11.3%, Turkey 7.3%, Kenya 5.5%, India 4.6%, South Africa 4.2% (2011)

$279.3 million (31 December 2009 est.)

$485.4 million (31 December 2010 est.)

Comoran francs (KMF) per US dollar -

353.9 (2011 est.)

371.46 (2010 est.)

calendar year

52 million kWh (2009 est.)

48.36 million kWh (2009 est.)

0 kWh (2010 est.)

0 kWh (2010 est.)

6,000 kW (2009 est.)

83.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

16.7% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)

0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

1,025 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

1,009 bbl/day (2008 est.)

0 cu m (2010 est.)

0 cu m (2010 est.)

0 cu m (2010 est.)

0 cu m (2010 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2012 est.)

149,600 Mt (2010 est.)

23,600 (2011)

216,400 (2011)

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 stations operate on the islands of Grande Comore and Moheli, and these two islands have access to Mayotte Radio and French TV (2007)

.km

15 (2010)

24,300 (2009)

4 (2012)

Mayotte, Mutsamudu

Army of National Development (l'Armee du Developpement Nationale, AND): Comoran Security Force (also called Comoran Defense Force (Force Comorienne de Defense FCD, includes Gendarmerie)), Comoran Coast Guard, Comoran Federal Police (2011)

18 years of age for 2-year voluntary military service; no conscription; women first inducted into the Army in 2004 (2011)

2.8% of GDP (2006)

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 were called in to assist the Comoros military recapture Anjouan Island from rebels who seized it in 2001