The World Factbook (1982)/Comoros

by the Central Intelligence Agency

COMOROS

(See reference map VII)

LAND

1,170 km²; 4 main islands; forests 16%, pasture 7%, cultivable area 48%, noncultivable area 29%

WATER

Limits of territorial waters (claimed): 12 nm (fishing 200 nm; 200 nm exclusive economic zone)

Coastline: 340 km

PEOPLE

Population: 442,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 3.5%

Nationality: noun—Comoran(s); adjective—Comoran

Ethnic divisions: mixture of Arab, Malay, Negroid

Religion: predominantly Islamic

Language: French, Arabic, Swahili

Literacy: low; probably around 20%

Labor force: mainly agricultural

GOVERNMENT

Official name: Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros

Type: three of the four islands comprise an independent republic, following local government's unilateral declaration of independence from France in July 1975; other island, Mayotte, disallowed declaration and is now a French territorial community

Capital: Moroni

Political subdivisions: the three islands are organized into seven regions

Legal system: French and Muslim law

Branches: Mohamed Abdallah elected President of the Comoros, 21 October 1978, having regained power May 1978 following a coup, led by French-born mercenary Bob Denard, which toppled Ali Soilih; Soilih had come to power in 1977 through a coup that ousted Abdallah; Soilih was killed in the second coup

Government leader: President Ahmed ABDALLAH

Suffrage: universal adult

Elections: next presidential election scheduled to take place in 1984

Communists: information not available

Member of: ADB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, IDA, IFAD, ILO, IMF, ISCON, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

ECONOMY

GNP: $78.8 million (1980), about $210 per capita

Agriculture: food crops—rice, manioc, maize, fruits, vegetables; export crops—essential oils for perfumes (mainly ylang-ylang), vanilla, copra, cloves

Electric power: 2,400 kW capacity (1980); 4 million kWh produced (1980); 11 kWh per capita

Exports: $11 million (f.o.b., 1980); perfume oils, vanilla, copra, cloves

Imports: $33 million (f.o.b., 1980); foodstuffs, cement, fuels, chemicals, textiles

Major trade partners: France, Madagascar, Kenya, Italy, FRG, Tanzania, and US

Aid: economic commitments—Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF (1970-79), $110 million; OPEC, ODA (1974-80), $33 million

Budget: (1980) revenues $24.5 million, current expenditures, $38 million

Monetary conversion rate: 212.7 Communaute Financiere Africaine (CFA) francs=US$1 in 1979, floating

COMMUNICATIONS

Railroads: none

Highways: 1,000 km total; approximately 295 km bituminous, remainder crushed stone or gravel

Ports: 1 minor (Moroni on Grande Comore); Majunga, Madagascar, is used for major trade

Civil air: 4 major transports, 1 leased

Airfields: 5 total, 5 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: sparse system of HF radiocommunication stations for interisland, island, and external communications to Malagasy and Reunion; 1,200 telephones (0.3 per 100 popl.); 2 AM stations and 1 FM station; no TV station

DEFENSE FORCES

Military manpower: males 15-49, 94,000; 57,000 fit for military service

Military budget: for fiscal year ending 31 December 1981, $2.9 million; about 16% of the central government budget