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| Comoros and Mayotte | Introduction | Back to Top |
Comoros, independent state comprising a group of islands at the northern entrance to the Mozambique Channel, between the African mainland and the island of Madagascar. Officially called the Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros, the republic includes three islands: Njazidja (formerly known as Grande Comore), Mwali (Mohéli), and Nzwani (Anjouan). Since the republic's independence in 1975, the fourth island in the Comoros Islands archipelago, Mayotte (Mahoré), has in two referenda chosen to remain a dependency of France. The republic has an area of 1,865 sq km (720 sq mi), while the Comoros Islands group (including Mayotte) has an area of 2,171 sq km (838 sq mi). The capital of the Comoros is Moroni.
Mayotte, one of the four main islands of the Comoros archipelago. It lies at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel, 320 km (200 mi) from the coast of Madagascar and 71 km (44 mi) southeast of the Comorian island of Nzwani. Mayotte is a dependency of France, with the status of a collectivité territoriale, (territorial collectivity), although sovereignty over it is claimed by the country of Comoros. The territory of Mayotte consists of three islands: the main island and two smaller adjacent islands, Pamanzi and Dzaoudzi. The capital is Mamoudzou, the largest town on the main island of Mayotte.
Official Name -Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros| Comoros and Mayotte | Provinces | Back to Top |
3 islands; Grande Comore (Njazidja), Anjouan (Nzwani), and Moheli (Mwali); note - there are also four municipalities named Domoni, Fomboni, Moroni, and Moutsamoudou.
| Comoros and Mayotte | People | Back to Top |
The 2001 population for the three islands was estimated to be 596,202. Nzwani and Njazidja each have populations of about 200,000, but the smaller size of Nzwani gives it one of the highest population densities in the world, with more than 500 persons per sq km (1,300 per sq mi). Some 67 percent of the population lives in rural areas. The largest towns are Mutsamudu (population, 1988 estimate, 14,000) and Domoni on Nzwani; Moroni (36,000) and Mitsamiouli on Njazidja; and Fomboni (7,000) on Mwali.
The islanders reflect a diversity of origins. Malay immigrants and Arab traders have mixed with peoples from Madagascar and with various African peoples. Most of the islands' inhabitants speak island-specific varieties of Comorian, a Bantu language related to Swahili (East African). Comorian, Arabic, and French are the official languages, with French being the language of administration. Islam is the state religion. Ngazidja has about half of the country's population, while Mwali has just 5 percent; Moroni is the main population centre. The birth and death rates are both high in the Comoros, and, although infant mortality is a major problem, the population growth rate is about twice the world average. Almost half of the population is less than 15 years of age.
| Comoros and Mayotte | History | Back to Top |
The history of the Comoros archipelago has largely been determined by the geographical location of the islands. Traders and seafarers from Africa and Madagascar were attracted to the islands because they provided fertile soil, timber for building boats, and important stops on long-distance trade routes. By the 15th century, trading towns had been built, and they played a significant part in regional trade, selling food or Malagasy slaves to pirates or to visiting European company ships. In the late 18th century the islands suffered severely from slave raids. Sakalava and Betsimisaraka chiefs from northern Madagascar conducted the raids to capture and enslave Comorians. During this period all the towns were fortified with citadels and town walls, many of which form a picturesque background to the modern urban scene. By the 1840s Malagasy chiefs controlled Mayotte and Mwali, and in 1843 one of these, Andriansouli, ceded Mayotte to the French. French influence gradually dominated all the islands, and they became a French protectorate in 1886.
The Comoros was inhabited by people of Malay-Polynesian descent by the 5th or 6th century AD and possibly earlier. Others came from nearby Africa and Madagascar, and Arabs became important. The islands did not appear on a European world map until 1527, when they were depicted by the Portuguese cartographer Diego Ribero. The first European known to visit the archipelago was the Englishman James Lancaster about 1591, but the dominant foreign influence in the islands remained Arabic until the 19th century.
Diplomatic relations with France were resumed, a new constitution was drawn up, and Abdallah was reelected president in late 1978 and in 1984, when he ran unopposed. He survived three coup attempts but was assassinated by European mercenaries in November 1989. French intervention in the Comoros removed the mercenaries and permitted multiparty presidential elections in 1990. Saïd Mohamed Djohar was elected president but, in September 1995, he also was killed in a coup led by the same mercenaries who had earlier assassinated Abdallah. Again, France intervened and elections were held in 1996.
| Comoros and Mayotte | Culture | Back to Top |
The Comoros has hospitals on each of the main islands but suffers from a shortage of medical personnel, modern facilities, and supplies. Comorians largely depend on traditional medicines and healers. Those who have more advanced health problems and can afford to do so seek medical assistance in either Madagascar or France. While infant mortality has decreased and life expectancy has increased to about 60 years on average, there are still several growing health concerns. Less than half of the population has access to safe drinking water, making cholera and parasitic infestation prominent. Other serious illnesses are malaria, tuberculosis, and, to a lesser extent, leprosy and AIDS.
| Comoros and Mayotte | Life | Back to Top |
Over the centuries, diverse peoples have come together to form a complex cultural mix in the Comoros. Contemporary Comorian culture reflects these many influences. Islam is the basis for religious observances during the year, and it provides the framework for daily life. Elaborate and expensive public wedding celebrations, lasting as long as three weeks, are common. These events often feed the entire community, and tourists are generally welcome to attend. Comorian cuisine is a mix of East African root-based stews and Indian Ocean (in particular South Asian and Indonesian) rice-based curry dishes.
