Profile
Background and figures as recorded in the CIA World Factbook.
For centuries prior to colonization in the 19th century, the Comoros archipelago in the Indian Ocean served as a key node in maritime trade networks that connected the Middle East, India, and eastern African regions. Composed of the islands of Anjouan, Mayotte, Moheli, and Grande Comore, Comoros spent most of the 20th century as a colonial outpost until it declared independence from France on 6 July 1975. Residents of Mayotte, however, voted to remain in France, and the French Government has since classified it as a French Overseas Department.
- Capital
- Moroni
- Government
- federal presidential republic
- Population
- 911,707
- Area
- 2,235 sq km
- Location
- Southern Africa, group of islands at the northern mouth of the Mozambique Channel, about two-thirds of the way between northern Madagascar and norther…
- Climate
- tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)
- Natural resources
- fish
- Languages
- Arabic (official); French (official); Shikomoro (official; similar to Swahili)…
- Religions
- Muslim 98.1% (overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim; small Shia Muslim and Ahmadiyya Muslim populations); ethnic religionist 1.1%; Christian 0.6%…
- Independence
- 6 July 1975 (from France)
- Administrative divisions
- 3 islands; Anjouan (Ndzuwani), Grande Comore (N'gazidja), Moheli (Mwali)
- Currency
- Comoran francs (KMF)
- Export partners
- Indonesia 25%; India 23%; Turkey 16%; UAE 11%…
- Import partners
- China 24%; UAE 21%; Tanzania 12%; France 7%…
Source: CIA World Factbook — a work of the US government, in the public domain