Introduction
Background
The archipelago of the Comoros in the Indian Ocean, composed of the islands of Anjouan, Moheli, and Grande Comore, declared independence from France on 6 July 1975.
Geography
Area
total : 2,235 sq km
land: 2,235 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Climate
tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)
Natural resources
fish
People and Society
Population
total: 900,141
Ethnic groups
Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava
Languages
Arabic (official), French (official), Shikomoro (official; similar to Swahili) (Comorian)
Religions
Muslim 98.1% (overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim, small Shia Muslim and Ahmadiyya Muslim populations), ethnic religionist 1.1%, Christian 0.6%, other 0.3% (2020 est.)
Population growth rate
1.3% (2024 est.)
Government
Government type
federal presidential republic
Capital
name: Moroni
Executive branch
chief of state: President AZALI Assoumani (since 26 May 2016)
head of government: President AZALI Assoumani (since 26 May 2016)
Legislative branch
description: unicameral Assembly of the Union (33 seats; 24 members directly elected by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed and 9 members indirectly elected by the 3 island assemblies; members serve 5-year terms)
Economy
Economic overview
small trade-based island economy; declining remittances; new structural and fiscal reforms; adverse cyclone and COVID-19 impacts; manageable debts; fragile liquidity environment; large foreign direct investment; state-owned enterprises suffering
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$2.961 billion (2023 est.)
$2.883 billion (2022 est.)
$2.816 billion (2021 est.)
Real GDP per capita
$3,500 (2023 est.)
$3,400 (2022 est.)
$3,400 (2021 est.)
Agricultural products
coconuts, bananas, cassava, yams, maize, taro, milk, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, pulses (2022)
Industries
fishing, tourism, perfume distillation
Exports
$165.347 million (2022 est.)
$128.331 million (2021 est.)
$68.937 million (2020 est.)
Exports - partners
Turkey 23%, India 19%, UAE 9%, US 9%, Indonesia 8% (2022)
Exports - commodities
cloves, ships, vanilla, essential oils, scrap iron (2022)
Imports
$479.94 million (2022 est.)
$415.965 million (2021 est.)
$343.608 million (2020 est.)
Imports - partners
UAE 25%, China 19%, India 12%, France 8%, Tanzania 7% (2022)
Imports - commodities
rice, refined petroleum, poultry, water, synthetic fabric (2022)
Exchange rates
Comoran francs (KMF) per US dollar -
Page last updated: Wednesday, July 24, 2024
