Country Summary: Comoros
Country Name: Comoros
Capital: Moroni
Government Type: federal presidential republic
Background: For centuries prior to colonization in the 19th century, the archipelago of the Comoros in the Indian Ocean, served as a key node in the maritime trade networks that connected the Middle East, India, and eastern African regions. Composed of the islands of Anjouan, Mayotte, Moheli, and Grande Comore, Comoros spent most of the 20th century as a colonial outpost until it declared independence from France on 6 July 1975. Residents of Mayotte, however, voted to remain in France, and the French Government has since classified it as a French Overseas Department. Since independence, Comoros has weathered approximately 20 realized and attempted coups, mostly between 1975 and 2000, resulting in prolonged political instability and stunted economic development. In 2002, President AZALI Assoumani became the first elected president following the completion of the Fomboni Accords, in which the islands of Grande Comore, Anjouan, and Moheli reached an agreement whereby the presidency would rotate among the islands every five years. This power-sharing agreement also included provisions allowing each island to maintain its local government. AZALI stepped down in 2006 and President Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed SAMBI was elected as president from Anjouan. In 2007, Mohamed BACAR effected Anjouan's de-facto secession from the Union of the 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. In closely contested elections in 2016, former President AZALI Assoumani won a second term, when the rotating presidency returned to Grande Comore. A referendum held in July 2018 - boycotted by the opposition parties - approved a new constitution that extended presidential term limits and abolished the requirement for the presidency to rotate between the three main islands. In August 2018, President AZALI formed a new government and subsequently ran and was elected president in March 2019. President AZALI was reelected in January 2024 in an election that was disputed by the opposition but validated by the Supreme Court.
Continent: Africa
Population: 888,378 (2023 est.)
Ethnic Groups: Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava
Languages: Arabic (official), French (official), Shikomoro (official; similar to Swahili) (Comorian)
Religions: Muslim 98.1% (overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim, small Shia Muslim and Ahmadiyya Muslim populations), ethnic religionist 1.1%, Christian 0.6%, other 0.3% (2020 est.) note: Sunni Islam is the state religion
Economic Overview: small trade-based island economy; declining remittances; new structural and fiscal reforms; adverse cyclone and COVID-19 impacts; manageable debts; fragile liquidity environment; large foreign direct investment; state-owned enterprises suffering
Currency: Comorian Franc (KMF)
Reserves of Foreign Exchange & Gold: $283.746 million (2022 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
Real GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $2.716 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2017 dollars
Real GDP Growth Rate: 2.39% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
Real GDP per Capita: $3,200 (2022 est.) note: data in 2017 dollars
Exports:
$165.347 million (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Comparison Ranking: 207
Export Commodities: cloves, tug boats, essential oils, scrap vessels, vanilla (2021)
Export Partners: France 32%, India 23%, Germany 10%, Turkey 9%, Madagascar 7% (2019)
Imports:
$479.94 million (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Comparison Ranking: 204
Import Commodities: rice, chicken products, refined petroleum, cement, cars (2019)
Import Partners: China 22%, United Arab Emirates 16%, France 11%, Pakistan 9%, India 6% (2019)
Natural Resources: fish
Agricultural Products: coconuts, cassava, rice, bananas, pulses nes, milk, taro, sweet potatoes, maize, cloves
Industries: fishing, tourism, perfume distillation
Industrial Production Growth Rate:
0.83% (2022 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
Comparison Ranking: 153
Labor Force: 229,000 (2022 est.)
Unemployment Rate: 5.75% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment
Natural Hazards: cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); volcanic activity on Grand Comore
Volcanism: Karthala (2,361 m) on Grand Comore Island last erupted in 2007; a 2005 eruption forced thousands of people to be evacuated and produced a large ash cloud
Geography:
Total: 2,235 sq km
Land: 2,235 sq km
Water: 0 sq km
(Country Summary, The World Factbook, CIA.gov)
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