Comoros (2006) | New Caledonia (2007) | |
![]() | ![]() | |
Administrative divisions | 3 islands and 4 municipalities*; Grande Comore (Njazidja), Anjouan (Nzwani), Domoni*, Fomboni*, Moheli (Mwali), Moroni*, Moutsamoudou* | none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 3 provinces named Province des Iles, Province Nord, and Province Sud |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 42.7% (male 148,009/female 147,038)
15-64 years: 54.3% (male 185,107/female 190,139) 65 years and over: 3% (male 9,672/female 10,983) (2006 est.) |
0-14 years: 27.9% (male 31,578/female 30,270)
15-64 years: 65.3% (male 72,821/female 72,109) 65 years and over: 6.8% (male 7,047/female 8,118) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | vanilla, cloves, perfume essences, copra, coconuts, bananas, cassava (tapioca) | vegetables; beef, deer, other livestock products; fish |
Airports | 4 (2006) | 25 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006) |
total: 12
over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 2 (2007) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 6 (2007) |
Area | total: 2,170 sq km
land: 2,170 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 19,060 sq km
land: 18,575 sq km water: 485 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than New Jersey |
Background | Comoros has endured 19 coups or attempted coups since gaining independence from France in 1975. In 1997, the islands of Anjouan and Moheli declared 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 2002. | Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island was made a French possession in 1853. It served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864. Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s ended in the 1998 Noumea Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 years will transfer an increasing amount of governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia. The agreement also commits France to conduct as many as three referenda between 2013 and 2018, to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence. |
Birth rate | 36.93 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 17.75 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $27.6 million
expenditures: $NA (2001 est.) |
revenues: $996 million
expenditures: $1.072 billion (2001 est.) |
Capital | name: Moroni
geographic coordinates: 11 41 S, 43 16 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
name: Noumea
geographic coordinates: 22 16 S, 166 27 E time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | tropical marine; rainy season (November to May) | tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid |
Coastline | 340 km | 2,254 km |
Constitution | 23 December 2001 | 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) |
Country name | conventional long form: Union of the Comoros
conventional short form: Comoros local long form: Union des Comores local short form: Comores |
conventional long form: Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies
conventional short form: New Caledonia local long form: Territoire des Nouvelle-Caledonie et Dependances local short form: Nouvelle-Caledonie |
Death rate | 8.2 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 5.72 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | $232 million (2000 est.) | $79 million (1998 est.) |
Dependency status | - | territorial collectivity of France since 1998 |
Diplomatic representation from the US | the US does not have an embassy in Comoros; the ambassador to Madagascar is accredited to Comoros | none (overseas territory of France) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Representative to the US and Ambassador to the UN Mahmoud M. ABOUD
chancery: Mission to the US, 336 East 45th Street (2nd floor), New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 750-1637 |
none (overseas territory of France) |
Disputes - international | claims French-administered Mayotte | Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by France and Vanuatu |
Economic aid - recipient | $24 million (2003 est.) | $524.3 million annual subsidy from France (2004) |
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, 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. | New Caledonia has about 25% of the world's known nickel resources. Only a small amount of the land is suitable for cultivation, and food accounts for about 20% of imports. In addition to nickel, substantial financial support from France - equal to more than 15% of GDP - and tourism are keys to the health of the economy. Substantial new investment in the nickel industry, combined with the recovery of global nickel prices, brightens the economic outlook for the next several years. |
Electricity - consumption | 16.74 million kWh (2003) | 1.403 billion kWh (2005) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2003) | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2003) | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production | 18 million kWh (2003) | 1.508 billion kWh (2005) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Le Kartala 2,360 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Panie 1,628 m |
Environment - current issues | soil degradation and erosion results from crop cultivation on slopes without proper terracing; deforestation | erosion caused by mining exploitation and forest fires |
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 | Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava | Melanesian 42.5%, European 37.1%, Wallisian 8.4%, Polynesian 3.8%, Indonesian 3.6%, Vietnamese 1.6%, other 3% |
