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  • Capital Moroni (11°41´S, 43°16´E)
  • International airport(s) Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport, Moroni
  • Official language(s) French, Arabic, Comorian
  • Currency Comorian Franc
  • Time UTC +3
  • Region Atlantic and Indian Ocean
GeographyClimateEconomyCulture
Named after the Arabic word for 'moon', Qamar, the Comoros islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Indian Ocean located off Africa's east coast and south of the Equator. Comoros is located on the Somali plate. They are also known as the 'perfumed islands', owing to fragrant plants, such as, frangipani, jasmine and lemongrass. The country consists of three main islands surrounded by coral reefs. The islands are Grande Comore, Mohéli and Anjouan, and the largest island (Grande Comore), is dominated by Karthala, a towering 2 360 m high volcano whose summit is almost constantly smothered in equatorial cloud. In April 2005, the volcano began spewing ash and gas, forcing as many as 10 000 people to flee.
The Comoro Islands have a humid, tropical climate. Monthly average temperatures range from 24 to 27 °C and the annual rainfall is around 1 600 mm, with the wettest time of the year lasting from January to March. The rainfall varies between the three islands due to differences in altitude and winds. During the humid rainy season, especially between January to April, tropical cyclones are a risk. -—
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The islands are also prone to heavy rains and flash floods. The islands are cooled by south‐easterly trade winds during the dry season.
Subsistence farming and fishing are the main source of employment, partly due to low educational levels. Agriculture also accounts for almost one third of GDP in Comoros. Comoros is the world's principal producer of ylang‐ylang essence, extracted from flowers of a tree. Export income is heavily reliant on ylang‐ylang and two other main crops: vanilla and cloves, and remains vulnerable to extreme weather. Important export partners include India, France and Germany -—
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. Deforestation has also negatively affected ground water supply on the islands. Several rivers have disappeared and many remaining rivers run dry during the dry season. In Grande Comore, 60 per cent of the population relies on uncovered water containers and 40 per cent on coastal aquifers. The Comoros imports roughly 70 per cent of the food it consumes.

The Comoros is experiencing some exodus of educated and skilled workers. GDP per capita has been growing only moderately in recent years, after many years of decline in the early 2000s. The capital, Moroni, located on the island of Grande Comore (N'gazidja), has most of the modern commercial and manufacturing facilities located in the country. With miles of beautiful beaches, tourists are drawn to Comoros. Inbound tourism expenditure over GDP has been growing in recent years and was at 6 per cent in 2019. Incorrect syntax for items
The Comoros' culture has been influenced by Islamic tradition, mixed with French and African elements. Traditionally, people believed in spirits and the power of djinn, which is derived from African, Arab and Madagascan traditions.

Local artisans are skilled in sculpture, pottery, embroidery and basketry. Diversity is also evident in the many prevalent languages used on the islands, including French, Comorian, Arabic and Swahili.

Customary celebrations in the Comoros often feature dancing, music and the re‐creation of popular and important literary texts, including war epics and tales about the foundations of different villages. Embroidered ceremonial coats and Islamic bonnets are frequently donned. Jewelry is also widely produced and sold.
Land areakm2
Arable land%
Forest area%
Coastline
lengthkm
Exclusive economic zonekm2
Nearest
neighbourkm
Economic trendsMaritime transportPopulationInternational tradeEnvironmentInformation and communications technology
Gross domestic product
US dollars at constant prices (2015) in millions
GDP per capita

2019

US$

Productive Capacity Index

2018

Economic and environmental vulnerability index

2019

Consumer Price Index growth

2019

%

Unemployment
rate

Total %
Female %, Male %
Main economic sectors, 2019
Percentage of GDP
Tourist arrivals
Thousands of tourists, percentage of GDP
External financial resources
Percentage of GDP
Public debt as % of GDP

2018

%

Fleet size
Number of ships
Ship type20112019
Total fleet1 4071 407
Oil tankers264266
Bulk carriers311333
General cargo16177
Container ships5249
Other types of ships619682
Port performance
Ranked by 2019 data within SIDS group
Indicators2019SIDS Ranking
Number of port calls19727
Median time in port (days)18
Average age of vessels1521
Average size (GT) of vessels6 35230
Container port throuput

2019

TEU

Bilateral connectivity index, 2019
Top 5 partners
Liner shipping connectivity index
Maximum China Q1 2006=100
Total population
Thousands of people, share of urban population
Population development indicators
IndicatorsPeriodValue
Poverty headcount (% of population)201419.1
Human development index20180.5
Human assets index202064
Adult literacy rate (15+ years, both sexes %)....
Gender inequality index....
Life expectancy at birth

years

Population density

2019

persons per km2
Dependency
ratio

2019

Child:
Old-age:
Age structure by gender, 2019
Percentage of total population
Merchandise and services trade
US dollars in millions
Indicators20052010201520192019 (% of GDP)
Merchandise exports122117393.3
Merchandise imports9923321423019.7
Services exports43658000
Services imports46948200
Trade openness
Goods and services

% of GDP

Export concentration index

2019

Food import
dependency
Average 2015-2019

Top 5 partners in merchandise trade, 2019
Exports in millions US dollars
Merchandise exports by product group, 2019
Services exports by category, 2019
CO2 emissions per capita
Kg per capita
CO2 emissions per GDP
Kg per 2010 US$ of GDP
Renewable energy share in total energy consumption, 2017
Percentage of total energy consumption
Material
footprint
per capita

2016

kg

Terrestrial
protected
area

2018

%

Marine
protected
area

2018

%

Disasters indicators
Data not available
Trade in ICT goods

Exports: %
Imports: %
Trade in ICT services

Exports: %
Imports: %
Share of
internet users

%

Fixed broadband vs Mobile broadband subscriptions
Number of subscriptions per 100 people
Sources
Source of data: -—
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except indicators listed below.
References
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