Ethnic divisions: Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava

Religion: 86% Sunni Muslim, 14% Roman Catholic

Language: Shaafi Islam (a Swahili dialect), Malagasy, French

Literacy: 15%

Labor force: 140,000 (1982); 80% agriculture, 3% government; 51% of
population of working age (1985)

Organized labor: NA

- Government
Long-form name: Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros

Type: independent republic

Capital: Moroni

Administrative divisions: 3 islands; Anjouan, Grande Comore,
Moheli; note--there may also be 4 municipalities named Domoni, Fomboni,
Moroni, and Mutsamudu

Independence: 6 July 1975 (from France)

Constitution: 1 October 1978, amended October 1982 and January 1985

Legal system: French and Muslim law in a new consolidated code

National holiday: Independence Day, 6 July (1975)

Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch: unicameral Federal Assembly (Assemblee Federale)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Said
Mohamed DJOHAR (since 11 March 1990)

Political parties: Comoran Union for Progress (Udzima), Said
Mohamed Djohar, president; National Union for Democracy (UNDC),
Mohamed Taki

Suffrage: universal at age 18

Elections:
President--last held 11 March 1990 (next to be held March 1996);
results--Said Mohamed Djohar (Udzima) 55%; Mohamed Taki Abdulkarim
(UNDC) 45%;

Federal Assembly--last held 22 March 1987 (next to be held March
1992);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(42 total) Udzima 42

Member of: ACP, AfDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank,
IFAD, ILO, IMF, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Amini Ali MOUMIN; Chancery
(temporary) at the Comoran Permanent Mission to the UN, 336 East 45th Street,
2nd Floor, New York, NY 10017; telephone (212) 972-8010;
US--Ambassador Howard K. WALKER, resides in Antananarivo (Madagascar);
Embassy at address NA, Moroni (mailing address B. P. 1318, Moroni);
telephone 73-12-03

Flag: green with a white crescent placed diagonally (closed side of the
crescent points to the upper hoist-side corner of the flag); there are four
white five-pointed stars placed in a line between the points of the crescent;
the crescent, stars, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam; the four
stars represent the four main islands of the archipelago--Mwali, Njazi