Comoros is a small island country in the Indian Ocean, made up of four islands and several smaller ones. It was a French colony until 1973 and is now a federal presidential republic with a legal system combining Islamic law and French legal code. The country has a tropical marine climate and experiences extreme weather events such as cyclones.
Located in the Indian Ocean, the Union of the Comoros is an island country that sits off the east coast of Africa. While Comoros has no border countries, it does have neighboring nations, including Madagascar, Mozambique, Seychelles, and Tanzania, which are just across the ocean. Prior to 2002, Comoros was officially called the Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros. Comoros comes from the Arabic word gamar, which means moon.
Comoros is a small country, spanning just 838 square miles (2,235 square kilometers). In fact, it is third in line among the smallest African nations. It also has one of the smallest populations in Africa, although it has one of the highest population densities. Although Comoros is called an island nation, it is actually made up of four different islands, including Mwali, Nzwani, Mahore and Ngazidja. It also lays claim to several other small islands.
Comoros was once a French colony; the French first reclaimed it and established government in 1841. However, it was not until 1912 that the Comoros became an official French colony, falling under the rule of the Franco-colonial governor-general of Madagascar. At the time, the island group was used as a port for merchant mariners. Then, the French moved in, including colonists and French-owned businesses, bringing Arab merchants with them. They established plantations that produced crops such as sugar, ylang-ylang, coffee and cocoa; vanilla was also produced and exported.
The Comoros remained firmly under French rule until 1973, when it reached an independence agreement with France. Under this agreement, the Comoros would gain independence in 1978. However, on July 6, 1975, the Comorian Parliament declared the nation’s independence. The island of Mayotte chose to remain under French control while the rest of the Comoros got its first president, Ahmed Abdallah, on September 5, 1975.
Today, Comoros is considered a federal presidential republic. In this framework, the president fulfills the dual role of head of state and head of government. The country has its own constitution, which was ratified on 23 December 2001. However, each of its islands enjoys some independence, as each is allowed its own constitution, president and parliament.
The nation’s legal system is a combination of Islamic law and legal code left over from French rule. Typically, disputes are handled by village elders or civil courts. However, the nation has a supreme court, which mainly deals with electoral and constitutional matters.
Comoros has a tropical marine climate, with only two seasons. It is humid and warmest from November to April and cooler and drier for the remaining months. Although the weather for most of the year is usually quite mild, with temperatures hovering around 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius), the nation experiences extreme events such as cyclones. Sometimes it also experiences monsoon winds.
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