| Comoros and Mayotte | Land | Back to Top |
The islands emerged from the floor of the Indian Ocean as a result of volcanic activity. Coral reefs provide occasional barriers to the rolling seas of the Indian Ocean, and breakers mark some of the world's best diving areas. Along the seashore, broad expanses of open, sandy beaches are interrupted by isolated groups of coconut palms or mangrove trees. A few coastal areas are distinguished by the harsh, dark tangle of recent lava flows, while others are covered by smoothly rounded rocks, eroded reminders of ancient volcanic activity.
| Comoros and Mayotte | Plants and Animal | Back to Top |
vanilla, cloves, and a wide variety of tropical fruits and flowers. Intensive cultivation, however, has stripped the forest cover from all but the mountain peaks, leading to heavy soil erosion; it has also destroyed the habitat of many species of plants and animals. A variety of flycatcher called Humblot’s flycatcher breeds only on Njazidja. The seas off the Comoros are the home of the famous coelacanth, a fish that was thought to be extinct for millions of years until 1938, when one was caught off the eastern coast of South Africa. In 1952 the coelacanth was discovered to live and breed off the Comoros.
| Chad | Economy | Back to Top |
Agricultural work employs 77 percent of the labor force. Most Comorians find employment within a traditional subsistence economy producing maize (corn), cassava, rice, bananas, and vegetables. Protein comes from fish and poultry. Attracted by fertile soils and cheap labor, plantation companies acquired land in the islands in the 19th century, and by the beginning of the 20th century they owned most of the cultivable land. During the 20th century growing sugarcane gave way to the cultivation of scent-bearing flowers and spices, such as ylang-ylang, vanilla, and cloves, as well as copra (dried coconut meat that produces a valuable oil). Although the companies were forced to give up much of their land through successive land reforms, flowers and spices remain the basic commercial crops grown in the islands, and the only significant exports. Growing cash crops takes up a major part of the best land on the islands.
The Comoros, which is one of the world's poorest nations, has an economy based on subsistence agriculture. The country's gross domestic product is growing at a rate slightly faster than the population but is among the lowest in the world. Since independence, aid from the European Union, notably France, has been the major underpinning of the economy, while Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iraq, Japan, and Kuwait have also provided financial aid.
One of the world's poorest countries, Comoros is made up of three islands that have inadequate transportation links, a young and rapidly increasing population, and few natural resources. The low educational level of the labor force contributes to a subsistence level of economic activity, high unemployment, and a heavy dependence on foreign grants and technical assistance. Agriculture, including fishing, hunting, and forestry, is the leading sector of the economy. It contributes 40% to GDP, employs 80% of the labor force, and provides most of the exports. The country is not self-sufficient in food production; rice, the main staple, accounts for the bulk of imports. The government is struggling to upgrade education and technical training, to privatize commercial and industrial enterprises, to improve health services, to diversify exports, to promote tourism, and to reduce the high population growth rate. Continued foreign support is essential if the goal of 4% annual GDP growth is to be met. Remittances from 150,000 Comorans abroad help supplement GDP.
| Comoros and Mayotte | Communications | Back to Top |
Sparse system of microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communication stations domestic: HF radiotelephone communications and microwave radio relay international: HF radiotelephone communications to Madagascar and Reunion
| Comoros and Mayotte | Languages | Back to Top |
Most Comorians are Sunni Muslims, with the exceptions of the resident Indians and French Creoles. French and Arabic are the official languages, but the dialects of the islands, collectively called Shimasiwa (or Comoran), are used in everyday speech. Shimasiwa is related to Swahili (see African Languages).
| Comoros and Mayotte | Politics | Back to Top |
Front National pour la Justice or FNJ (Islamic party in opposition) [Ahmed Abdallah MOHAMED, Ahmed ABOUBACAR, Soidiki M'BAPANOZA]; Rassemblement National pour le Development or RND (party of the government) [Ali Bazi SELIM]
| Comoros and Mayotte | Government | Back to Top |
After independence from France in 1975, Comoros became politically unstable. A revolution shortly after independence installed a radical nationalist regime under Ali Soilih, which was overthrown by a coup led by mercenaries in 1978. The country was then ruled by President Ahmed Abdulla, who was backed by French mercenaries and by South Africa until he was assassinated in 1989, also by two mercenaries. Said Mohamed Djohar then took office and held onto power precariously until deposed in September 1995 by yet another coup, led by French mercenary Bob Denard. French troops intervened and arrested Denard in October. In March 1996 Mohamed Taki Abdulkarim was elected president, in the first democratic elections held since Comoros gained independence from France.
| Comoros and Mayotte | organization | Back to Top |
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, CCC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (associate), ILO, IMF, InOC, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTrO.
| Comoros and Mayotte | Education | Back to Top |
). Islamic schools are attended by many children, and state education is officially compulsory from the age of 7 to 16. Although 73 percent of the primary school-age children attend school, only 24 percent receive a secondary education. The state spends one-quarter of its income on education. With the exception of a lycée (French high school) in Moroni, most education is of a low standard, and educational facilities are very poor. Adult literacy was estimated to be 68 percent in 2001.
| Comoros and Mayotte | Defence | Back to Top |
Military branches: Comoran Security Force
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 141,120 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 83,920 (2001 est.)
| Comoros and Mayotte | International Disputes | Back to Top |
claims French-administered Mayotte; the island of Anjouan (Nzwani) has moved to secede from Comoros.
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