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Compare British Virgin Islands (2005) - Comoros (2005)
Compare British Virgin Islands (2005) z Comoros (2005)
| British Virgin Islands (2005) | Comoros (2005) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 3 islands; Grande Comore (Njazidja), Anjouan (Nzwani), and Moheli (Mwali); note - there are also four municipalities named Domoni, Fomboni, Moroni, and Moutsamoudou |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 21% (male 2,400/female 2,358)
15-64 years: 73.9% (male 8,607/female 8,115) 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 614/female 549) (2005 est.) |
0-14 years: 42.8% (male 144,075/female 143,175)
15-64 years: 54.2% (male 179,541/female 184,488) 65 years and over: 3% (male 9,407/female 10,561) (2005 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish | vanilla, cloves, perfume essences, copra, coconuts, bananas, cassava (tapioca) |
| Airports | 3 (2004 est.) | 4 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
- |
| Area | total: 153 sq km
land: 153 sq km water: 0 sq km note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the island of Anegada |
total: 2,170 sq km
land: 2,170 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC |
| Background | First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were annexed in 1672 by the English. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency. | Unstable Comoros has endured 19 coups or attempted coups since gaining independence from France in 1975. In 1997, the islands of Anjouan and Moheli declared their independence from Comoros. In 1999, military chief Col. AZALI seized power. He pledged to resolve the secessionist crisis through a confederal arrangement named the 2000 Fomboni Accord. In December 2001, voters approved a new constitution and presidential elections took place in the spring of 2002. Each island in the archipelago elected its own president and a new union president took office in May of 2002. |
| Birth rate | 14.96 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 37.52 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $121.5 million
expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1997) |
revenues: $27.6 million
expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA (2001 est.) |
| Capital | Road Town | Moroni |
| Climate | subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds | tropical marine; rainy season (November to May) |
| Coastline | 80 km | 340 km |
| Constitution | 1 June 1977 | 23 December 2001 |
| Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI |
conventional long form: Union of the Comoros
conventional short form: Comoros local long form: Union des Comores local short form: Comores |
| Death rate | 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 8.4 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Debt - external | $36.1 million (1997) | $232 million (2000 est.) |
| Dependency status | overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing | - |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | the US does not have an embassy in Comoros; the ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to Comoros |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | chief of mission: Ambassador Mahmoud M. ABOUD (ambassador to the US and Canada and permanent representative to the UN)
chancery: (temporary) care of the Permanent Mission of the Union of the Comoros to the United Nations, 420 East 50th Street, New York, NY 10022 telephone: [1] (212) 972-8010 and 223-2711 FAX: [1] (212) 983-4712 and 715-0699 |
| Disputes - international | none | claims French-administered Mayotte |
| Economic aid - recipient | NA | $10 million (2001 est.) |
| Economy - overview | The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, generating an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 350,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 1998. Tourism suffered in 2002 because of the lackluster US economy. In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. Roughly 400,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 2000. The adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, is expected to make the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to international business. Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the dollar as its currency since 1959. | One of the world's poorest countries, Comoros is made up of three islands that have inadequate transportation links, 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, including fishing, hunting, and forestry, contributes 40% to GDP, employs 80% of the labor force, and provides most of the exports. The country is not self-sufficient in food production; rice, the main staple, accounts for the bulk of imports. The government - which is hampered by internal political disputes - is struggling to upgrade education and technical training, privatize commercial and industrial enterprises, improve health services, diversify exports, promote tourism, and reduce the high population growth rate. Increased foreign support is essential if the goal of 4% annual GDP growth is to be met. Remittances from 150,000 Comorans abroad help supplement GDP. |
| Electricity - consumption | 33.74 million kWh (2002) | 22.17 million kWh (2002) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (2002) |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (2002) |
| Electricity - production | 36.28 million kWh (2002) | 23.84 million kWh (2002) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Sage 521 m |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Le Kartala 2,360 m |
| Environment - current issues | limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchments) | soil degradation and erosion results from crop cultivation on slopes without proper terracing; deforestation |
| Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Ethnic groups | black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed | Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava |
| Exchange rates | the US dollar is used | Comoran francs (KMF) per US dollar - 396.21 (2004), 435.9 (2003), 522.74 (2002), 549.78 (2001), 533.98 (2000)
note: the Comoran franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 491.9677 Comoran francs per euro |
| Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Tom MACAN (since 14 October 2002)
head of government: Chief Minister Orlando D. SMITH (since 17 June 2003) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed chief minister by the governor |
chief of state: President AZALI Assoumani (since 26 May 2002); note - following a 1999 coup AZALI was appointed president; in January 2002 he resigned his position to run in the 14 April 2002 presidential elections; Prime Minister Hamada Madi BOLERO was appointed interim president until replaced again by AZALI in May 2002 when BOLERO was appointed Minister of External Defense and Territorial Security; the president is both the chief of state and the head of government
head of government: President AZALI Assoumani (since 26 May 2002); note - following a 1999 coup AZALI was appointed president; in January 2002 he resigned his position to run in the 14 April 2002 presidential elections; Prime Minister Hamada Madi BOLERO was appointed interim president until replaced again by AZALI in May 2002 when BOLERO was appointed Minister of External Defense and Territorial Security; the president is both the chief of state and the head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: as defined by the 2001 constitution, the presidency rotates every four years among the elected presidents from the three main islands in the Union; election last held 14 April 2002 (next to be held April 2007); prime minister appointed by the president; note - AZALI has not appointed a Prime Minister since he was sworn into office in May 2002 election results: President AZALI Assoumani elected president with 75% of the vote |
| Exports | NA | NA |
| Exports - commodities | rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand | vanilla, ylang-ylang, cloves, perfume oil, copra |
| Exports - partners | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US | US 43.8%, France 18.6%, Singapore 16.5%, Turkey 4.8%, Germany 4.5% (2004) |
| Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | calendar year |
| Flag description | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful) | four equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), white, red, and blue with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist; centered within the triangle is a white crescent with the convex side facing the hoist and four white, five-pointed stars placed vertically in a line between the points of the crescent; the horizontal bands and the four stars represent the four main islands of the archipelago - Mwali, Njazidja, Nzwani, and Mayotte (a territorial collectivity of France, but claimed by Comoros); the crescent, stars, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 1.8%
industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.) |
agriculture: 40%
industry: 4% services: 56% (2001 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $38,500 (2004 est.) | purchasing power parity - $700 (2002 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 1% (2002 est.) | 2% (2002 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 18 30 N, 64 30 W | 12 10 S, 44 15 E |
| Geography - note | strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico | important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel |
| Highways | total: 177 km
paved: 177 km unpaved: 0 km (2000) |
total: 880 km
paved: 673 km unpaved: 207 km (1999 est) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
| Illicit drugs | transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering | - |
| Imports | NA | NA |
| Imports - commodities | building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery | rice and other foodstuffs, consumer goods; petroleum products, cement, transport equipment |
| Imports - partners | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US | France 23.5%, South Africa 11.1%, Kenya 7.5%, UAE 7.2%, Italy 4.9%, Pakistan 4.7%, Mauritius 4.2%, Singapore 4.1% (2004) |
| Independence | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 6 July 1975 (from France) |
| Industrial production growth rate | NA% | -2% (1999 est.) |
| Industries | tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center | tourism, perfume distillation |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 18.05 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 21.02 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
total: 74.93 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 83.48 deaths/1,000 live births female: 66.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.5% (2003) | 3.5% (2001 est.) |
| International organization participation | Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate), UPU | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AMF, AU, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (observer), ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WMO |
| Irrigated land | NA | NA sq km |
| Judicial branch | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary Jurisdiction | Supreme Court or Cour Supremes (two members appointed by the president, two members elected by the Federal Assembly, one elected by the Council of each island, and others are former presidents of the republic) |
| Labor force | 12,770 (2004) | 144,500 (1996 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% | agriculture 80% |
| Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
| Land use | arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (2001) |
arable land: 35.87%
permanent crops: 23.32% other: 40.81% (2001) |
| Languages | English (official) | Arabic (official), French (official), Shikomoro (a blend of Swahili and Arabic) |
| Legal system | English law | French and Sharia (Islamic) law in a new consolidated code |
| Legislative branch | unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, one member from each of 9 electoral districts, four at-large members; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 16 May 2003 (next to be held NA 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NDP 8, VIP 5 |
unicameral Assembly of the Union (33 seats; 15 deputies are selected by the individual islands' local assemblies and the 18 by universal suffrage; deputies serve for five years);
elections: last held 18 and 25 April 2004 (next to be held NA 2009) election results: NA |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 76.49 years
male: 75.41 years female: 77.62 years (2005 est.) |
total population: 61.96 years
male: 59.65 years female: 64.33 years (2005 est.) |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA% |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 56.5% male: 63.6% female: 49.3% (2003 est.) |
| Location | Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico | Southern Africa, group of islands at the northern mouth of the Mozambique Channel, about two-thirds of the way between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Africa |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Merchant marine | total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 83,825 GRT/155,909 DWT
by type: cargo 1 registered in other countries: 7 (2005) |
total: 79 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 452,801 GRT/681,343 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 55, chemical tanker 1, container 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 5, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 35 (Bulgaria 1, Germany 1, Greece 7, India 1, Jordan 1, Kenya 1, Lebanon 3, Nigeria 1, Norway 1, Pakistan 1, Philippines 1, Russia 2, Syria 3, Turkey 6, Ukraine 4, United Kingdom 1) (2005) |
| Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | - |
| Military branches | - | Comoran Security Force |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $11.6 million (2004) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 3% (2004) |
| National holiday | Territory Day, 1 July | Independence Day, 6 July (1975) |
| Nationality | noun: British Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: British Virgin Islander |
noun: Comoran(s)
adjective: Comoran |
| Natural hazards | hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October) | cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); Le Kartala on Grand Comore is an active volcano |
| Natural resources | NEGL | NEGL |
| Net migration rate | 10.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Political parties and leaders | Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn SMITH]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH]; United Party or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL] | Forces pour l'Action Republicaine or FAR [Col. Abdourazak ABDULHAMID]; Forum pour la Redressement National or FRN (alliance of 12 parties); Front Democratique or FD [Moustoifa Said CHEIKH]; Front National pour la Justice or FNJ (Islamic party in opposition) [Ahmed RACHID]; Movement des Citoyens pour la Republique or MCR [Mahamoud MRADABI]; Mouvement Populaire Anjouanais or MPA (Anjouan separatist movement) [leader NA]; Mouvement pour la Democratie et le Progress or MDP-NGDC [Abbas DJOUSSOUF]; Movement pour le Socialisme et la Democratie or MSD (splinter group of FD) [Abdou SOEFOU]; Parti Comorien pour la Democratie et le Progress or PCDP [Ali MROUDJAE]; Rassemblement National pour le Development or RND (party of the government) [Omar TAMOU, Abdoulhamid AFFRAITANE] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
| Population | 22,643 (July 2005 est.) | 671,247 (July 2005 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA | 60% (2002 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 2.06% (2005 est.) | 2.91% (2005 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Road Town | Mayotte, Moutsamoudou |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004) | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001) |
| Religions | Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%, Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 15%), Roman Catholic 10%, none 2%, other 2% (1991) | Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2% |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.12 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
| Telephone system | general assessment: worldwide telephone service
domestic: NA international: country code - 1-284; submarine cable to Bermuda |
general assessment: sparse system of microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communication stations
domestic: HF radiotelephone communications and microwave radio relay international: country code - 269; HF radiotelephone communications to Madagascar and Reunion |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 11,700 (2002) | 13,200 (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 8,000 (2002) | 2,000 (2003) |
| Television broadcast stations | 1 (plus one cable company) (1997) | NA |
| Terrain | coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly | volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills |
| Total fertility rate | 1.72 children born/woman (2005 est.) | 5.09 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 3% (1995) | 20% (1996 est.) |
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