The 1991 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

48% (male 56%, female 40%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980)

      _#_Labor force: 140,000 (1982); agriculture 80%, government 3%; 51% of population of working age (1985)

      _#_Organized labor: NA

      _*Government #_Long-form name: Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros

      _#_Type: independent republic

      _#_Capital: Moroni

      _#_Administrative divisions: 3 islands; Anjouan, Grande Comore, Moheli; note—there may also be 4 municipalities named Domoni, Fomboni, Moroni, and Mutsamudu

      _#_Independence: 6 July 1975 (from France)

      _#_Constitution: 1 October 1978, amended October 1982 and January 1985

      _#_Legal system: French and Muslim law in a new consolidated code

      _#_National holiday: Independence Day, 6 July (1975)

      _#_Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

      _#_Legislative branch: unicameral Federal Assembly (Assemblee Federale)

      _#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

      _#_Leaders:

      Chief of State and Head of Government—President Said

       Mohamed DJOHAR (since 11 March 1990)

      _#_Political parties:

       Comoran Union for Progress (Udzima), Said Mohamed DJOHAR, president;

       National Union for Democracy (UNDC), Mohamed TAKI

      _#_Suffrage: universal at age 18

      _#_Elections:

      President—last held 11 March 1990 (next to be held March 1996); results—Said Mohamed DJOHAR (Udzima) 55%; Mohamed TAKI Abdulkarim (UNDC) 45%;

      Federal Assembly—last held 22 March 1987 (next to be held March 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(42 total) Udzima 42

      _#_Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, ILO, IMF, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO

      _#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Amini Ali MOUMIN; Chancery (temporary) at the Comoran Permanent Mission to the UN, 336 East 45th Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10017; telephone [phone];

      US—Ambassador Kenneth N. PELTIER; Embassy at address NA, Moroni (mailing address B. P. 1318, Moroni); telephone 73–22-03, 73–29-22

      _#_Flag: green with a white crescent placed diagonally (closed side of the crescent points to the upper hoist-side corner of the flag); there are four white five-pointed stars placed in a line between the points of the crescent; the crescent, stars, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam; the four stars represent the four main islands of the archipelago—Mwali, Njazidja, Nzwani, and Mayotte (which is a territorial collectivity of France, but claimed by the Comoros)

      _*Economy #_Overview: One of the world's poorest countries, Comoros is made up of several islands that have poor transportation links, a young and rapidly increasing population, and few natural resources. The low educational level of the labor force contributes to a low level of economic activity, high unemployment, and a heavy dependence on foreign grants and technical assistance. Agriculture, including fishing and forestry, is the leading sector of the economy. It contributes about 40% to GDP, employs 80% of the labor force, and provides most of the exports. The country is not self-sufficient in food production, and rice, the main staple, accounts for 90% of imports. During the period 1982–86 the industrial sector grew at an annual average rate of 5.3%, but its contribution to GDP was only 5% in 1988. Despite major investment in the tourist industry, which accounts for about 25% of GDP, growth has stagnated since 1983. A sluggish growth rate of 1.5% during 1985–90 has led to large budget deficits, declining incomes, and balance-of-payments difficulties.

      _#_GDP: $245 million, per capita $530; real growth rate 1.5% (1990 est.)

      _#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.9% (1989)

      _#_Unemployment rate: over 16% (1988 est.)

      _#_Budget: revenues $88 million; expenditures $92 million, including capital expenditures of $13 million (1990 est.)

      _#_Exports: $16 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);

      commodities—vanilla, cloves, perfume oil, copra;

      partners—US 53%, France 41%, Africa 4%, FRG 2% (1988)

      _#_Imports: $41 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);

      commodities—rice and other foodstuffs, cement, petroleum products, consumer goods;

      partners—Europe 62% (France 22%, other 40%), Africa 5%, Pakistan, China (1988)

      _#_External debt: $242 million (December 1990)

      _#_Industrial production: growth rate 3.4% (1988 est.); accounts for 5% of GDP

      _#_Electricity: 16,000 kW capacity; 24 million kWh produced, 55 kWh per capita (1989)

      _#_Industries: perfume distillation, textiles, furniture, jewelry, construction materials

      _#_Agriculture: accounts for 40% of GDP; most of population works in subsistence agriculture and fishing; plantations produce cash crops for export—vanilla, cloves, perfume essences, and copra; principal food crops—coconuts, bananas, cassava; world's leading producer of essence of ylang-ylang (for perfumes) and second-largest producer of vanilla; large net food importer

      _#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY80–89), $10 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970–88), $406 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979–89), $22 million; Communist countries (1970–89), $18 million

      _#_Currency: Comoran franc (plural—francs); 1 Comoran franc (CF) = 100 centimes

      _#_Exchange rates: Comoran francs (CF) per US$1—256.54 (January 1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985); note—linked to the French franc at 50 to 1 French franc

      _#_Fiscal year: calendar year

      _*Communications #_Highways: 750 km total; about 210 km bituminous, remainder crushed stone or gravel

      _#_Ports: Mutsamudu, Moroni

      _#_Civil air: 4 major transport aircraft

      _#_Airports: 4 total, 4 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440–3,659 m; 3 with runways 1,220–2,439 m

      _#_Telecommunications: sparse system of radio relay and high-frequency radio communication stations for interisland and external communications to Madagascar and Reunion; over 1,800 telephones; stations—2 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV

      _*Defense Forces #_Branches: Comoran Defense Force (FCD), Federal Gendarmerie (GFC)

      _#_Manpower availability: males 15–49, 101,332; 60,592 fit for military service

      _#Defense expenditures: $NA, 3% of GDP (1981) % @Congo *Geography #_Total area: 342,000 km2; land area: 341,500 km2

      _#_Comparative area: slightly smaller than Montana

      _#_Land boundaries: 5,504 km total; Angola 201 km, Cameroon 523 km, Central African Republic 467 km, Gabon 1,903 km, Zaire 2,410 km

      _#_Coastline: 169 km

      _#_Maritime claims:

      Territorial sea: 200 nm

      _#_Disputes: long section with Zaire along the Congo River is indefinite (no division of the river or its islands has been made)

      _#_Climate: tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); constantly high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator

      _#_Terrain: coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin