Comoros

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At 1,659 square kilometres (641 sq mi), the Comoros is the third-smallest African country by area after São Tomé and Príncipe and Seychelles. Although its population was estimated in 2026 to only number 944,388, the Comoros ranks as one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The sovereign state consists of three major islands, namely Grande Comore, Anjouan, and Mohéli, and numerous smaller islands, all of the volcanic Comoro Islands with the exception of Mayotte.

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Etymology

The name "Comoros" derives from the Arabic Jazr al-Qumr (Arabic: جزر القمر), "Islands of the Moon". Alfred Gevrey, a colonial judge who worked in Mayotte wrote in Essai sur les Comores (1870) proposing that Qumr may have referred to a general southern region where Arab sailors would have observed the bright Magellanic Clouds (as elaborated by Yaqut al-Hamawi from inquiries with Zanj peoples), later fixed to the entire Mozambique waters.

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History

According to mythology, a jinni dropped a jewel, which formed a great circular inferno. This became the Karthala volcano, which created the island of Ngazidja (Grande Comore). King Solomon is also said to have visited the island accompanied by his queen Bilqis.

The first attested human inhabitants of the Comoro Islands are now thought to have been Austronesian settlers travelling by boat from islands in Southeast Asia. These people arrived in the area no later than the eighth century AD, the date of the earliest known archaeological site, found on Mayotte, although settlement beginning in the first century has been postulated.

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Geography

The Comoros is formed by Ngazidja (Grande Comore), Mwali (Mohéli) and Ndzwani (Anjouan), three major islands in the Comoros Archipelago, as well as many minor islets. The islands are officially known by their Comorian-language names, though international sources still use their French names (given in parentheses above). The capital and largest city, Moroni, is located on Ngazidja and the most densely populated city is Anjouan. The archipelago is situated in the Indian Ocean, in the Mozambique Channel, between the African coast (nearest to Mozambique and Tanzania) and Madagascar, with no land borders.

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Government

Politics 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 multi-party system. The Constitution of the Union of the Comoros was ratified by referendum on 23 December 2001, and the islands' constitutions and executives were elected in the following months. It had previously been considered a military dictatorship, and the transfer of power from Azali Assoumani to Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi in May 2006 was a watershed moment as it was the first peaceful transfer in Comorian history.

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Economy

The level of poverty in the Comoros is high, but "judging by the international poverty threshold of $1.9 per person per day, only two out of every ten Comorians could be classified as poor, a rate that places the Comoros ahead of other low-income countries and 30 percentage points ahead of other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa." Poverty declined by about 10% between 2014 and 2018, and living conditions generally improved. Economic inequality was historically higher in the country relative to other lower-middle income African countries, though it has declined significantly in recent years.

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Demographics

With about 940,000 residents, the Comoros is one of the least populous countries in the world, but its population density is high, with an average of 457 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,180/sq mi). In 2001, 34% of the population was considered urban, but the urban population has since grown; in recent years rural population growth has been negative, while overall population growth is still relatively high. In 1958 the population was 183,133.

In 2009, almost half the population of the Comoros was under the age of 15. Major urban centres include Moroni, Mitsamihuli, Foumbouni, Mutsamudu, Domoni, and Fomboni. There are between 200,000 and 350,000 Comorians in France.

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Education

Almost all children attend Quran religious schools, usually before, although increasingly in tandem with regular schooling. Children are taught about the Qur'an, and memorise it, and learn the Arabic script.

Most parents prefer their children to attend Koran religious schools before moving on to the French- English based schooling system. Although the state sector is plagued by a lack of resources, and the teachers by unpaid salaries, there are numerous private and community schools of relatively good standard.

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Culture

Traditionally, women on Ndzwani wear red and white patterned garments called shiromani, while on Ngazidja and Mwali colourful shawls called leso are worn. Many women apply a paste of ground sandalwood and coral called msindzano to their faces. Traditional male clothing is a long white shirt known as a nkandu, and a bonnet called a kofia.

There are two types of marriages in Comoros, the little marriage (known as Mna daho on Ngazidja) and the customary marriage (known as ada on Ngazidja, harusi on the other islands). The little marriage is a simple legal marriage.

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