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Compare Comoros (2001) - Jamaica (2008)

Compare Comoros (2001) z Jamaica (2008)

 Comoros (2001)Jamaica (2008)
 ComorosJamaica
Administrative divisions 3 islands; Grande Comore (Njazidja), Anjouan (Nzwani), and Moheli (Mwali); note - there are also four municipalities named Domoni, Fomboni, Moroni, and Moutsamoudou 14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland


note: for local government purposes, Kingston and Saint Andrew were amalgamated in 1923 into the present single corporate body known as the Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation
Age structure 0-14 years:
42.81% (male 127,955; female 127,267)

15-64 years:
54.26% (male 159,560; female 163,949)

65 years and over:
2.93% (male 8,326; female 9,145) (2001 est.)
0-14 years: 32.5% (male 459,968/female 444,963)


15-64 years: 60.1% (male 822,486/female 848,310)


65 years and over: 7.4% (male 91,856/female 112,549) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products vanilla, cloves, perfume essences, copra, coconuts, bananas, cassava (tapioca) sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk; crustaceans, mollusks
Airports 4 (2000 est.) 34 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total:
4

2,438 to 3,047 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
3 (2000 est.)
total: 11


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 5 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 23


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 21 (2007)
Area total:
2,170 sq km

land:
2,170 sq km

water:
0 sq km
total: 10,991 sq km


land: 10,831 sq km


water: 160 sq km
Area - comparative slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC slightly smaller than Connecticut
Background 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 has pledged to resolve the secessionist crisis through the 2000 Fomboni Accord, a confederal arrangement that the Organization of African Unity has yet to recognize. The island - discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1494 - was settled by the Spanish early in the 16th century. The native Taino Indians, who had inhabited Jamaica for centuries, were gradually exterminated and replaced by African slaves. England seized the island in 1655 and established a plantation economy based on sugar, cocoa, and coffee. The abolition of slavery in 1834 freed a quarter million slaves, many of whom became small farmers. Jamaica gradually obtained increasing independence from Britain, and in 1958 it joined other British Caribbean colonies in forming the Federation of the West Indies. Jamaica gained full independence when it withdrew from the Federation in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence as rival gangs affiliated with the major political parties evolved into powerful organized crime networks involved in international drug smuggling and money laundering. Violent crime, drug trafficking, and poverty pose significant challenges to the government today. Nonetheless, many rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contribute substantially to the economy.
Birth rate 39.52 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 20.44 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues:
$48 million

expenditures:
$53 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997)
revenues: $3.441 billion


expenditures: $3.905 billion (2007 est.)
Capital Moroni name: Kingston


geographic coordinates: 18 00 N, 76 48 W


time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical marine; rainy season (November to May) tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Coastline 340 km 1,022 km
Constitution 20 October 1996 6 August 1962
Country name conventional long form:
Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros

conventional short form:
Comoros

local long form:
Republique Federale Islamique des Comores

local short form:
Comores
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Jamaica
Currency Comoran franc (KMF) -
Death rate 9.35 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 6.59 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $197 million (1997 est.) $7.138 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US the US does not have an embassy in Comoros; the ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to Comoros chief of mission: Ambassador Brenda LaGrange JOHNSON


embassy: 142 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6


mailing address: P.O. Box 541, Kingston 5


telephone: [1] (876) 702-6000


FAX: [1] (876) 702-6348
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Deputy Permanent Representative Mahmoud Mohamed ABOUD (acting)

chancery:
(temporary) care of the Permanent Mission of the Federal and Islamic Republic of the Comoros to the United Nations, 420 East 50th Street, New York, NY 10022

telephone:
[1] (212) 972-8010

FAX:
[1] (212) 983-4712
chief of mission: Ambassador Gordon SHIRLEY


chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036


telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660


FAX: [1] (202) 452-0081


consulate(s) general: Miami, New York
Disputes - international claims French-administered Mayotte; the island of Anjouan (Nzwani) has moved to secede from Comoros none
Economic aid - recipient $28.1 million (1997) $35.74 million (2005)
Economy - overview 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, is the leading sector of the economy. It 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 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. Continued 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. The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which now account for more than 60% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of its foreign exchange from tourism, remittances, and bauxite/alumina. Remittances account for nearly 20% of GDP and are equivalent to tourism revenues. Jamaica's economy, already saddled with a record of sluggish growth, will suffer an economic setback from damages caused by Hurricane Dean in August 2007. The economy faces serious long-term problems: high but declining interest rates, increased foreign competition, exchange rate instability, a sizable merchandise trade deficit, large-scale unemployment and underemployment, and a debt-to-GDP ratio of 135%. Jamaica's onerous debt burden - the fourth highest per capita - is the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy, most notably the financial sector in the mid-to-late 1990s. Inflation also has declined, standing at about 7% at the end of 2007. High unemployment exacerbates the serious crime problem, including gang violence that is fueled by the drug trade. The GOLDING administration faces the difficult prospect of having to achieve fiscal discipline in order to maintain debt payments while simultaneously attacking a serious and growing crime problem that is hampering economic growth.
Electricity - consumption 15.8 million kWh (1999) 6.131 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 17 million kWh (1999) 6.985 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
88.24%

