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 |
|
