privatize commercial and industrial enterprises, to improve health services, to diversify exports, to promote tourism, and to reduce the high population growth rate. Continued foreign support is essential if the goal of 4% annual GDP growth is to be met. Remittances from 150,000 Comorans abroad help supplement GDP.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $419 million (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 0.5% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $720 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 40%
industry: 4%
services: 56% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.5% (1999)
Labor force: 144,500 (1996 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 80%
Unemployment rate: 20% (1996 est.)
Budget: revenues: $48 million
expenditures: $53 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997)
Industries: tourism, perfume distillation, textiles, furniture, jewelry, construction materials, soft drinks
Industrial production growth rate: −2% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 17 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 88.24%
hydro: 11.76%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 15.8 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: vanilla, cloves, perfume essences, copra, coconuts, bananas, cassava (tapioca)
Exports: $7.9 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Exports - commodities: vanilla, ylang-ylang, cloves, perfume oil, copra
Exports - partners: France 50%, Germany 25% (1998)
Imports: $55.1 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Imports - commodities: rice and other foodstuffs, consumer goods; petroleum products, cement, transport equipment
Imports - partners: France 38%, Pakistan 13%, South Africa 8%, Kenya 8% (1998)
Debt - external: $197 million (1997 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $28.1 million (1997)
Currency: Comoran franc (KMF)
Currency code: KMF
Exchange rates: Comoran francs per US dollar - 524.41 (January 2001), 533.98 (2000), 461.77 (1999), 442.46 (1998), 437.75 (1997), 383.66 (1996)
note: prior to January 1999, the official rate was pegged to the French franc at 75 Comoran francs per French franc; since 1 January 1999, the Comoran franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 491.9677 Comoran francs per euro
Fiscal year: calendar year
Comoros Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 6,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: sparse system of microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communication stations
domestic: HF radiotelephone communications and microwave radio relay
international: HF radiotelephone communications to Madagascar and Reunion
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 90,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 0 (1998)
Televisions: 1,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .km
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 800 (2000)
Comoros Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 880 km
paved: 673 km
unpaved: 207 km (1996)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Fomboni, Moroni, Moutsamoudou
Merchant marine: total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 19,122
GRT/29,817 DWT
ships by type: cargo 2 (2000 est.)
Airports: 4 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2000 est.)
Comoros Military
Military branches: Comoran Security Force
Military manpower - availability: males age 15–49: 141,120 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15–49: 83,920 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Comoros Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: claims French-administered Mayotte; the island of Anjouan (Nzwani) has moved to secede from Comoros
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@Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Democratic Republic of the Introduction
Background: Since 1994 the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC; formerly called Zaire) has been rent by ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow of refugees from the fighting in Rwanda and Burundi. The government of former president MOBUTU Sese Seko was
