Comoros - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Comoros. Important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel; the only Arab League country that lies entirely in the Southern Hemisphere. Mother's mean age at first birth is 23 years (2012 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 217 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Comoros
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
Tarrain volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills
Natural Resources fish
Natural Hazards

cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); volcanic activity on Grand Comore

volcanism: Karthala (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

Irrigated Land 1.3 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 0 km
Border Countries
Coastline 340 km
Climate tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)
Area
Total Area
Land Area 2,235 sq km
Water Area 0 sq km
comparative Area slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Elevations
Highest point Karthala 2,360 m
Lowest point Indian Ocean 0 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 84.4% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 46.7% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 29.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 8.1% (2018 est.)
Forest 1.4% (2018 est.)
Other 14.2% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

The capital city of Maroni, located on the western side of the island of Grande Comore, is the country's largest city; however, of the three islands that comprise Comoros, it is Anjouan that is the most densely populated as shown in this population distribution map

People and Society

In Comoros, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava

Population
Pop growth rate 1.3% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 21.6 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 6.4 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 5.4% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density
Total fertility rate 2.61 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 1.28 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 19.4% (2012)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 61.2% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 2.6% of GDP (2015 est.)
Net Migration rate -2.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Comoran | Comoran(s)
Languages Arabic (official), French (official), Shikomoro (official; similar to Swahili), Comorian
Religions Muslim 98.1% (overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim, small Shia Muslim and Ahmadiyya Muslim populations), ethnic religionist 1.1%, Christian 0.6%, other 0.3% (2020 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 32.6% (male 146,480/female 146,626)
15-64 years 62.8% (male 271,139/female 294,231)
65 years and over 4.6% (2024 est.) (male 18,139/female 23,526)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 74.1
Youth dependency ratio 66.6
Elderly dependency ratio 7.5
Potential support ratio 13.3 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 22.7 years (2024 est.)
Male 22.1 years
Female 23.3 years
Urbanization
Urban population 30.1% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 2.97% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 62,000 MORONI (capital) (2018).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.77 male(s)/female
Total population 0.94 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 54.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 64.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 44.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 67.8 years (2024 est.)
Male 65.5 years
Female 70.2 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 97.4% of population
Improved: rural rural: 88.5% of population
Improved: total total: 91% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 2.6% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 11.5% of population
Unimproved: total total: 8.9% of population (2017 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 62.4% of population
Improved: rural rural: 43.6% of population
Improved: total total: 49% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 37.6% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 56.4% of population
Unimproved: total total: 51% of population (2017 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 0.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.07 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.07 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 20.3% (2020 est.)
Male 29.5% (2020 est.)
Female 11.1% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile

Comoros’ population is a melange of Arabs, Persians, Indonesians, Africans, and Indians, and the much smaller number of Europeans that settled on the islands between the 8th and 19th centuries, when they served as a regional trade hub. The Arab and Persian influence is most evident in the islands’ overwhelmingly Muslim majority – about 98% of Comorans are Sunni Muslims. The country is densely populated, averaging nearly 350 people per square mile, although this varies widely among the islands, with Anjouan being the most densely populated.

Given the large share of land dedicated to agriculture and Comoros’ growing population, habitable land is becoming increasingly crowded. The combination of increasing population pressure on limited land and resources, widespread poverty, and poor job prospects motivates thousands of Comorans each year to attempt to illegally migrate using small fishing boats to the neighboring island of Mayotte, which is a French territory. The majority of legal Comoran migration to France came after Comoros’ independence from France in 1975, with the flow peaking in the mid-1980s.

At least 150,000 to 200,000 people of Comoran citizenship or descent live abroad, mainly in France, where they have gone seeking a better quality of life, job opportunities, higher education (Comoros has no universities), advanced health care, and to finance elaborate traditional wedding ceremonies (aada). Remittances from the diaspora are an economic mainstay, in 2013 representing approximately 25% of Comoros’ GDP and significantly more than the value of its exports of goods and services (only 15% of GDP). Grand Comore, Comoros’ most populous island, is both the primary source of emigrants and the main recipient of remittances. Most remittances are spent on private consumption, but this often goes toward luxury goods and the aada and does not contribute to economic development or poverty reduction. Although the majority of the diaspora is now French-born with more distant ties to Comoros, it is unclear whether they will sustain the current level of remittances.

All Important Facts about Comoros

Want to know more about Comoros? Check all different factbooks for Comoros below.

Comoros is found in Eastern Africa