Compare Comoros (2008) - South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2008)

Compare Comoros (2008) z South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2008)

	Comoros (2008)	South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2008)

Administrative divisions	3 islands and 4 municipalities; Grande Comore, Anjouan, Domoni, Fomboni, Moheli, Moroni, Mutsamudu*	-
Age structure	0-14 years: 42.6% (male 151,920/female 150,851) 15-64 years: 54.4% (male 191,096/female 196,120) 65 years and over: 3% (male 9,933/female 11,497) (2007 est.)	-
Agriculture - products	vanilla, cloves, ylang-ylang, perfume essences, copra, coconuts, bananas, cassava (tapioca)	-
Airports	4 (2007)	-
Airports - with paved runways	total: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)	-
Area	total: 2,170 sq km land: 2,170 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 3,903 sq km land: 3,903 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Shag Rocks, Black Rock, Clerke Rocks, South Georgia Island, Bird Island, and the South Sandwich Islands, which consist of 11 islands
Area - comparative	slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC	slightly larger than Rhode Island
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 in a bloodless coup, and helped negotiate the 2000 Fomboni Accords power-sharing agreement in which the federal presidency rotates among the three islands, and each island maintains its own local government. AZALI won the 2002 Presidential election, and each island in the archipelago elected its own president. AZALI stepped down in 2006 and President SAMBI took office. Since 2006, Anjouan's President Mohamed BACAR has refused to work effectively with the Union presidency. This year BACAR effected Anjouan's de-facto secession from the Union, refusing to step down in favor of fresh Anjouanais elections when Comoros' other islands held legitimate elections in July. The African Union (AU) has stepped in to assist in resolving the political crisis, including applying sanctions and a naval blockade on Anjouan, but the situation remains at an impasse.	The islands, which have large bird and seal populations, lie approximately 1,000 km east of the Falkland Islands and have been under British administration since 1908 - except for a brief period in 1982 when Argentina occupied them. Grytviken, on South Georgia, was a 19th and early 20th century whaling station. Famed explorer Ernest SHACKLETON stopped there in 1914 en route to his ill-fated attempt to cross Antarctica on foot. He returned some 20 months later with a few companions in a small boat and arranged a successful rescue for the rest of his crew, stranded off the Antarctic Peninsula. He died in 1922 on a subsequent expedition and is buried in Grytviken. Today, the station houses scientists from the British Antarctic Survey. Recognizing the importance of preserving the marine stocks in adjacent waters, the UK, in 1993, extended the exclusive fishing zone from 12 nm to 200 nm around each island.
Birth rate	36.35 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	-
Budget	revenues: $27.6 million expenditures: $NA (2001 est.)	-
Capital	name: Moroni geographic coordinates: 11 42 S, 43 14 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)	-
Climate	tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)	variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow
Coastline	340 km	NA km
Constitution	23 December 2001	-
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: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands conventional short form: none abbreviation: SGSSI
Death rate	7.95 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	-
Debt - external	$232 million (2000 est.)	-
Dependency status	-	overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina; administered from the Falkland Islands by a commissioner, who is concurrently governor of the Falkland Islands, representing Queen ELIZABETH II
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 the UK, also claimed by Argentina)
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Representative to the US and Ambassador to the UN Mohamed TOIHIRI chancery: Mission to the US, 336 East 45th Street (2nd floor), New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 750-1637	none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)
Disputes - international	claims French-administered Mayotte	Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied them by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force
Economic aid - recipient	$25.23 million (2005 est.)	-
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. The political problems caused the economy to contract in 2007. Remittances from 150,000 Comorans abroad help supplement GDP.	Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a potential source of income from harvesting finfish and krill. The islands receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK, sale of fishing licenses, and harbor and landing fees from tourist vessels. Tourism from specialized cruise ships is increasing rapidly.
Electricity - consumption	18.6 million kWh (2005)	-
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2005)	-
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2005)	-
Electricity - production	20 million kWh (2005)	-
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Le Kartala 2,360 m	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m
Environment - current issues	soil degradation and erosion results from crop cultivation on slopes without proper terracing; deforestation	NA
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	-
Exchange rates	Comoran francs (KMF) per US dollar - NA (2007), 392.03 (2006), 395.6 (2005), 396.21 (2004), 435.9 (2003) note: the Comoran franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 491.9677 Comoran francs per euro	-
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%	-
Exports	0 bbl/day (2004)	-
Exports - commodities	vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), cloves, copra	-
Exports - partners	Netherlands 35.8%, France 18.3%, Italy 12.8%, Singapore 7.8%, Turkey 5%, US 4.6% (2006)	-
