Compare Holy See (Vatican City) (2008) - Comoros (2005)

Compare Holy See (Vatican City) (2008) z Comoros (2005)

	Holy See (Vatican City) (2008)	Comoros (2005)

Administrative divisions	none	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: 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	-	vanilla, cloves, perfume essences, copra, coconuts, bananas, cassava (tapioca)
Airports	-	4 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	-	total: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 0.44 sq km land: 0.44 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 2,170 sq km land: 2,170 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC	slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	Popes in their secular role ruled portions of the Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when many of the Papal States were seized by the newly united Kingdom of Italy. In 1870, the pope's holdings were further circumscribed when Rome itself was annexed. Disputes between a series of "prisoner" popes and Italy were resolved in 1929 by three Lateran Treaties, which established the independent state of Vatican City and granted Roman Catholicism special status in Italy. In 1984, a concordat between the Holy See and Italy modified certain of the earlier treaty provisions, including the primacy of Roman Catholicism as the Italian state religion. Present concerns of the Holy See include religious freedom, international development, the environment, the Middle East, China, the decline of religion in Europe, terrorism, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the application of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About 1 billion people worldwide profess the Catholic faith.	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	-	37.52 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget	revenues: $310 million expenditures: $307 million (2006)	revenues: $27.6 million expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA (2001 est.)
Capital	name: Vatican City geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 27 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October	Moroni
Climate	temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to May) with hot, dry summers (May to September)	tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)
Coastline	0 km (landlocked)	340 km
Constitution	new Fundamental Law promulgated by Pope JOHN PAUL II on 26 November 2000, effective 22 February 2001 (replaces the first Fundamental Law of 1929)	23 December 2001
Country name	conventional long form: The Holy See (State of the Vatican City) conventional short form: Holy See (Vatican City) local long form: Santa Sede (Stato della Citta del Vaticano) local short form: Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano)	conventional long form: Union of the Comoros conventional short form: Comoros local long form: Union des Comores local short form: Comores
Death rate	-	8.4 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external	-	$232 million (2000 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Mary Ann GLENDON embassy: Villa Domiziana, Via delle Terme Deciane 26, 00153 Rome mailing address: PSC 59, Box 66, APO AE 09624 telephone: [39] (06) 4674-3428 FAX: [39] (06) 575-8346	the US does not have an embassy in Comoros; the ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to Comoros
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Pietro SAMBI chancery: 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 333-7121 FAX: [1] (202) 337-4036	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	-	$10 million (2001 est.)
Economy - overview	This unique, noncommercial economy is supported financially by an annual contribution (known as Peter's Pence) from Roman Catholic dioceses throughout the world; by the sale of postage stamps, coins, medals, and tourist mementos; by fees for admission to museums; and by the sale of publications. Investments and real estate income also account for a sizable portion of revenue. The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome.	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	NA kWh	22.17 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production	NA kWh	23.84 million kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: unnamed location 19 m highest point: unnamed location 75 m	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Le Kartala 2,360 m
Environment - current issues	NA	soil degradation and erosion results from crop cultivation on slopes without proper terracing; deforestation
Environment - international agreements	party to: Climate Change signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution, Environmental Modification	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	Italians, Swiss, other	Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava
Exchange rates	euros per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)	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: Pope BENEDICT XVI (since 19 April 2005) head of government: Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio BERTONE (since 15 September 2006) cabinet: Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City appointed by the pope elections: pope elected for life by the College of Cardinals; election last held 19 April 2005 (next to be held after the death of the current pope); secretary of state appointed by the pope election results: Joseph RATZINGER elected Pope BENEDICT XVI	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
Exports - commodities	-	vanilla, ylang-ylang, cloves, perfume oil, copra
Exports - partners	-	US 43.8%, France 18.6%, Singapore 16.5%, Turkey 4.8%, Germany 4.5% (2004)
Fiscal year	calendar year	calendar year
