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 residents (2004), Mutsamudu (Nzwami Island), with 32 400 residents, Mitsamiouli (Njazidja Island) with 22 700 residents, Domoni (Nzwami Island), with 20 100 residents, and Fomboni (Mwali island), with 14 000 residents.
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 residents (est. 2006), which corresponds to a population density of 309.31 residents/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 residents. 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. For Comoros democracy and rights, please check getzipcodes.
Countryaah.com: Offers a full list of airports in the country of Comoros, sorted by city location and acronyms.
Abbreviationfinder.org: Provides most commonly used abbreviations and initials containing the country name of Comoros. Listed by popularity.
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.