Exchange rates | Comoran francs (KMF) per US dollar - 395.6 (2005), 396.21 (2004), 435.9 (2003), 522.74 (2002), 549.78 (2001)
note: the Comoran franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 491.9677 Comoran francs per euro |
Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 95.025 (2006), 95.89 (2005), 96.04 (2004), 105.66 (2003), 126.71 (2002) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI (since 26 May 2006);
head of government: President Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI (since 26 May 2006); 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 May 2006 (next to be held by May 2010); prime minister appointed by the president; note - the post of Prime Minister has been vacant since May 2002 election results: Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI elected president; percent of vote - Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI 58.0%, Ibrahim HALIDI 28.3%, Mohamed DJAANFAMI 13.7% |
chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007); represented by High Commissioner Yves DASSONVILLE (since 9 November 2007)
head of government: President of the Government Harold MARTIN (since 7 August 2007) cabinet: Cabinet consisting of 11 members elected from and by the Territorial Congress elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; high commissioner appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the government elected by the members of the Territorial Congress for a five-year term (no term limits); note - last election held 7 August 2007 when Harold MARTIN was elected following the resignation of Marie-Noelle THEMEREAU as president on 24 July 2007 (next to be held in 2012) |
Exports | NA bbl/day | NA bbl/day |
Exports - commodities | vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), cloves, copra | ferronickels, nickel ore, fish |
Exports - partners | France 27.7%, Singapore 16.8%, Japan 15.1%, Germany 13.7%, US 5.8%, Netherlands 5.1% (2005) | Japan 17.8%, Taiwan 14.9%, France 13.7%, China 11.1%, Spain 9.7%, Belgium 7.5%, Italy 6.2%, Australia 4.7% (2006) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | 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 | the flag of France is used |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 40%
industry: 4% services: 56% (2001 est.) |
agriculture: 15%
industry: 8.8% services: 76.2% (2003) |
GDP - real growth rate | 3% (2005 est.) | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 12 10 S, 44 15 E | 21 30 S, 165 30 E |
Geography - note | important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel | consists of the main island of New Caledonia (one of the largest in the Pacific Ocean), the archipelago of Iles Loyaute, and numerous small, sparsely populated islands and atolls |
Heliports | - | 6 (2007) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | NA bbl/day | NA bbl/day |
Imports - commodities | rice and other foodstuffs, consumer goods, petroleum products, cement, transport equipment | machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | France 20.5%, South Africa 11.7%, UAE 9.1%, Kenya 8%, Pakistan 5%, Mauritius 4.4%, Belgium 4.3%, India 4.1% (2005) | France 38.9%, Singapore 15.3%, Australia 11.4%, NZ 4.8% (2006) |
Independence | 6 July 1975 (from France) | none (overseas territory of France); note - a referendum on independence was held in 1998 but did not pass; a new referendum is scheduled for 2014 |
Industrial production growth rate | -2% (1999 est.) | -0.6% (1996) |
Industries | tourism, perfume distillation | nickel mining and smelting |
Infant mortality rate | total: 72.85 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 81.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 64.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
total: 7.42 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8.12 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3% (2005 est.) | 1.4% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AMF, AU, COMESA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO | ITUC, PIF (observer), SPC, UPU, WFTU, WMO |
Irrigated land | NA | 100 sq km (2003) |
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) | Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; County Courts; Joint Commerce Tribunal Court; Children's Court |
Labor force | 144,500 (1996 est.) | 78,990 (2004) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 80%
industry and services: 20% |
agriculture: 20%
industry: 20% services: 60% (2002) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 35.87%
permanent crops: 23.32% other: 40.81% (2005) |
arable land: 0.32%
permanent crops: 0.22% other: 99.46% (2005) |
Languages | Arabic (official), French (official), Shikomoro (a blend of Swahili and Arabic) | French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects |
Legal system | French and Sharia (Islamic) law in a new consolidated code | based on French civil law; the 1988 Matignon Accords grant substantial autonomy to the islands |
Legislative branch | 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 in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CdIA 12, CRC 6; note - 15 additional seats are filled by deputies from local island assemblies |
