Islamic countries

Islamic countries

UNION OF THE COMOROS
UNION DES COMORES

General Information

Total Land Area:	2,230 km²
Land boundaries:	0 km
Coastline:	340 km
Capital:	Moroni
Other Large Cities:	Moutsamoudou, Domoni, Fomboni
Official Language:	French and Arabic
National Currency Unit:	Comoran Francs (KMF)
National Day:	July 6

Location and Geography

Comoros is a group of islands in the Mozambique Channel off the South-east coast of South Africa. The archipelago lies between the East African coast and the North-western coast of Madagascar. There are four major islands scattered along the North-west, South-east axis. Three of the islands Njazidja, Nzwani and Mwali form the Comoros, and the fourth island, Mayotte, is governed separately. All of the Comoros islands are volcanic in origin. Njazidja, the largest island, has an active volcano at Mount Kartala. The terrain varies in the interior of the islands from steep mountains to low hills and fertile valleys. The climate is tropical marine with a rainy season. Coastal areas are extremely hot and humid. The interior regions are somewhat cooler.

Demography

Population:	0.73 million (2001)
Crude Birth Rate:	42 per thousand people (1998)
Crude Death Rate:	11 per thousand people (1998)
Infant Mortality Rate:	59 per thousand (2001)
Life Expectancy:	Male: 58 years, Female: 60 years (1999)
Urban Population:	32.7 percent (1999)
Adult Literacy:	56.00 percent (2001)

Economy

Agriculture, including fishing, hunting and forestry is the leading sector in the economy. Although almost half of the total land area is being cultivated, over 50 percent of the country’s food requirements are imported. The islands have a wealth of fishing resources, especially tuna. The tourism industry has been developing. Comoros is the world’s largest producer of ylang-ylang, used in the perfume industry. The industrial sector activity is centred on vanilla processing, woodworks, plastics and soft drinks.

GDP at Current Market Prices:	225 million US$ (1995)
Per Capita GDP:	368 US$ (1995)
Share of Sectors in GDP:	40.0% Agriculture, 11.0% Industry, 49.0% Services, (2001)
Total Exports:	28 million US$ (2002)
Total Imports:	89 million US$ (2002)
Major Exports Items:	Vanilla, ylang-ylang, cloves, spices, perfume oil and copra
Major Imports Items:	Rice and other foodstuffs, consumer goods and petroleum products
Major Trading Partners:	France, Germany, US and South Africa