Comoros
Name
| Official name | Union of the Comoros — Udzima wa Komori; Union des Comores; al-Ittiḥād al-Qumurī (الاتحاد القمري) |
|---|---|
| Former names | State of the Comoros (1975–1978); Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros (1978–2001) |
| Demonym | Comorian |
| Meaning of the name | From the Arabic qamar, "moon" — Jazā'ir al-Qamar, the islands of the moon |
| Motto | "Unité – Solidarité – Développement" — unity, solidarity, development |
Quick facts
| Capital | Moroni, on Grande Comore — the capital since 1962; about 60,000 |
|---|---|
| Island capitals | Mutsamudu, Anjouan; Fomboni, Mohéli; Mamoudzou on Mayotte under France |
| Official languages | Comorian — Shikomori, a Swahili language — Arabic and French |
| Currency | Comorian franc — ISO code KMF, CF; fixed at 491.96775 to the euro |
| Time zone | East Africa Time, UTC+3, all year |
| Calling code | +269 |
| Internet domain | .km |
| ISO 3166 codes | KM · COM · 174 |
| Vehicle registration code | COM |
| Driving side | Right |
| Electricity | 220 V, 50 Hz; plug types C and E |
| Independence | 6 July 1975, declared unilaterally from France — without Mayotte |
| National days | 6 July, Independence Day; 12 November, Maore Day, for the claim to Mayotte; the Islamic festivals |
| Constitution | 23 December 2001 — the Fomboni accord — as revised by the referendum of 30 July 2018: the presidency no longer rotates among the islands; two five-year terms |
| Population | 758,316 at the census of 2017; about 870,000 (UN and CIA World Factbook, 2025 est.) |
| Area | 1,861 km² (719 sq mi) — the three islands governed: Grande Comore 1,025 km², Anjouan 424 km², Mohéli 211 km²; 2,235 km² with Mayotte, claimed |
Flag & national symbols
| National flag | Four horizontal bands of yellow, white, red and blue — one for each island of the archipelago, Mayotte included — with a green triangle at the hoist bearing a white crescent and four stars, for Islam and the four islands; adopted 7 January 2002 with the Union.Flag of the Comoros |
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| National seal | A crescent holding four stars within a sun, ringed by the country's name in French and Arabic and by olive branches, over the motto — the seal of the Union |
| National anthem | "Udzima wa ya Masiwa" ("The Union of the Great Islands") — words by Said Hachim Sidi Abderemane, music by Said Hachim Sidi Abderemane and Kamildine Abdallah; adopted 1978 |
| National motto | "Unité – Solidarité – Développement" |
| National colors | Green and white; the four island colors — yellow, white, red, blue |
| National flower | Ylang-ylang — Cananga odorata — the flower of the perfume trade; widely cited |
| National animal | None designated — the coelacanth of the Comorian deep, the Livingstone's fruit bat and the mongoose lemur of Mohéli widely cited |
| National dish | Langouste à la vanille — lobster in vanilla sauce; pilao; mataba, cassava leaves in coconut milk; widely cited |
| Symbol status | The flag, seal and anthem are fixed by the Constitution; the flower, animals and dishes are widely cited, none designated |
Geography
| Location | The northern mouth of the Mozambique Channel, between Mozambique and Madagascar — four volcanic islands, three governed and one claimed |
|---|---|
| The islands | Grande Comore — Ngazidja — the largest and youngest, with the volcano; Anjouan — Ndzuani — the most crowded; Mohéli — Mwali — the smallest and greenest; Mayotte — Maore — the oldest, under France since 1841 |
| Land borders | None |
| Coastline | 340 km (211 mi) |
| Highest point | Mount Karthala, 2,361 m (7,746 ft), on Grande Comore — an active shield volcano with one of the largest calderas of any active volcano, about 3 by 4 km; eruptions in 2005, 2006 and 2007 |
| Lowest point | The Indian Ocean, 0 m |
| Rivers and water | Grande Comore has no rivers — its porous lava drinks the rain, and the island lives on cisterns and desalination; Anjouan and Mohéli have streams and waterfalls |
| Terrain | Volcanic — the lava fields and forests of Karthala; the steep ridges of Anjouan; the hills and lagoon of Mohéli; coral reefs and the marine park of Mohéli |
| Climate | Tropical marine — the hot rainy season from November to April, with cyclones; the cool dry season from May to October |
| Natural hazards | Cyclones — Kenneth in 2019, the first in decades; the volcano; the crossings to Mayotte |
| Natural resources | Fish; the agricultural land of ylang-ylang, vanilla and cloves; little else |
| Land use | Agricultural land about 71%; forest about 18%, shrinking |
| National parks | Mohéli National Park — the marine park of 2001, the first, with the green turtles of Itsamia and the dugongs; Karthala, Coelacanth and Mitsamiouli–Ndroudé parks since 2020 |
| UNESCO World Heritage | None inscribed — the historic sultanates of the Comoros and the Mohéli reserve on the tentative list |
| Administrative divisions | Three autonomous islands, each with a governor and council — Ngazidja, Ndzuani, Mwali — and 17 prefectures; the Union claims Mayotte as its fourth |
People
| Population | 758,316 (census of 2017); about 870,000 (2025 est.) |
|---|---|
| Population density | About 470 per km² (1,200 per sq mi) — among the highest in Africa; Anjouan above 700 |
