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Comoros
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:''This article is about the state. For the archipelago, see
Comoro Islands.''
The '''Union of the Comoros'''
IPA {{IPA|/kʰəˈmɔɹəz/}} (
French language French Union des Comores {{IPA|/ynˈjɔ̃.də.koˈmɔʀ/}},
Arabic اتØاد القمر {{IPA.html">2002 the '''Islamic Federal Republic of the Comoros''') is a country in the
Indian Ocean, situated at the northern end of the
Mozambique Channel between northern
Madagascar and northern
Mozambique. The country consists of three of the four main islands in the
volcanic.html"_title="Meaning of /itË?ˈħæË?d ælˈqÉ‘mÉ‘r/}}, until volcanic">volcanic_island|volcanic Comoros archipelago:
Grande Comore,
Mohéli and
Anjouan. The fourth island in the
island group,
Mayotte, is not part of the country. Mayotte has voted against independence from
France, but is claimed by Comoros. The country's territory also encompasses many smaller islands. Its name was adopted from the word ''al-qamar'', meaning 'of the moon,' as seen depicted on its flag.
{{Infobox_Country|
native_name = Union des Comores
Udzima wa Komori
اتØاد القمر|
common_name = Comoros |
image_flag = Flag of the Comoros.svg |
image_coat = Comoros_coat_of_arms_small.gif |
image_map = LocationComoros.png |
national_motto = Unité - Justice - Progrès
(
French language French, "Unity, justice, progress") |
national_anthem =
Udzima wa ya Masiwa |
official_languages =
Comorian language Shikomor,
Arabic language Arabic,
French language French |
capital =
Moroni, Comoros Moroni |latd=11|latm=41|latNS=S|longd=43|longm=16|longEW=E|
largest_city =
Moroni, Comoros Moroni |
government_type=
Federal republic|
leader_titles =
President of Comoros President |
leader_names = Col.
Azali Assoumani |
area_rank = 167th |
area_magnitude = 1_E9 |
area= 2,170 |
areami² = 838 |
percent_water = Negligible |
population_estimate = 596,202 |
population_estimate_year = 2002 |
population_estimate_rank = 158th |
population_census= |
population_census_year= |
population_density = 275 |
population_densitymi² = 712 |
population_density_rank = 275 |
GDP_PPP_year = 2004 |
GDP_PPP = $1,049,000,000 |
GDP_PPP_rank = 171st |
GDP_PPP_per_capita = $1,660 |
GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 156th |
HDI_year = 2003 |
HDI = 0.547 |
HDI_rank = 132nd |
HDI_category =
medium |
sovereignty_type =
Independence |
established_events = Declared
Recognised |
established_dates = From
France19751975 |
currency =
Comorian franc |
currency_code = KMF |
time_zone= |
utc_offset= +3 |
time_zone_DST= observed? |
utc_offset_DST= ? |
cctld=
.km |
calling_code = 269 |
footnotes =
}}
History
''Main article:
History of Comoros''
Over the centuries, the islands of Comoros were invaded by a succession of diverse groups from the coast of
Africa, the
Persian Gulf,
Indonesia, and
Madagascar.
Portugal Portuguese explorers visited the
archipelago in
1505.
Between
1841 and
1912,
France established
Colonialism colonial rule and placed the islands under the administration of the governor general of Madagascar. Later, French settlers, French-owned companies, and wealthy Arab merchants established a plantation-based economy that now uses about one-third of the land for export crops. Agreement was reached with France in
1973 for Comoros to become independent in 1978. On
July 6,
1975, however, the Comorian parliament passed a resolution declaring independence. The deputies of
Mayotte, which stayed under French control, abstained. In two referendums, in December
1974 and February
1976, the population of Mayotte voted against independence from France (by 63.8% and 99.4% respectively).
In
1997, the islands of
Anjouan and
Mohéli declared their independence from Comoros. A subsequent attempt by the government to reestablish control over the rebellious islands by force failed, and subsequently the
African Union, under the auspices of President Mbeki of South Africa, has brokered negotiations to effect a reconciliation. This involves a system of governmental autonomy for each island, plus a Union government for the three islands. A "Loi des compétences" (a law that defines the responsibilities of each governmental body) was passed in early 2005 and is in the process of implementation.
Politics
''Main article:
Politics of Comoros''
The political situation in Comoros has been extremely fluid since the country's independence in
1975, subject to the volatility of coups and political insurrection.
Colonel
Azali Assoumani seized power in a bloodless coup in April
1999, overthrowing Interim President
Tadjidine Ben Said Massounde, who himself had held the office since the strange death of democratically elected President
Mohamed Taki Abdoulkarim in November,
1998.
In May
1999, Azali decreed a constitution that gave him both executive and legislative powers. Bowing somewhat to international criticism, Azali appointed a civilian Prime Minister,
Bainrifi Tarmidi, in December
1999; however, Azali retained the mantle of Head of State and army Commander. In December
2000, Azali named a new civilian Prime Minister,
Hamada Madi, and formed a new civilian Cabinet.
On
February 17,
2000, representatives of the government, the Anjouan separatists, the political opposition, and civil society organizations signed a "Framework Accord for Reconciliation in Comoros," brokered by the
Organization for African Unity (OAU). The accord called to develop a "New Comorian Entity" with a new constitution.
The constitution gives Moheli, Anjouan and Grande Comore the right to govern most of their own affairs with their own presidents. In addition, a federal president and parliament sit on the largest island, Grande Comore. This federal presidency is rotated between the islands' presidents.