hydro:
11.76%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point:
Le Kartala 2,360 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m
Environment - current issues soil degradation and erosion results from crop cultivation on slopes without proper terracing; deforestation heavy rates of deforestation; coastal waters polluted by industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills; damage to coral reefs; air pollution in Kingston results from vehicle emissions
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
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava black 91.2%, mixed 6.2%, other or unknown 2.6% (2001 census)
Exchange rates Comoran francs per US dollar - 524.41 (January 2001), 533.98 (2000), 461.77 (1999), 442.46 (1998), 437.75 (1997), 383.66 (1996)

note:
prior to January 1999, the official rate was pegged to the French franc at 75 Comoran francs per French franc; since 1 January 1999, the Comoran franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 491.9677 Comoran francs per euro
Jamaican dollars per US dollar - 69.034 (2007), 65.768 (2006), 62.51 (2005), 61.197 (2004), 57.741 (2003)
Executive branch chief of state:
President AZALI Assoumani (since 6 May 1999); note - the interim government of President Tajiddine Ben Said MASSOUNDE, which had assumed power on 6 November 1998 upon the death of President Mohamed TAKI Abdulkarim, was overthrown in a bloodless coup on 30 April 1999

head of government:
Prime Minister Hamada MADI (since late November 2000)

cabinet:
Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections:
president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 6 and 16 March 1996 (next to be held NA); prime minister appointed by the president

note:
President AZALI claimed a one-year term at the time of the coup; but elections, promised for spring 2000, were not held

election results:
results of the last presidential election before the coup were: Mohamed TAKI Abdulkarim elected president; percent of vote - 64.3%
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Kenneth O. HALL (since 15 February 2006)


head of government: Prime Minister Bruce GOLDING (since 11 September 2007)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition in the House of Representatives is appointed prime minister by the governor general; the deputy prime minister is recommended by the prime minister
Exports $7.9 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.) 1,531 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities vanilla, ylang-ylang, cloves, perfume oil, copra alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels
Exports - partners France 50%, Germany 25% (1998) US 30.2%, Canada 15.6%, China 15.2%, UK 10.3%, Netherlands 7%, Norway 4.6% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
Flag description green with a white crescent in the center of the field, its points facing downward; 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 (a territorial collectivity of France, but claimed by Comoros); the design, the most recent of several, is described in the constitution approved by referendum on 7 June 1992 diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side)
GDP purchasing power parity - $419 million (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
40%

industry:
4%

services:
56% (2000 est.)
agriculture: 5%


industry: 34%


services: 61% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $720 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 0.5% (2000 est.) 1.5% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 12 10 S, 44 15 E 18 15 N, 77 30 W
Geography - note important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal
Highways total:
880 km

paved:
673 km

unpaved:
207 km (1996)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
NA%

highest 10%:
NA%
lowest 10%: 2.1%


highest 10%: 35.8% (2004)
Illicit drugs - transshipment point for cocaine from South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation and consumption of cannabis; government has an active manual cannabis eradication program; corruption is a major concern; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Jamaica for illicit financial transactions
Imports $55.1 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.) 71,420 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities rice and other foodstuffs, consumer goods; petroleum products, cement, transport equipment food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials
Imports - partners France 38%, Pakistan 13%, South Africa 8%, Kenya 8% (1998) US 39.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.6%, Venezuela 9.5% (2006)
Independence 6 July 1975 (from France) 6 August 1962 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate -2% (1999 est.) 2% (2007 est.)
Industries tourism, perfume distillation, textiles, furniture, jewelry, construction materials, soft drinks tourism, bauxite/alumina, agro processing, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications
Infant mortality rate 84.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 15.73 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 16.4 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 15.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.5% (1999) 7.1% (2007 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, CCC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (associate), ILO, IMF, InOC, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTrO (applicant) ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) -
Irrigated land NA sq km 250 sq km (2002)
Judicial branch 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) Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal
Labor force 144,500 (1996 est.) 1.255 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 80% agriculture: 17%


