Comoros

Country name	Union of the Comoros
Capital	Moroni
Population	737,284 (July 2012 est.)
Sex ratio	1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2011 est.)
Nationality	Comoran
National holiday	Independence Day, 6 July (1975)
Religions	Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2%
Languages	Arabic (official), French (official), Shikomoro (a blend of Swahili and Arabic)
Literacy	Age 15 and over can read and write total population: 74.9% male: 80.2% female: 69.7% (2010 est.)
Independence	6 July 1975 (from France)
Location	Southern Africa, group of islands at the northern mouth of the Mozambique Channel, about two-thirds of the way between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique
Geographic coordinates	12 10 S, 44 15 E
Map references	Africa
Area	total: 2,235 sq km land: 2,235 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries	0 km
Coastline	340 km
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate	tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)
Terrain	volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Karthala 2,360 m
Natural resources	NEGL
Exports - commodities	vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), cloves, copra
Imports - commodities	Rice and other foodstuffs, consumer goods, petroleum products, cement, transport equipment
Land use	arable land: 35.87% permanent crops: 23.32% other: 40.81% (2005)
Irrigated land	NA
Total renewable water resources	1.2 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	total: 0.01 cu km/yr (48%/5%/47%) per capita: 13 cu m/yr (1999)
Natural hazards	cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); volcanic activity on Grand Comore volcanism: Karthala (elev. 2,361 m) on Grand Comore Island last erupted in 2007; a 2005 eruption forced thousands of people to be evacuated and produced a large ash cloud
Environment - current issues	soil degradation and erosion results from crop cultivation on slopes without proper terracing; deforestation
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note	important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel