STATISTICS: COMOROS

Comoros{1} Official name: Jumhuriyat al-Qumur al-Ittihadiyah al-Islamiyah (Arabic); Rpublique Fdrale Islamique des Comores (French) (Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros). Form of government: transitional regime{2}. Head of state and government{2}: Interim President assisted by Prime Minister. Capital: Moroni. Official languages: Comorian; Arabic; French. Official religion: Islam. Monetary unit: 1 Comorian franc (CF) = 100 centimes; valuation (Sept. 25, 1998) 1 U.S.$ = CF 418.73; 1 = CF 712.89. Demography Population (1998): 546,000. Density (1998): persons per sq mi 759.4, persons per sq km 293.2. Urban-rural (1995){3}: urban 30.8%; rural 69.2%. Sex distribution (1991): male 49.49%; female 50.51%. Age breakdown (1995){3}: under 15, 48.5%; 15-29, 26.4%; 30-44, 13.8%; 45-59, 7.3%; 60-74, 3.4%; 75 and over, 0.6%. Population projection: (2000) 581,000; (2010) 782,000. Doubling time: 20 years. Ethnic composition (1995): nearly all Comorian (a mixture of Bantu, Arab, Malay, and Malagasy peoples). Religious affiliation (1995): Sunni Muslim 99.3%; other 0.7%. Major cities (1991): Moroni 30,000; Mutsamudu 20,000; Domoni (1990) 8,000; Fomboni (1990) 5,600. Vital statistics Birth rate per 1,000 population (1996): 45.8 (world avg. 25.0). Death rate per 1,000 population (1996): 10.3 (world avg. 9.3). Natural increase rate per 1,000 population (1996): 35.5 (world avg. 15.7). Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman; 1996): 6.7. Marriage rate per 1,000 population: n.a.{4} Divorce rate per 1,000 population: n.a. Life expectancy at birth (1996): male 56.4 years; female 61.0 years. Major causes of death per 100,000 population: n.a.; however, major diseases include malaria (afflicts 80-90% of the adult population), tuberculosis, leprosy, and kwashiorkor (a nutritional deficiency disease). National economy Budget (1996). Revenue: CF 22,873,000,000 (tax revenue 43.5%, grants 36.0%, loans 14.6%, nontax revenue 5.9%). Expenditures: CF 29,513,000,000 (current expenditures 61.8%, development expenditures 38.2%). Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture, forestry, fishing (1996): coconuts 60,000{3}, bananas 57,000, cassava 49,700, pulses 8,760, taro 8,300, corn (maize) 3,700, cloves 2,000, vanilla 150, ylang-ylang essence 40, other export crops grown in small quantities include coffee, cinnamon, and tuberoses; livestock (number of live animals{3}) 128,000 goats, 50,000 cattle, 14,500 sheep; roundwood, n.a.; fish catch (1995) 13,200. Mining and quarrying: sand, gravel, and crushed stone from coral mining for local construction. Manufacturing: products of small-scale industries include processed vanilla and ylang-ylang, cement, handicrafts, soaps, soft drinks, woodwork, and clothing. Construction: n.a. Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 1996) 30,900,000 ( 17,742,000); coal, none (none); crude petroleum, none (none); petroleum products (metric tons; 1994) none (22,000); natural gas, none (none). Population economically active (1991): total 215,000; activity rate of total population 44.4% (participation rates: ages 10 years and over, 57.8%; female 40.0%; unemployed 20%). Tourism (1996): receipts from visitors U.S.$20,300,000; expenditures by nationals abroad U.S.$5,100,000. Public debt (external, outstanding; 1996): U.S.$192,900,000. Household income and expenditure. Average household size (1985) 5.6; income per household: n.a.; sources of income: n.a.; expenditure (1993){5}: food and beverages 67.3%, clothing and footwear 11.6%, tobacco and cigarettes 4.1%, energy 3.8%, health care 3.2%, household furnishings 3.0%, other 7.0%. Gross national product (at current market prices; 1996): U.S.$228,000,000 (U.S.$450 per capita). Land use (1994){3}: forested 17.9%; meadows and pastures 6.7%; agricultural and under permanent cultivation 44.9%; other 30.5%. Foreign trade{6} Imports (1996): CF 24,659,000,000 (rice 13.5%, petroleum products 13.5%, vehicles 7.6%, meat and fish 6.0%, iron and steel 3.7%, other 40.4%). Major import sources: France 39.4%; Pakistan 7.7%; South Africa 6.6%; United Arab Emirates 6.3%. Exports (1996): CF 2,436,000,000 (vanilla 42.5%, ylang-ylang 26.5%, cloves 8.6%). Major export destinations: France 48.9%; Germany 13.6%; United States 11.8%; Runion and Madagascar 11.8%. Transport Transport. Railroads: none. Roads (1995): total length 544 mi, 875 km (paved 76%). Vehicles (1995): passenger cars 7,080; trucks and buses 4,870. Merchant marine (1992): vessels (100 gross tons and over) 6; total deadweight tonnage 3,579. Air transport (1994): passenger-mi 1,900,000, passenger-km 3,000,000; short ton-mi cargo, n.a., metric ton-mi cargo, n.a.; airports (1997) with scheduled flights 2. Education and health Educational attainment (1980). Percentage of population age 25 and over having: no formal schooling 56.7%; Qur'anic school education 8.3%; primary 3.6%; secondary 2.0%; higher 0.2%; not specified 29.2%. Literacy (1995){3}: total population age 15 and over literate 192,000 (57.0%); males literate 108,000 (64.0%); females literate 84,000 (50.0%). Health: physicians (1993) 77{7} (1 per 6,600{7} persons); hospital beds (1990) 649 (1 per 715 persons); infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births (1996) 75.3. Food (1995): daily per capita caloric intake 1,850 (vegetable products 94%, animal products 6%); 79% of FAO recommended minimum requirement. Military Total active duty personnel (1995): 800{8}. Military expenditure as percentage of GNP: n.a. {1} Excludes Mayotte, a collectivit territoriale (territorial collectivity) of France, unless otherwise indicated. {2} From Sept. 13, 1997. {3} Includes Mayotte. {4} In the early 1990s, 20% of adult men had more than one wife. {5} Weights of consumer price index components for Moroni. {6} Imports are f.o.b. in balance of trade and c.i.f. in commodities and trading partners. {7} Estimated figure. {8} Permanent presence of French military personnel in the Comoros to be expected per agreement ratified in December 1996.