Outline of Comoros

The Flag of the Comoros		The Coat of arms of the Comoros

The location of the Comoros

An enlargeable map of the Union of the Comoros

See also: Index of Comoros-related articles

The Union of the Comoros is a sovereign island nation located in the Indian Ocean off the eastern coast of Africa on the northern end of the Mozambique Channel between northern Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique.^[1] The nearest countries to the Comoros are Mozambique, Tanzania, Madagascar, and the Seychelles. At 2,235 km² (863 sq mi)^[2] the Comoros is the third smallest African nation by area; and with a population estimated at 798,000 it is the sixth smallest African nation by population (though it has one of the highest population densities in Africa), and is the southern most member state of the Arab League. Its name derives from the Arabic word qamar ("moon").^[3]

The country officially consists of the four islands in the volcanic Comoros archipelago: Ngazidja (French: Grande Comore), Mwali (French: Mohéli), Nzwani (French: Anjouan), and Mahoré (French: Mayotte), as well as many smaller islands.^[4][5] However, the government of the Union of the Comoros (or its predecessors since independence) has never administered the island of Mayotte, which France considers an overseas community and still administers. Since Mayotte was the only island in the archipelago that voted against independence from France, and France has vetoed United Nations Security Council resolutions that would affirm Comorian sovereignty over the island,^[6][7] control was never passed to the Comoros.

The country is notable for its diverse culture and history, as a nation formed at the crossroads of many civilizations. It has three official languages—Comorian (Shikomor), Arabic, and French, and it is the only state to be a member of each of the African Union, Francophonie, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Arab League, and Indian Ocean Commission, among other international organizations. However it has had a troubled history since independence in 1975, marked by an inordinate number of coups d'état.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Comoros:

General reference

An enlargeable basic map of the Comoros

• Pronunciation:
• Common English country name: The Comoros
• Official English country name: The Union of the Comoros
• Common endonym(s):
• Official endonym(s):
• Adjectival(s): Comorian
• Demonym(s):
• Etymology: Name of Comoros
• ISO country codes: KM, COM, 174
• ISO region codes: See ISO 3166-2:KM
• Internet country code top-level domain: .km

Geography of Comoros

Main article: Geography of Comoros

• Comoros is: a country
• Location:
  • Eastern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere
  • Africa (off its east coast)
    • East Africa
    • Southern Africa
  • Indian Ocean
  • Time zone: East Africa Time (UTC+03)
  • Extreme points of Comoros
    • High: Le Kartala 2,360 m (7,743 ft)
    • Low: Indian Ocean 0 m
  • Land boundaries: none
  • Coastline: 340 km
• Population of Comoros: 682,000 (July 2007) - 160th most populous country
• Area of Comoros: 2,235 km²
• Atlas of Comoros

Environment of Comoros

An enlargeable satellite image of the Comoros

Main article: Environment of Comoros

• Climate of Comoros
• Environmental issues in Comoros
• Ecoregions in Comoros
• Renewable energy in Comoros
• Geology of Comoros
• Protected areas of Comoros
  • Biosphere reserves in Comoros
  • National parks of Comoros
• Wildlife of Comoros
  • Flora of Comoros
  • Fauna of Comoros
    • Birds of Comoros
    • Mammals of Comoros

Natural geographic features of Comoros

Main article: Landforms of Comoros

• Glaciers in Comoros: none ^[8]
• Islands of Comoros
• Lakes of Comoros
• Mountains of Comoros
  • Volcanoes in Comoros
• Rivers of Comoros
  • Waterfalls of Comoros
• Valleys of Comoros
• World Heritage Sites in Comoros: None

Regions of Comoros

Main article: Regions of Comoros

Ecoregions of Comoros

Main article: Ecoregions in Comoros

Administrative divisions of Comoros

None

Municipalities of Comoros

• Capital of Comoros: Moroni
• Cities of Comoros

Demography of Comoros

Main article: Demographics of Comoros

Government and politics of Comoros

Main article: Government of Comoros and Politics of Comoros

• Form of government: federal presidential republic
• Capital of Comoros: Moroni

• Elections in Comoros
  • (specific elections)
• Political parties in Comoros
• Political scandals of Comoros
• Taxation in Comoros

Branches of government

Main article: Government of Comoros

Executive branch of the government of Comoros

• Head of state: President of Comoros
• Head of government: Prime Minister of Comoros
• Cabinet of Comoros

Legislative branch of the government of Comoros

• Parliament of Comoros (bicameral)
  • Upper house: Senate of Comoros
  • Lower house: House of Commons of Comoros

Judicial branch of the government of Comoros

Main article: Court system of Comoros

• Supreme Court of Comoros

Foreign relations of Comoros

Main article: Foreign relations of Comoros

• Diplomatic missions in Comoros
• Diplomatic missions of Comoros

International organization membership

The Union of the Comoros is a member of:^[1]

African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States (ACP) African Development Bank Group (AfDB) African Union (AU) Arab Monetary Fund (AMF) Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Conference des Ministres des Finances des Pays de la Zone Franc (FZ) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Group of 77 (G77) Indian Ocean Commission (InOC) International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) International Criminal Court (ICCt) International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) International Development Association (IDA) International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS) International Finance Corporation (IFC) International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) International Labour Organization (ILO) International Maritime Organization (IMO) International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO) International Monetary Fund (IMF) International Olympic Committee (IOC)

