Comoros is an island country in East Africa. Located in
the northern part of the Mozambique channel, it is
composed of three main islands that cover a total area
of 2170 km2. The three islands changed
their name after independence: Njazidja, formerly Grande
Comore; Mwali, formerly Mohéli; and Nzwami, formerly
Anjouan. The largest cities are Moroni (Njazidja
Island), the capital, with 63 700 inhabitants (2004),
Mutsamudu (Nzwami Island), with 32 400 inhabitants,
Mitsamiouli (Njazidja Island) with 22 700 inhabitants,
Domoni (Nzwami Island), with 20 100 inhabitants, and
Fomboni (Mwali island), with 14 000 inhabitants.
The islands are of volcanic origin and are surrounded by
coral reefs.Climate
The tropical climate is marked by two distinct seasons:
a cool and dry period, from May to October, and a hot
and humid period, between November and April, with
abundant monsoon rains.
Economy
The islands depend heavily on foreign investment The
main crops are bananas, coconut, manioc, copra, corn,
rice, cloves, vanilla, coffee, cinnamon and
potatoes. The extractive industry is limited to sand,
gravel and coral, the latter being used ground for local
construction. The main trading partners of the Comoros
are France, Germany, the United States of America and
Madagascar.
Environmental indicator: the value of carbon dioxide
emissions, per capita, (metric tons, 1999) is 0.1.
Population
The population is 690 948 inhabitants (est. 2006), which
corresponds to a population density of 309.31 inhab./km2. The
birth and death rates are respectively 36.93% of the and
8.2% the. Average life expectancy is 62.33
years. The value of the Human Development Index (HDI) is
0.528 and the value of the Gender-adjusted Development
Index (IDG) is 0.521 (2001). About 98% of the population
is from Comoros (a mixture of Bantu, Arab and Malagasy)
and the remaining 2% are Macuas (Bantu from East
Africa). The Muslim religion is practiced by almost all
the inhabitants. The official languages are French and
Arabic although the island dialect is also spoken.
History
The Comoros islands were administered by France, but
from the 19th century they were neglected by the
colonizer. In 1975, they became independent and started
to form the Islamic Federal Republic of the Comoros. As
far as the political regime is concerned, the country is
an Islamic federal republic in which the prime minister
governs with a legislative assembly. |
| 1UpTravel.com - Map of the Islands of Comoros |
| Check out and study the detailed map showing Grande
Comore, Anjouan and Moheli, the three islands of
Comoros. Includes a map of Mayotte. |
| http://www.1uptravel.com/worldmaps/comoros4.html |
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| 1UpTravel.com - Maps of Comoros |
| Check out the small, shaded relief and political maps of
this group of islands in the Mozambique Channel, located
in Southern Africa. |
| http://www.1uptravel.com/worldmaps/comoros.html |
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| Comoros - E-Conflict World Encyclopedia |
| Check out this map of the four-island archipelago near
Mozambique. Links to weather updates as well as
statistics on population and culture. |
| http://www.emulateme.com/comoros.htm |
|
| Comoros - Graphic Maps |
| See a map of the country that's comprised of three
separate islands, plus one disputed with France.
Includes a rundown of facts and figures. |
| http://www.graphicmaps.com/aatlas/africa/maps/comoros.htm |
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| Comoros - InfoPlease.com Map |
| View a close-up graphical map of this chain of islands
located between the southeastern coast of Africa and the
northwestern tip of Madagascar. |
| http://ln.infoplease.com/atlas/country/comoros.html |
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| Comoros - National Geographic Map Machine |
| Satellite imaging and political map-making combine to
offer users a zoomable map of this African country, and
it's cities, rivers, and topography. |
| http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/index.html?i... |
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