Comoros

• the capital city of Maroni, located on the western side of the island of Grande Comore, is the country's largest city;
• however, of the three islands that comprise Comoros, it is Anjouan that is the most densely populated as shown in this population distribution map

noun:

Comoran(s)

adjective:

Comoran

total:

22.7 years (2024 est.)

male:

22.1 years

female:

23.3 years

• the capital city of Maroni, located on the western side of the island of Grande Comore, is the country's largest city;
• however, of the three islands that comprise Comoros, it is Anjouan that is the most densely populated as shown in this population distribution map

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.77 male(s)/female

total population:

0.94 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

54.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male:

64.9 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

44.7 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

67.8 years (2024 est.)

male:

65.5 years

female:

70.2 years

total:

0.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0.07 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

0.07 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

20.3% (2020 est.)

male:

29.5% (2020 est.)

female:

11.1% (2020 est.)

• deforestation;
• soil degradation and erosion results from forest loss and from crop cultivation on slopes without proper terracing;
• marine biodiversity affected as soil erosion leads to the silting of coral reefs

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

urban population:

30.1% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

2.97% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

particulate matter emissions:

14.37 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

0.2 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

0.19 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal:

4.8 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial:

500,000 cubic meters (2017 est.)

agricultural:

4.7 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

name:

Moroni

geographic coordinates:

11 42 S, 43 14 E

time difference:

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

Moroni derives from "mroni," which means "at the river" in Shingazidja, the Comorian language spoken on Grande Comore (N'gazidja)

history:

previous 1996, 2001; newest adopted 30 July 2018

amendments:

• proposed by the president of the union or supported by at least one third of the Assembly of the Union membership;
• adoption requires approval by at least three-quarters majority of the total Assembly membership or approval in a referendum

note: a referendum held on 30 July 2018 - boycotted by the opposition - overwhelmingly approved a new constitution that allows for 2 consecutive 5-year presidential terms while retaining the rotating presidency within the islands

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of the Comoros

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

10 years

description:

unicameral Assembly of the Union (24 members directly elected by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed; members serve 5-year terms)

elections:

last held on 19 January 2020 with a runoff on 23 February 2020 (next to be held in 2025)

election results:

• percent of vote by party in first round - CRC 60.9%, Orange Party 4.3%, independent 30.8%, other 4%;
• seats by party in the first round - CRC 16, Orange Party 1, independent 2;
• percent of vote by party in the second round - CRC 54.1%, Orange Party 18.9%, independent 26.1%, other 1%;
• seats by party in the second round - CRC 4, Orange Party 1;
• composition - men 20, women 4, percentage women 16.7%

note: opposition parties, which had demanded "transparent, free, and democratic" elections, boycotted the 2020 elections

highest court(s):

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (consists of 7 judges)

judge selection and term of office:

Supreme Court judges - selection and term of office NA

subordinate courts:

• Court of Appeals (in Moroni);
• Tribunal de premiere instance;
• island village (community) courts;
• religious courts

chief of mission:

Ambassador Issimail CHANFI (since 23 December 2020); note - also Permanent Representative to the UN

chancery:

Permanent Mission to the UN, 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 495, New York, NY 10017

telephone:

[1] (212) 750-1637

FAX:

[1] (212) 750-1657

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://www.un.int/comoros/

• four equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), white, red, and blue, with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist;
• centered within the triangle is a vertical white crescent moon with the convex side facing the hoist and four white, five-pointed stars placed vertically in a line between the points of the crescent;
• the horizontal bands and the four stars represent the four main islands of the archipelago - Mwali, N'gazidja, Ndzuwani, and Mahore (Mayotte - department of France, but claimed by Comoros)

note: the crescent, stars, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam

name:

"Udzima wa ya Masiwa" (The Union of the Great Islands)

lyrics/music:

Said Hachim SIDI ABDEREMANE/Said Hachim SIDI ABDEREMANE and Kamildine ABDALLAH

note: adopted 1978

• 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

total:

10.9% (2023 est.)

male:

9.9% (2023 est.)

female:

12.2% (2023 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

lowest 10%:

1.6% (2014 est.)

highest 10%:

33.7% (2014 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

total subscriptions:

7,000 (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants:

(2022 est.) less than 1

general assessment:

• Comoros launched a special program for the construction of a wireless network to inter connect the 3 islands of the archipelago;
• telephone service limited to the islands' few towns (2020)

domestic:

fixed-line connections less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage about 104 per 100 persons (2021)

international:

• country code - 269;
• landing point for the EASSy, Comoros Domestic Cable System, Avassa, and FLY-LION3 fiber-optic submarine cable system connecting East Africa with Europe;
• HF radiotelephone communications to Madagascar and Reunion (2019)

• national state-owned TV station and a TV station run by Anjouan regional government;
• national state-owned radio;
• regional governments on the islands of Grande Comore and Anjouan each operate a radio station;
• a few independent and small community radio stations operate on the islands of Grande Comore and Moheli, and these two islands have access to Mayotte Radio and French TV

total:

849 km

paved:

673 km

unpaved:

207 km (2019)

total ports:

4 (2024)

large:

0

medium:

0

small:

0

very small:

4

ports with oil terminals:

3

key ports:

Dzaoudzi, Fomboni, Moroni, Moutsamoudu

• National Army for Development (l'Armee Nationale de Developpement, AND): Comoran Defense Force (Force Comorienne de Defense or FCD; includes Comoran National Gendarmerie);
• Ministry of Interior: Coast Guard, Federal Police, National Directorate of Territorial Safety (customs and immigration) (2024)

note 1: when the Gendarmerie serves as the judicial police, it reports to the Minister of Justice; the Gendarmerie also has an intervention platoon that may act under the authority of the Interior Minister

note 2: the FCD is also known as the Comoran Security Force

• the focus for the security forces is search and rescue operations and maintaining internal security;
• a defense treaty with France provides naval resources for the protection of territorial waters, training of Comoran military personnel, and air surveillance;
• France maintains a small maritime base and a Foreign Legion contingent on neighboring Mayotte (2024)