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Comoros

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: African Countries

                 Union des Comores
   Udzima wa Komori
   اتحاد القمر‎
   Union of the Comoros

   Flag of Comoros Coat of arms of Comoros
   Flag            Coat of arms
   Motto: Unité - Justice - Progrès  (French)
   "Unity - Justice - Progress"
   Anthem: Udzima wa ya Masiwa  ( Comorian)
   "The Union of the Great Islands"
   Location of Comoros
        Capital       Moroni
                      11°41′S 43°16′E
      Largest city    Moroni
   Official languages Comorian, Arabic, French
   Government         Federal Republic
    - President       Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi
      Independence    from France
    - Date            July 6, 1975
                        Area
    - Total           2,170 km² ( 178th)
                      838 sq mi
    - Water (%)       negligible
                     Population
    - 2005 estimate   798,000 ( 159th)
    - Density         275/km² ( 25th)
                      712/sq mi
       GDP ( PPP)     2004 estimate
    - Total           $1.049 million ( 171st)
    - Per capita      $1,660 ( 156th)
      HDI  (2003)     0.547 (medium) ( 132nd)
        Currency      Comorian franc ( KMF)
       Time zone      EAT ( UTC+3)
    - Summer ( DST)   not observed ( UTC+3)
      Internet TLD    .km
      Calling code    +269

   The Comoros ( IPA: [kəˡmɔːɹəʊz]), officially the Union of the Comoros
   (French: 'Union des Comores', [ynjɔ̃ de kɔmɔʀ]; Arabic: اتحاد القمر‎,
   [ʔitːiˡħæːd ælˈqɒmær], and until 2002 the Islamic Federal Republic of
   the Comoros), is a country in the Indian Ocean, situated at the
   northern end of the Mozambique Channel between northern Madagascar and
   northern Mozambique.

   The country consists of three of the four main islands in the volcanic
   Comoros archipelago: Grande Comore, Mohéli and Anjouan. The fourth
   island in the island group, Mayotte, is not part of the country.
   Mayotte has voted against independence from France, but is claimed by
   Comoros. The country's territory also encompasses many smaller islands.
   Its name derives from the Arabic word qamar ("moon"), as seen depicted
   on its flag.

   Wikimedia Atlas of Comoros .

History

   Over the centuries, the islands of Comoros were populated by a
   succession of diverse groups from the coast of Africa, the Persian
   Gulf, Indonesia, and Madagascar. Portuguese explorers visited the
   archipelago in 1505.

   Between 1841 and 1912, France established colonial rule and placed the
   islands under the administration of the governor general of Madagascar.
   Later, French settlers, French-owned companies, and wealthy Arab
   merchants established a plantation-based economy that now uses about
   one-third of the land for export crops. Agreement was reached with
   France in 1973 for Comoros to become independent in 1978. On July 6,
   1975, however, the Comorian parliament passed a resolution declaring
   independence. The deputies of Mayotte, which stayed under French
   control, abstained. Ahmed Abdallah became the first president and
   proclaimed the Comoros' independence on September 5, 1975.

   The next thirty years were a period of political turmoil. It began in
   1975 when a mercenary named Bob Denard under orders from Jacques
   Foccart forcibly ousted president Ahmed Abdallah from office and
   replaced him with Ali Soilih. Around that time, in two referendums —
   December 1974 and February 1976 — the population of Mayotte voted
   against independence from France (by 63.8% and 99.4% respectively). The
   three independent islands, ruled by President Solih, instituted a
   number of socialist and isolationist policies that soon strained
   relations with France. On May 13, 1978 Bob Denard returned and
   overthrew President Solih by force and re-instated Abdallah. Unlike
   Abdallah, Soilih was killed after being forced from office. Abdallah
   continued as president until 1989 when, fearing a probable coup d'état,
   he signed a decree ordering the Presidential Guard, led by Bob Denard,
   to disarm the armed forces. Shortly after the signing of the decree, a
   military officer allegedly entered president Abdallah's office and
   fatally shot him, injuring Denard at the same time. A few days later,
   Bob Denard was evacuated to South Africa by French paratroopers. Said
   Mohamed Djohar, Soilih's older half-brother, then became president and
   served until September 1995 when Bob Denard returned and attempted
   another coup. France intervened with paratroopers and forced Denard to
   surrender. The French moved Djohar to Reunion and the Paris-backed
   Mohamed Taki Abdulkarim became president by election. He led the
   country from 1996 until he died in November 1998. Colonel Azali seized
   power in a bloodless coup in April 1999, overthrowing the Interim
   President Tadjiddine Ben Said Massounde.