Comoros legislative election, 2004 General elections were held in
2004, in which federal president Azali suffered a major setback by only winning 6 of the 18 seats in the
Assembly of the Union of the Comoros National assembly, the other going to the supporters of the presidents of the semi-autonomous islands. The Comoros are also part of the
Indian Ocean Commission, along with all of the other islands in the Western Indian Ocean
Geography
Image:Cn-map.png framed|Map of Comoros
''Main article:
Geography of Comoros''
Comoros is formed by three of the four main islands in the Comoros Archipelago; the fourth is the French territory of
Mayotte. The archipelago is situated in the Indian Ocean, between the African coast and
Madagascar. The interior of the volcanic islands varies from steep mountains to low hills. Le
Karthala (2,316
metre m or 7598
foot (unit of length) ft) on Grand Comore is an active
volcano.
*
Islands of Comoros
Economy
''Main article:
Economy of Comoros''
Comoros is one of the poorest countries in the world.
Agriculture, including
fishing,
hunting, and
forestry, is the leading sector of the economy.
Comoros has inadequate transportation system, 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 contributes 40% to
Gross domestic product GDP, employs 80% of the labor force, and provides most of the exports.
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.
Demographics
''Main article:
Demographics of Comoros''
The Comorians inhabiting Grande Comore, Anjouan, and Moheli (86% of the population) share African-Arab origins.
Islam is the dominant religion. Although Arab culture is firmly established throughout the archipelago, a substantial minority of the citizens of Mayotte (the Mahorais) are
Catholic and have been strongly influenced by French culture.
The most common language is
Shikomor, a
Swahili dialect.
French language French,
Arabic language Arabic and
Malagasy also are spoken. About 57% of the population is literate in the
Latin alphabet, more with the
Arabic alphabet.
Culture
''Main article:
Culture of Comoros''
''See also:''
*
Comorian language
*
Holidays in Comoros
*
Islam in Comoros
*
Music of Comoros
Penal System
The Comorian
legal system rests on
Islamic law and an inherited French legal code. Village elders or civilian courts settle most disputes. The
judiciary is independent of the
legislative and the executive. The Supreme Court acts as a Constitutional Council in resolving constitutional questions and supervising presidential elections. As High Court of Justice, the Supreme Court also arbitrates in cases where the government is accused of malpractice. The Supreme Court consists of two members selected by the president, two elected by the Federal Assembly, and one by the council of each island.
Miscellaneous topics
*
Communications in Comoros
*
Foreign relations of Comoros
*
List of Presidents of Comoros
*
Military of Comoros
*
Transportation in Comoros
Further reading
* ''The Comoros Islands: Struggle Against Dependency in the Indian Ocean'' Malyn Newitt
* ''Historical Dictionary of the Comoro Islands'' Martin Ottenheimer
* ''Lonely Planet World Guide: Madagascar and Comoros'' Gemma Pitcher and Patricia C. Wright
References
This article incorporates text from the
Library of Congress Country Studies, which is in the
public domain.
External links
{{sisterlinks|Comoros}}
News
-
allAfrica - Comoros news headline links
-
Al-Watwan weekly newspaper
Overviews
-
BBC News - ''Country Profile: Comores''
-
CIA World Factbook - ''Comoros''
-
US State Department - ''Comoros'' includes Background Notes, Country Study and major reports
Directories
-
al-Bab - ''Comoros'' directory category
-
Columbia University Libraries - ''Angola'' directory category of the WWW-VL
-
MweziNet directory and encyclopedia
-
Open Directory Project - ''Comoros''
-
Stanford University - Africa South of the Sahara: ''Comoros'' directory category
-
The Index on Africa - ''Comoros'' directory category
-
Yahoo! - ''Comoros'' directory category
Tourism
*{{wikitravel}}
-
Travel Overview of Comoros
Other
-
Comores Online portal
-
Republican party of Comoros
-
Report from IRIN (UN office for the coordination of Humanitarian Affairs)
-
The islands of Comoros
-
www.comoros-online.com - First information website on Comoros - Association MWEZINET "La passion des Comores"
-
Travel in Comoros
{{Africa}}
Category:African Union member states
Category:Arab League
Category:Comoros *
Category:Comoros archipelago
Category:Island nations
af:Comore-eilande
ar:جزر القمر
zh-min-nan:Komor
bn:কোমোরোস
bs:Komori
ca:Comores
cs:Komory
da:Comorerne
de:Komoren
et:Komoorid
es:Comoras
eo:Komoroj
fa:کومور
fr:Union des Comores
ko:코모로
id:Komoro
ia:Comoras
is:Kómoreyjar
it:Comore
he:קומורו
kw:Komorys
lv:Komoru salas
lt:Komorai
li:Comore
ms:Comoros
na:Comoros
nl:Comoren
nds:Komoren
ja:コモãƒ
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pt:Comores
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sv:Komorerna
sw:Komoro
sr:Комори
tl:Comoros
uk:КоморÑ?кі оÑ?трови
zh:葛摩
{{sisterlinkswp|Category:Comoros}}
{{commonscat|Comoros}}
Category:Island nations
Category:African countries
Category:Islands of Africa
Category:East Africa
Category:Southern Africa
Category:Comoros archipelago
Category:Arab League
ar:تصنيÙ?:جزر القمر
ca:Categoria:Comores
cs:Kategorie:Komory
de:Kategorie:Komoren
es:CategorÃa:Comoras
fr:Catégorie:Comores
ko:분류:코모로
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na:Category:Comoros
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