| Population growth | About 2% a year |
| Median age | About 21 years |
| Life expectancy | About 66 years |
| Fertility rate | About 4 births per woman |
| Urban population | About 30% |
| Adult literacy | About 62% |
| Ethnic groups | Comorian — of African, Arab and Malagasy descent — about 97%; Makua, Malagasy, Arab and French minorities |
| Languages | Comorian by nearly all, in the dialect of each island; French in government and school; Arabic in the mosques and the Koranic schools |
| Religion | Sunni Islam about 98% — the state religion since 2018; a small Catholic minority |
| Human Development Index | 0.603 (2023 data, 2025 report) — medium; about 152nd of 193 |
| The Grand Marriage | The anda, the ceremonial wedding of Grande Comore that costs a fortune and confers rank — the notables of the islands |
| Sport | Football — the Coelacanths, at their first Africa Cup of Nations in 2021 and into the round of 16 |
| Diaspora | Some 300,000 in France — Marseille the largest Comorian city after Moroni — and on Mayotte, Réunion and Madagascar |
Government
| Form of government | Federal presidential republic under the Constitution of 2001 as revised in 2018 — the president head of state and of government, with no prime minister; three autonomous islands |
|---|---|
| President | Azali Assoumani (Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros), since 26 May 2016 — the seventh; a colonel who took power in the coup of 30 April 1999 and served as elected president 2002–2006; chairperson of the African Union 2023–2024; born 1 January 1959 |
| The 2024 election | Held 14 January 2024: officials first announced Azali re-elected with 63% on a turnout of 16%; the Supreme Court's revised count gave him 57.02% on a turnout of 56.44%, with Salim Issa Abdillah 11.07%, Mohamed Daoudou 10.23%, Bourhane Hamidou and Mouigni Baraka about 10% each; the opposition rejected the result, and protests in Moroni left one dead |
| The succession | On 7 August 2024 the president gave his son, Nour El Fath Azali, sweeping powers over the coordination of government; on 13 September 2024 the president was stabbed and slightly injured at a funeral in Salimani by a soldier found dead in his cell the next day |
| Vice presidents | One from each island by the constitution of 2001 — three since 2016 |
| Parliament | The Assembly of the Union — 33 members: 24 elected, 9 from the island councils; the CRC won 31 of 33 in the election of January and February 2025; Moustadroine Abdou speaker since 4 April 2025 |
| The next election | The presidential election due in 2029 — Azali's second and last term under the 2018 limit |
| Legal system | A mix of French civil law, Islamic law and customary law; the Supreme Court |
| The islands | Each with an elected governor — the autonomy fought for by Anjouan's secession of 1997–2001 and reduced by the constitution of 2018 |
| Mayotte | Claimed by the Union since 1975 — the island voted to stay French in 1974 and 1976 and became a French department on 31 March 2011; the UN General Assembly backed the Comorian claim in resolutions through 1994; thousands of Comorians have drowned crossing the 70 km strait in kwassa-kwassa boats; Cyclone Chido devastated the island on 14 December 2024; in August 2026 France tied its aid to cooperation on migration |
| United Nations | Member since 12 November 1975 |
| Regional memberships | The African Union; the Arab League (1993); the Indian Ocean Commission; the Southern African Development Community (2017); COMESA; the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation; the Francophonie; the WTO since 20 August 2024, the 165th member |
Economy
| GDP (nominal) | About US$1.5 billion (2025, IMF) |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita | About US$1,700 (2025) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | About US$4,000 (2025) |
| GDP growth | 3.8% in 2025 (World Bank), up from 3.3% in 2024 — the strongest since the pandemic |
| Economy by sector | Agriculture about 35%, services about 50%, industry about 12% — subsistence farming and fishing employing most |
| Currency | Comorian franc (KMF), fixed to the euro |
| The perfume islands | Ylang-ylang — the largest producer in the world, most of it distilled for the perfume houses of Grasse; vanilla, the second export; cloves |
| Remittances | From the diaspora in France — about a fifth of GDP, 20.8% in 2023, among the highest shares in the world; the World Bank's 2026 update "Making Remittances Work" |
| Fishing | Tuna and the reef; the coelacanth caught by chance in the deep off Grande Comore |
| Trade | France, the United Arab Emirates, India, Pakistan and China the partners; imports of rice, fuel and vehicles far above exports |
| Aid | France, the European Union, the World Bank, the Gulf states and China |
| Income classification | Lower-middle income (World Bank); a least developed country |
Transport & infrastructure
| Main airport | Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport at Hahaya, Grande Comore; Ouani on Anjouan; Bandar es Salam on Mohéli |
|---|---|
| Airlines | AB Aviation and other small carriers between the islands; Ethiopian, Kenya Airways and Air Austral to the world |
