Union des Comores (French)

Political Status: Former French dependency; proclaimed independent July 6, 1975; Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros proclaimed in constitution approved by national referendum on October 1, 1978; constitution of October 20, 1996, suspended following military coup of April 30, 1999; new constitution providing for the Union of the Comoros adopted by national referendum on December 23, 2001.

Area: 718 sq. mi. (1,860 sq. km.), excluding the island of Mahoré (Mayotte), which voted in 1976 to retain its affiliation with France as a “Territorial Collectivity” and is now classified as a French “Overseas Collectivity.”

Population: 446,817 (1991C), excluding residents of Mahoré; 846,000 (2006E), excluding Mahoré.

Major Urban Centers (2005E): MORONI (Ngazidja [Grande Comore], 43,000), Mutsamudu (Nzwani [Anjouan], 24,000), Fomboni (Mwali [Mohéli], 13,000).

Official Languages: ...