   The islands of Anjouan and Mohéli declared their independence from
   Comoros in 1997. A subsequent attempt by Azali to consolidate power and
   reestablish control over these islands was the subject of international
   criticism, and the African Union, under the auspices of President Mbeki
   of South Africa, intervened to help broker negotiations and effect a
   reconciliation. This involved a system of governmental autonomy for
   each island, plus a Union government for the three islands. Azali
   stepped down in 2002 to run in the democratic election of the President
   of the Comoro Union, which he won. Under ongoing international
   pressure, as a military ruler who had originally come to power by force
   and was not always democratic while in office, Azali led the Union
   through constitutional changes that enabled new elections. A "Loi des
   compétences" (a law that defines the responsibilities of each
   governmental body) was passed in early 2005 and is in the process of
   implementation. The elections in 2006 were won by Ahmed Abdallah Sambi,
   a Sunni Muslim Cleric nick-named the "Ayatollah" for his time spent
   studying Islam in Iran. Azali honored the election results, thus
   allowing the first-ever peaceful and democratic exchange of power in
   the archipelagos' recent and turbulent history.

Geography

   Map of Comoros
   Map of Comoros

   Comoros is formed by three of the four main islands in the Comoros
   Archipelago; the fourth is the French territory of Mayotte. The
   archipelago is situated in the Indian Ocean, between the African coast
   and Madagascar. The interior of the volcanic islands varies from steep
   mountains to low hills. Le Karthala (2,361  m or 7748  ft) on Grand
   Comore is an active volcano.

     * Islands of Comoros

Government

   Politics of the Union of the Comoros takes place in a framework of a
   federal presidential republic, whereby the President of the Comoros is
   both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform
   multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government.
   Federal legislative power is vested in both the government and
   parliament.

   Legal system

   The Comorian legal system rests on Islamic law and an inherited French
   ( Napoleonic code) legal code. Village elders or civilian courts settle
   most disputes. The judiciary is independent of the legislative and the
   executive. The Supreme Court acts as a Constitutional Council in
   resolving constitutional questions and supervising presidential
   elections. As High Court of Justice, the Supreme Court also arbitrates
   in cases where the government is accused of malpractice. The Supreme
   Court consists of two members selected by the president, two elected by
   the Federal Assembly, and one by the council of each island.

   Military

   The military resources of the Comoros consist of a small standing army
   and a 500-member police force, as well as a 500-member defense force. A
   defense treaty with France provides naval resources for protection of
   territorial waters, training of Comorian military personnel, and air
   surveillance. France maintains a small troop presence in Comoros at
   government request. France maintains a small maritime base and a
   Foreign Legion Detachment (DLEM) on Mayotte. See also Military of
   Comoros.

Foreign relations

   In November 1975, Comoros became the 143rd member of the United
   Nations. The new nation was defined as consisting of the entire
   archipelago, despite the fact that France maintains control over
   Mayotte.

   Comoros also is a member of the Organization of African Unity, the Arab
   League, the European Development Fund, the World Bank, the
   International Monetary Fund, the Indian Ocean Commission, and the
   African Development Bank.

   Disputes - international: claims French-administered Mayotte & the
   Glorioso Islands

   See also Foreign relations of Comoros.

Economy

   Comoros is one of the poorest countries in the world. Agriculture,
   including fishing, hunting, and forestry, is the leading sector of the
   economy.

   Comoros has inadequate transportation system, 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 contributes 40% to GDP, employs
   80% of the labor force, and provides most of the exports. Comoros is
   the World's largest producer of ylang-ylang, and a large producer of
   vanilla.

   The government is struggling to upgrade education and technical
   training, to privatize commercial and industrial enterprises, to
   improve health services, to diversify exports, to promote tourism, and
   to reduce the high population growth rate.

   The Comoros claims the Banc du Geyser and the Glorioso Islands as part
   of its exclusive economic zone.

Demographics

   The Comorians inhabiting Grande Comore, Anjouan, and Moheli (eighty-six
   percent of the population) share African-Arab origins. Islam is the
   dominant religion. Although Arab culture is firmly established
   throughout the archipelago, a substantial minority of the citizens of
   Mayotte (the Mahorais) are Roman Catholic and have been strongly
   influenced by French culture. There are also substantial Indian
   minority., as well as Creole-speaking minorities mostly descended from
   Reunionnaise. Chinese peoples are also present on Mayotte.

   The most common language is Comorian, a Swahili dialect. French, Arabic
   and Malagasy also are spoken. About fifty-seven percent of the
   population is literate in the Latin alphabet, more with the Arabic
   alphabet.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comoros"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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