Fiscal 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 Mahore (Mayotte - territorial collectivity of France, but claimed by Comoros) note: the crescent, stars, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam	blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a shield with a golden lion centered; the shield is supported by a fur seal on the left and a penguin on the right; a reindeer appears above the shield, and below it on a scroll is the motto LEO TERRAM PROPRIAM PROTEGAT (Let the Lion Protect its Own Land)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 40% industry: 4% services: 56% (2001 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	-1% (2007 est.)	-
Geographic coordinates	12 10 S, 44 15 E	54 30 S, 37 00 W
Geography - note	important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel	the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in the 20th century, live on South Georgia
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	-
Imports	709.1 bbl/day (2004)	-
Imports - commodities	rice and other foodstuffs, consumer goods, petroleum products, cement, transport equipment	-
Imports - partners	France 24.8%, UAE 9.9%, South Africa 6.4%, Pakistan 6.3%, Kenya 5%, China 4.8%, India 4.4%, Italy 4.2% (2006)	-
Independence	6 July 1975 (from France)	-
Industrial production growth rate	-2% (1999 est.)	-
Industries	fishing, tourism, perfume distillation	-
Infant mortality rate	total: 70.66 deaths/1,000 live births male: 78.86 deaths/1,000 live births female: 62.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)	-
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	3% (2005 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, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)	-
Irrigated land	NA	0 sq km
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)	-
Labor force	144,500 (1996 est.)	-
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (1996 est.)	-
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 35.87% permanent crops: 23.32% other: 40.81% (2005)	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen) (2005)
Languages	Arabic (official), French (official), Shikomoro (a blend of Swahili and Arabic)	-
Legal system	French and Islamic law in a new consolidated code	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; the senior magistrate from the Falkland Islands presides over the Magistrates Court
Legislative branch	unicameral Assembly of the Union (33 seats; 15 deputies are selected by the individual islands' local assemblies and 18 by universal suffrage; to 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	-
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 62.73 years male: 60.37 years female: 65.15 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.)	-
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	Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the tip of South America
Map references	Africa	Antarctic Region
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 144 ships (1000 GRT or over) 657,755 GRT/954,498 DWT by type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 101, chemical tanker 3, container 1, livestock carrier 4, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 6, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 70 (Bangladesh 1, Bulgaria 1, Cyprus 1, Greece 8, India 2, Kenya 1, Kuwait 1, Lebanon 5, Norway 1, Pakistan 2, Philippines 1, Russia 9, Saudi Arabia 1, Syria 8, Turkey 8, Ukraine 13, UAE 5, US 2) (2007)	-
Military - note	-	defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches	National Development Army (AND): Comoran Security Force; Comoran Federal Police (2007)	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	2.8% (2006)	-
National holiday	Independence Day, 6 July (1975)	-
Nationality	noun: Comoran(s) adjective: Comoran	-
Natural hazards	cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); Le Kartala on Grand Comore is an active volcano	the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather conditions that generally make them difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to active volcanism
Natural resources	NEGL	fish
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)	-
Political parties and leaders	Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros or CRC [AZALI Assowmani]; Camp of the Autonomous Islands or CdIA (a coalition of parties organized by the islands' 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]	-
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	-
Population	711,417 (July 2007 est.)	no indigenous inhabitants note: the small military garrison on South Georgia withdrew in March 2001 replaced by a permanent group of scientists of the British Antarctic Survey, which also has a biological station on Bird Island; the South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited
Population below poverty line	60% (2002 est.)	-
Population growth rate	2.84% (2007 est.)	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001)	0 (2003)
Religions	Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2%	-
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.007 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.974 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.864 male(s)/female total population: 0.985 male(s)/female (2007 est.)	-
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	-
Telephone system	general assessment: sparse system of microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communication stations; fixed-line connections only about 2 per 100 persons; mobile cellular usage about 2 per 100 persons 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: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken
Telephones - main lines in use	16,900 (2005)	-
Telephones - mobile cellular	16,100 (2005)	-
Television broadcast stations	NA	0 (2003)
Terrain	volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills	most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active volcanoes
Total fertility rate	4.97 children born/woman (2007 est.)	-
Unemployment rate	20% (1996 est.)	-

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