unicameral Territorial Congress or Congres du territoire (54 seats; members belong to the three Provincial Assemblies or Assemblees Provinciales elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 9 May 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPCR-UMP 16, AE 16, UNI-FLNKS 8, UC 7, FN 4, others 3 note: New Caledonia currently holds one seat in the French Senate; by 2010, New Caledonia will gain a second seat in the French Senate; elections last held 24 September 2001 (next to be held not later than September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 1; New Caledonia also elects two seats to the French National Assembly; elections last held 10 and 17 June 2007 (next to be held on June 2012); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 2 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 62.33 years
male: 60 years female: 64.72 years (2006 est.) |
total population: 74.5 years
male: 71.52 years female: 77.63 years (2007 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 56.5% male: 63.6% female: 49.3% (2003 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.2% male: 96.8% female: 95.5% (1996 census) |
Location | 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 | Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia |
Map references | Africa | Oceania |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | total: 121 ships (1000 GRT or over) 564,882 GRT/801,238 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 85, chemical tanker 1, container 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 5, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 72 (Bangladesh 1, Bulgaria 1, Greece 10, India 1, Kenya 1, Kuwait 1, Lebanon 6, Nigeria 2, Norway 1, Pakistan 2, Philippines 1, Russia 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Saudi Arabia 3, Syria 4, Turkey 11, UAE 6, Ukraine 14, US 2) (2006) |
total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,566 GRT/2,543 DWT
by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1 (2007) |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of France |
Military branches | Comoran Defense Force: Comoran Security Force (includes Gendarmerie and Army), Comoran Federal Police (2006) | no regular indigenous military forces; French Armed Forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie); Police Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $12.87 million (2005 est.) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 3% (2005 est.) | NA |
National holiday | Independence Day, 6 July (1975) | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) |
Nationality | noun: Comoran(s)
adjective: Comoran |
noun: New Caledonian(s)
adjective: New Caledonian |
Natural hazards | cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); Le Kartala on Grand Comore is an active volcano | cyclones, most frequent from November to March |
Natural resources | NEGL | nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, lead, copper |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New Caledonia (2007 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros [AZALI Assowmani]; Camp of the Autonomous Islands (a coalition of parties organized by the island Presidents in opposition to the Union President); Front National pour la Justice or FNJ [Ahmed RACHID] (Islamic party in opposition); Mouvement pour la Democratie et le Progress or MDP-NGDC [Abbas DJOUSSOUF]; Parti Comorien pour la Democratie et le Progress or PCDP [Ali MROUDJAE]; Rassemblement National pour le Development or RND [Omar TAMOU, Abdoulhamid AFFRAITANE] | Alliance pour la Caledonie or APLC [Didier LE ROUX]; Caledonian Union or UC; Federation des Comites de Coordination des Independantistes or FCCI [Francois BURCK]; Front National or FN [Guy GEORGE]; Front Uni de Liberation Kanak or FULK [Ernest UNE]; Kanak Socialist Front for National Liberation or FLNKS (includes PALIKA, UNI, UC, and UPM); Parti de Liberation Kanak or PALIKA [Paul NEAOUTYINE and Elie POIGOUNE]; Rally for Caledonia in the Republic (anti independence) or RPCR-UMP [Jacques LAFLEUR]; The Future Together or AE [Harold MARTIN]; Union Nationale pour l'Independance or UNI [Paul NEAOUTYINE]; note - may no longer exist, but Paul NEAOUTYINE has since become a president of Parti de Liberation Kanak or PALIKA; Union Progressiste Melanesienne or UPM [Victor TUTUGORO] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 690,948 (July 2006 est.) | 221,943 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 60% (2002 est.) | NA% |
Population growth rate | 2.87% (2006 est.) | 1.203% (2007 est.) |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001) | AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Religions | Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2% | Roman Catholic 60%, Protestant 30%, other 10% |
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: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.043 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.868 male(s)/female total population: 1.009 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: country code - 269; HF radiotelephone communications to Madagascar and Reunion |
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: country code - 687; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 16,900 (2005) | 55,300 (2005) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 16,100 (2005) | 134,300 (2005) |
Television broadcast stations | NA | 6 (plus 25 repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills | coastal plains with interior mountains |
Total fertility rate | 5.03 children born/woman (2006 est.) | 2.25 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 20% (1996 est.) | 17.1% (2004) |