AskBiography Logo   Latest News  Follow Us on Twitter  Follow Us on Google Buzz  Became Fan - Facebook  Subscribe to RSSRSS   Bookmark and Share

Comoros

Comoros
General information
Common nameComoros
Local name 
Udzima wa Komori (Comorian)
{{native name|ar|الاتحاد القمري
 |italic=no}}
NameUnion of the Comoros
Motto  (French)
"Unity � Solidarity � Development"
Anthem  (Comorian)
"The Unity of the Great Islands"
CapitalMoroni
Largest citycapital
Official languagesComorian, Arabic, French
DemonymComoran(s)
Government
GovernmentFederal republic
PresidentIkililou Dhoinine
Vice PresidentFouad Mohadji
Mohamed Ali Soilih
Nourdine Bourhane
IndependenceIndependence
from FranceJuly 6, 1975
Geography
Total Area863 sq mi (2235.2 km2) (178th (incl. Mayotte))
Water %negligible
Demography
Population Est.798000 (163rd)
Density (pop.)275/km2 (25th) (712.3/sq mi)
Economy
GDP PPP$800 million (2010)
GDP (PPP) per capita$1,202
GDP (nominal)$534 million (2010)
GDP (nominal) per capita$802
Other information
HDI(+) 0.576 (2007) (medium) (139th)
CurrencyComorian franc (KMF)
Time zoneEAT (UTC+3)
- Summer (DST)not observed (UTC+3)
Drives on theright
Internet TLD.km
Calling code+269

     Home | Country | Comoros



The Comoros c-enaudio=En-us-Comoros.oggˈkɒməroʊz ( , ), officially the Union of the Comoros (Comorian: Udzima wa Komori, , ) is an archipelago island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa, on the northern end of the Mozambique Channel, between northeastern Mozambique and northwestern Madagascar. Other countries near to the Comoros are Tanzania to the northwest and the Seychelles to the northeast. The capital is Moroni on Grande Comore.

At 1862 km2 (excluding Mayotte), the Comoros is the third-smallest African nation by area. With a population estimated at 798,000 (excluding Mayotte), it is the sixth-smallest African nation by population-although it has one of the highest population densities in Africa. Its name derives from the Arabic word ("moon"). The archipelago is notable for its diverse culture and history, as a nation formed at the crossroads of many civilizations. It is the southernmost member state of the Arab League. Though in the contested island of Mayotte the sole official language is French, the "Union of the Comoros" has three official languages: Comorian, Arabic, and French.

The country officially consists of the four islands in the volcanic Comoros archipelago: northwesternmost Grande Comore or Ngazidja, Mohéli or Mwali, Anjouan or Nzwani, and southeasternmost Mayotte or Maore, as well as many smaller islands. However, the government of the Comoros (or its predecessors, since independence) has never administered the island of Mayotte, which France administers as an overseas department. Mayotte was the only island in the archipelago that voted against independence from France in 1974; the latter has vetoed United Nations Security Council resolutions that would affirm Comorian sovereignty over the island. In addition, a 29 March 2009 referendum on Mayotte's becoming an overseas department of France in 2011 was passed overwhelmingly by the people of Mayotte.

The Comoros is the only state to be a member of all of the following: African Union, Francophonie, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Arab League, and Indian Ocean Commission. The country has had a history marked by numerous coups d'état since independence in 1975. As of 2008 about half the population lives below the international poverty line of US$1.25 a day.


Warning: simplexml_load_file(http://gdata.youtube.com/feeds/api/videos/-/Comoros?orderby=viewCount&max-results=10) [function.simplexml-load-file]: failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.0 410 Gone in /home/askbio/public_html/index_bio.php on line 257

Warning: simplexml_load_file() [function.simplexml-load-file]: I/O warning : failed to load external entity "http://gdata.youtube.com/feeds/api/videos/-/Comoros?orderby=viewCount&max-results=10" in /home/askbio/public_html/index_bio.php on line 257

Fatal error: Call to a member function children() on a non-object in /home/askbio/public_html/index_bio.php on line 260