Flag description	two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the arms of the Holy See, consisting of the crossed keys of Saint Peter surmounted by the three-tiered papal tiara, centered in the white band	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: 40% industry: 4% services: 56% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $700 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	2% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	41 54 N, 12 27 E	12 10 S, 44 15 E
Geography - note	landlocked; enclave in Rome, Italy; world's smallest state; beyond the territorial boundary of Vatican City, the Lateran Treaty of 1929 grants the Holy See extraterritorial authority over 23 sites in Rome and five outside of Rome, including the Pontifical Palace at Castel Gandolfo (the Pope's summer residence)	important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel
Highways	-	total: 880 km paved: 673 km unpaved: 207 km (1999 est)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Imports	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy	NA
Imports - commodities	-	rice and other foodstuffs, consumer goods; petroleum products, cement, transport equipment
Imports - partners	-	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	11 February 1929 (from Italy); note - the three treaties signed with Italy on 11 February 1929 acknowledged, among other things, the full sovereignty of the Vatican and established its territorial extent; however, the origin of the Papal States, which over the years have varied considerably in extent, may be traced back to the 8th century	6 July 1975 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate	-	-2% (1999 est.)
Industries	printing; production of coins, medals, postage stamps; a small amount of mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities	tourism, perfume distillation
Infant mortality rate	-	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)	-	3.5% (2001 est.)
International organization participation	CE (observer), CPLP (associate), IAEA, IOM (observer), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, Union Latina (observer), UNWTO (observer), UPU, WIPO, WTO (observer)	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	0 sq km	NA sq km
Judicial branch	there are three tribunals responsible for civil and criminal matters within Vatican City; three other tribunals rule on issues pertaining to the Holy See note: judicial duties were established by the Motu Proprio of Pope PIUS XII on 1 May 1946	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	NA	144,500 (1996 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	note: essentially services with a small amount of industry; nearly all dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and the approximately 3,000 lay workers live outside the Vatican	agriculture 80%
Land boundaries	total: 3.2 km border countries: Italy 3.2 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (urban area) (2005)	arable land: 35.87% permanent crops: 23.32% other: 40.81% (2001)
Languages	Italian, Latin, French, various other languages	Arabic (official), French (official), Shikomoro (a blend of Swahili and Arabic)
Legal system	based on Code of Canon Law and revisions to it	French and Sharia (Islamic) law in a new consolidated code
Legislative branch	unicameral Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City	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: 61.96 years male: 59.65 years female: 64.33 years (2005 est.)
Literacy	definition: NA total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100%	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 56.5% male: 63.6% female: 49.3% (2003 est.)
Location	Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome (Italy)	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	Europe	Africa
Maritime claims	none (landlocked)	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	-	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 Italy; ceremonial and limited security duties performed by Pontifical Swiss Guard	-
Military branches	Pontifical Swiss Guard (Corpo della Guardia Svizzera Pontificia)	Comoran Security Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$11.6 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	3% (2004)
National holiday	Coronation Day of Pope BENEDICT XVI, 24 April (2005)	Independence Day, 6 July (1975)
Nationality	noun: none adjective: none	noun: Comoran(s) adjective: Comoran
Natural hazards	NA	cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); Le Kartala on Grand Comore is an active volcano
Natural resources	none	NEGL
Net migration rate	-	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Political parties and leaders	none	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	none (exclusive of influence exercised by church officers)	NA
Population	821 (July 2007 est.)	671,247 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	60% (2002 est.)
Population growth rate	0% (2007 est.)	2.91% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Mayotte, Moutsamoudou
Radio broadcast stations	AM 4, FM 3, shortwave 2 (2004)	AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001)
Religions	Roman Catholic	Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2%
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: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage	limited to cardinals less than 80 years old	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: automatic digital exchange domestic: connected via fiber optic cable to Telecom Italia network international: country code - 39; uses Italian 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
Telephones - main lines in use	5,120 (2005)	13,200 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	2,000 (2003)
Television broadcast stations	1 (2005)	NA
Terrain	urban; low hill	volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills
Total fertility rate	-	5.09 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate	-	20% (1996 est.)

Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.