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRM) International Telecommunication Union (ITU) International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO) International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Islamic Development Bank (IDB) League of Arab States (LAS) Nonaligned Movement (NAM) Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) United Nations (UN) United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Universal Postal Union (UPU) World Customs Organization (WCO) World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) World Health Organization (WHO) World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) World Meteorological Organization (WMO) World Trade Organization (WTO) (observer)

Law and order in Comoros

Main article: Law of Comoros

• Capital punishment in Comoros
• Constitution of Comoros
• Crime in Comoros
• Human rights in Comoros
  • LGBT rights in Comoros
  • Freedom of religion in Comoros
• Law enforcement in Comoros

Military of Comoros

Main article: Military of Comoros

• Command
  • Commander-in-chief
    • Ministry of Defence of Comoros
• Forces
  • Army of Comoros
  • Navy of Comoros
  • Air Force of Comoros
  • Special forces of Comoros
• Military history of Comoros
• Military ranks of Comoros

Local government in Comoros

Main article: Local government in Comoros

History of Comoros

Main article: History of Comoros, Timeline of the history of Comoros, and Current events of Comoros

• Economic history of Comoros
• Military history of Comoros

Culture of Comoros

Main article: Culture of Comoros

• Architecture of Comoros
• Cuisine of Comoros
• Ethnic minorities in Comoros
• Festivals in Comoros
• Humor in Comoros
• Languages of Comoros
• Media in Comoros
• National symbols of Comoros
  • Coat of arms of Comoros
  • Flag of Comoros
  • National anthem of Comoros
• People of Comoros
• Prostitution in Comoros
• Public holidays in Comoros
• Records of Comoros
• Religion in Comoros
  • Christianity in Comoros
  • Islam in Comoros
  • Judaism in Comoros
• World Heritage Sites in Comoros: None

Art in Comoros

• Art in Comoros
• Cinema of Comoros
• Literature of Comoros
• Music of Comoros
• Television in Comoros
• Theatre in Comoros

Sports in Comoros

Main article: Sports in Comoros

• Football in Comoros
• Comoros at the Olympics

Economy and infrastructure of Comoros

Main article: Economy of Comoros

• Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 179th (one hundred and seventy ninth)

• Agriculture in Comoros
• Banking in Comoros
  • National Bank of Comoros
• Communications in Comoros
  • Internet in Comoros
• Companies of Comoros
• Currency of Comoros: Franc
  • ISO 4217: KMF
• Economic history of Comoros
• Energy in Comoros
  • Energy policy of Comoros
  • Oil industry in Comoros
• Health care in Comoros
• Mining in Comoros
• Comoros Stock Exchange
• Tourism in Comoros
• Transport in Comoros
  • Airports in Comoros
  • Rail transport in Comoros
  • Roads in Comoros
• Water supply and sanitation in Comoros

Education in Comoros

Main article: Education in Comoros

Health in Comoros

Main article: Health in Comoros

See also

Africa portal

Main article: Comoros

• All pages beginning with "Comoros"
• All pages with titles containing "Comoros"
• All pages beginning with "Comorian"
• All pages with titles containing "Comorian"
• Index of Comoros-related articles
• List of Comoros-related topics
• List of international rankings
• Member state of the United Nations
• Outline of Africa
• Outline of geography

Comorian language

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Comoros". The World Factbook. United States Central Intelligence Agency. July 13, 2009. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cn.html. Retrieved July 23, 2009. 
2. ^ "UN Demographic Yearbook" (PDF). http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/DYB2003/Table03.pdf. 
3. ^ "Comores Online.com - reference to the history of the name". http://www.comores-online.com/mwezinet/histoire/islandsofthemoon.htm. 
4. ^ The first UN General Assembly Resolution regarding the matter, "Question of the Comorian island of Mayotte (PDF)," United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/31/4, (21 October 1976) states "the occupation by France of the Comorian island of Mayotte constitutes a flagrant encroachment on the national unity of the Comorian State, a Member of the United Nations," rejecting the French-administered referendums and condemning French presence in Mayotte.
5. ^ As defined by the Organization of African Unity, the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the United Nations General Assembly: the most recent UN General Assembly Resolution regarding the matter, "Question of the Comorian island of Mayotte," United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/49/18, (6 December 1994) states "the results of the referendum of 22 December 1974 were to be considered on a global basis and not island by island,...Reaffirms the sovereignty of the Islamic Federal Republic of the Comoros over the island of Mayotte". Several resolutions expressing similar sentiments were passed between 1977 (31/4) and 1994 (49/18).
6. ^ "Subjects of UN Security Council Vetoes". Global Policy Forum. http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/membship/veto/vetosubj.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-27. 
7. ^ "Article 33" (PDF). UN Treaty. http://untreaty.un.org/cod/repertory/art33/english/rep_supp5_vol2-art33_e.pdf. 
8. ^ The only glaciers in Africa are on Mt Kenya (in Kenya), on Kilimanjaro (in Tanzania), and in the Ruwenzori Mountains (which are located in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo). See Proceedings of the Riederalp Workshop, September 1978; Actes de l'Atelier de Riederalp, septembre 1978): IAHS-AISH Publ. no. 126, 1980.

External links

Wikimedia Atlas of Comoros

• Official site of the President of Comoros
• Drs. Martin and Harriet Ottenheimer - Comoro Islands
• BBC News - Country Profile: Comores
• CIA World Factbook - Comoros
• US State Department - Comoros includes Background Notes, Country Study and major reports
• al-Bab - Comoros directory category
• Columbia University Libraries - Angola directory category of the WWW-VL
• Stanford University - Africa South of the Sahara: Comoros directory category
• The Index on Africa - Comoros directory category
• Outline of Comoros travel guide from Wikitravel