industry: 19%


services: 64% (2006)
Land boundaries 0 km 0 km
Land use arable land:
35%

permanent crops:
10%

permanent pastures:
7%

forests and woodland:
18%

other:
30% (1993 est.)
arable land: 15.83%


permanent crops: 10.01%


other: 74.16% (2005)
Languages Arabic (official), French (official), Comoran (a blend of Swahili and Arabic) English, English patois
Legal system French and Muslim law in a new consolidated code based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch bicameral legislature consists of the Senate (15 seats: five from each island); members selected by regional councils for six-year terms) and a Federal Assembly or Assemblee Federale (43 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - the Federal Assembly was dissolved following the coup of 30 April 1999

elections:
Federal Assembly - last held 1 and 8 December 1996 (next to be held NA)

election results:
Federal Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RND 39, FNJ 3, independent 1

note:
the constitution stipulates that only parties that win six seats in the Federal Assembly (two from each island) are permitted to be in opposition, but if no party accomplishes that, the second most successful party will be in opposition; in the elections of December 1996 the FNJ appeared to qualify as opposition
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 21-member body appointed by the governor general on the recommendations of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; ruling party is allocated 13 seats, and the opposition is allocated 8 seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 3 September 2007 (next to be held no later than October 2012)


election results: percent of vote by party - JLP 50.1%, PNP 49.8%; seats by party - JLP 33, PNP 27
Life expectancy at birth total population:
60.41 years

male:
58.2 years

female:
62.68 years (2001 est.)
total population: 73.12 years


male: 71.43 years


female: 74.9 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
57.3%

male:
64.2%

female:
50.4% (1995 est.)
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school


total population: 87.9%


male: 84.1%


female: 91.6% (2003 est.)
Location Southern Africa, group of islands in the Mozambique Channel, about two-thirds of the way between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
Map references Africa Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines


territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin
Merchant marine total:
2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 19,122 GRT/29,817 DWT

ships by type:
cargo 2 (2000 est.)
total: 13 ships (1000 GRT or over) 161,700 GRT/241,663 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 2, carrier 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 3


foreign-owned: 12 (Denmark 1, Germany 1, Greece 8, Latvia 2)


registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2007)
Military branches Comoran Security Force Jamaica Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing (2007)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $NA -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA% 0.6% (2006 est.)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
141,120 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
83,920 (2001 est.)
-
National holiday Independence Day, 6 July (1975) Independence Day, 6 August (1962)
Nationality noun:
Comoran(s)

adjective:
Comoran
noun: Jamaican(s)


adjective: Jamaican
Natural hazards cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); Le Kartala on Grand Comore is an active volcano hurricanes (especially July to November)
Natural resources NEGL bauxite, gypsum, limestone
Net migration rate NEGL migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) -6.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Political parties and leaders Front National pour la Justice or FNJ (Islamic party in opposition) [Ahmed Abdallah MOHAMED, Ahmed ABOUBACAR, Soidiki M'BAPANOZA]; Rassemblement National pour le Development or RND (party of the government) [Ali Bazi SELIM] Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Bruce GOLDING]; People's National Party or PNP [Portia SIMPSON-MILLER]; National Democratic Movement or NDM [Michael WILLIAMS]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)
Population 596,202 (July 2001 est.) 2,780,132 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 14.8% (2003 est.)
Population growth rate 3.02% (2001 est.) 0.777% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Fomboni, Moroni, Moutsamoudou -
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 10, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios 90,000 (1997) -
Railways 0 km -
Religions Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2% Protestant 62.5% (Seventh-Day Adventist 10.8%, Pentecostal 9.5%, Other Church of God 8.3%, Baptist 7.2%, New Testament Church of God 6.3%, Church of God in Jamaica 4.8%, Church of God of Prophecy 4.3%, Anglican 3.6%, other Christian 7.7%), Roman Catholic 2.6%, other or unspecified 14.2%, none 20.9%, (2001 census)
Sex ratio 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:
0.91 male(s)/female

total population:
0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.034 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.816 male(s)/female


total population: 0.978 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
sparse system of microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communication stations

domestic:
HF radiotelephone communications and microwave radio relay

international:
HF radiotelephone communications to Madagascar and Reunion
general assessment: fully automatic domestic telephone network


domestic: the 1999 agreement to open the market for telecommunications services resulted in rapid growth in mobile-cellular telephone usage; mobile-cellular teledensity now exceeds 100 per 100 persons; the number of fixed-lines in use has been declining


international: country code - 1-876; the Fibralink submarine cable network provides enhanced delivery of business and broadband traffic and is linked to the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) submarine cable in the Dominican Republic; the link to ARCOS-1 provides seamless connectivity to US, parts of the Caribbean, Central America, and South America; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 6,000 (1997) 319,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular NA 2.804 million (2005)
Television broadcast stations 0 (1998) 7 (1997)
Terrain volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Total fertility rate 5.32 children born/woman (2001 est.) 2.36 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 20% (1996 est.) 10.2% (2007 est.)
Waterways none -
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