| Main port | Moroni; Mutsamudu, the deep-water port, on Anjouan |
| Railways | None |
| Roads | About 880 km (550 mi), mostly paved; the coast road around Grande Comore |
| Ferries | Boats between the islands, and the illegal kwassa-kwassa crossings to Mayotte |
History in dates
| 6th century | The first settlers from Africa |
|---|---|
| c. 1500 | The Shirazi sultanates — Arab and Swahili trading towns on every island |
| 1841 | France buys Mayotte from its sultan, 25 April |
| 1886 | The French protectorate over the other three islands |
| 1912 | The islands a French colony, attached to Madagascar |
| 1946 | A French overseas territory |
| 1974 | The referendum of 22 December — 95% for independence, Mayotte 63% against |
| 1975 | Independence declared unilaterally, 6 July — Ahmed Abdallah; overthrown 3 August by Ali Soilih with the mercenary Bob Denard |
| 1978 | Denard overthrows Soilih and restores Abdallah, 13 May |
| 1989 | Abdallah assassinated, 26 November — Denard again |
| 1995 | Denard's last coup, 28 September; removed by French troops |
| 1997 | Anjouan and Mohéli secede, August |
| 1999 | Azali Assoumani's coup, 30 April |
| 2001 | The Fomboni accord and the Union, 23 December |
| 2008 | The African Union retakes Anjouan from Mohamed Bacar, 25 March |
| 2011 | Mayotte becomes a French department, 31 March |
| 2018 | The referendum ending the rotating presidency, 30 July |
| 2024 | Azali re-elected, 14 January; stabbed, 13 September; Chido strikes Mayotte, 14 December |
| 2025 | The CRC takes 31 of 33 seats, January–February |
Records & firsts
| The coup islands | Some twenty coups and attempts since 1975 — four of them by Bob Denard |
|---|---|
| The perfume capital | The largest producer of ylang-ylang in the world |
| The living fossil | The coelacanth — thought extinct for 66 million years until 1938, at home in the Comorian deep |
| Karthala | One of the largest calderas of any active volcano |
| An island without rivers | Grande Comore, whose lava swallows the rain |
| In both leagues | A member of the Arab League and the Southern African Development Community — the only state in both |
| The moon islands | Jazā'ir al-Qamar, from the Arab sailors |
| The youngest WTO member | The 165th, 2024 |
| Marseille | More Comorians than any city but Moroni |
| The Grand Marriage | A wedding that can cost a decade's earnings |
Frequently asked questions
What is the official name of the Comoros?
The Union of the Comoros — Udzima wa Komori in Comorian, Union des Comores in French, al-Ittiḥād al-Qumurī in Arabic — since the constitution of 2001; the Federal Islamic Republic from 1978 and the State of the Comoros at independence in 1975. The name comes from the Arabic qamar, "moon" — Jazā'ir al-Qamar, the islands of the moon — the name Arab sailors gave the archipelago.
What is the capital of the Comoros?
Moroni, on the west coast of Grande Comore below the Karthala volcano — the capital since 1962 and of the independent state since 1975, with about 60,000 people, among the smallest capitals in Africa. Mutsamudu on Anjouan and Fomboni on Mohéli are the other island capitals; the Union claims a fourth island, Mayotte, which France governs from Mamoudzou.
How big are the Comoros, and how many people live there?
The three islands the Union governs — Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli — cover 1,861 km² (719 sq mi), a little larger than Rhode Island's land; with Mayotte, which the Union claims and France holds, the archipelago is 2,235 km². The census of 2017 counted 758,316 people; the UN and the CIA World Factbook estimate about 870,000 for 2025, with more Comorians in France than on any one island. The islands are among the most densely peopled in Africa, above 450 per square kilometer.
What are the highest and lowest points of the Comoros?
Mount Karthala, 2,361 m (7,746 ft), the active shield volcano that makes up the southern two-thirds of Grande Comore — its summit caldera, about 3 by 4 km, is among the largest of any active volcano; it erupted in 2005, 2006 and 2007 — and the Indian Ocean. Anjouan rises to 1,595 m at Mount Ntingui and Mohéli to 790 m.
What currency do the Comoros use?
The Comorian franc (ISO code KMF, CF), issued by the Central Bank of the Comoros and fixed at 491.96775 to the euro since 1999 under a guarantee from France — the only currency besides the two CFA francs pegged that way. Clocks keep East Africa Time, UTC+3, all year.
Who governs the Comoros?
President Azali Assoumani, a former army colonel in office since 26 May 2016 — and before that from the coup of 1999 to 2006 — re-elected on 14 January 2024 with 57.02 percent of the vote by the Supreme Court's revised count, after electoral officials had first announced 63 percent, on a turnout the opposition disputed; days of protest followed. His second term under the constitution of 2018 runs to 2029, when he may not stand again. In August 2024 he gave broad powers over the government to his son, Nour El Fath Azali, widely seen as his intended successor; his party won 31 of the 33 seats of the Assembly in the election of January 2025. The Union has no prime minister; the president heads the government.
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