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Comoros Facts and Figures from Encarta Go to article
Basic Facts
Official name Union of Comoros
Capital Moroni
Area 1,862 sq km
719 sq mi
Comoros: Flag and Anthem
Comoros: Flag and Anthem
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People
Population 731,775 (2008 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 2.80 percent (2008 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 1,128,278 (2025 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 1,837,671 (2050 estimate)
Population density 337 persons per sq km (2008 estimate)
873 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 36 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 64 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Moroni 53,000 (2003 estimate)
Mutsamudu 30,900 (2003 estimate)
Fomboni 13,300 (2003 estimate)
Ethnic groups
Mixed African, Arab, and Malagasy descent
Languages
Arabic (official), French (official), Shimasiwa (a blend of Swahili and Arabic)
Religious affiliations
Muslim (largely Sunni) 98 percent
Roman Catholic 1 percent
Other 1 percent
Health and Education
Life expectancy
Total 63.1 years (2008 estimate)
Female 65.5 years (2008 estimate)
Male 60.7 years (2008 estimate)
Infant mortality rate 69 deaths per 1,000 live births (2008 estimate)
Population per physician 6,870 people (2004)
Population per hospital bed 455 people (2006)
Literacy rate
Total 56.8 percent (2005 estimate)
Female 49.7 percent (2005 estimate)
Male 63.9 percent (2005 estimate)
Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP) 3.9 percent (2002-2003)
Number of years of compulsory schooling 8 years (2002-2003)
Number of students per teacher, primary school 37 students per teacher (2002-2003)
Government
Form of government Republic
Voting qualifications Universal at age 18
Constitution New constitution came into force 23 December 2001
Armed forces
Total number of military personnel Not available
Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) Not available
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $403 million (2006)
GDP per capita (U.S.$) $657.10 (2006)
GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 45.2 percent (2006)
Industry 11.8 percent (2006)
Services 38 percent (2005)
Employment
Number of workers 258,718 (2006)
Workforce share of economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 77 percent (1990)
Industry 9 percent (1990)
Services 13 percent (1990)
Unemployment rate Not available
National budget (U.S.$)
Total revenue $83 million (1992 estimate)
Total expenditure $92 million (1992 estimate)
Monetary unit
1 Comorian franc (CF), consisting of 100 centimes
Major trade partners for exports
United States, France, Singapore, United Kingdom, and Germany
Major trade partners for imports
France, South Africa, Japan, United Arab Emirates, and Kenya
Energy, Communications, and Transportation
Electricity production
Electricity from thermal sources 88.89 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from hydroelectric sources 11.11 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from nuclear sources 0 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources 0 percent (2003 estimate)
Number of radios per 1,000 people 141 (1997)
Number of telephones per 1,000 people 28 (2005)
Number of televisions per 1,000 people 4.9 (1998 estimate)
Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people 0.14 (2003)
Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people Not available
Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people 28 (1997)
Paved road as a share of total roads 77 percent (1999)
Sources
Basic Facts and People sections
Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).
Health and Education section
Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).
Government section
Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data is from Military Balance.
Economy section
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.
Energy, Communication, and Transportation section
Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).
Note
Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
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