Topic summary
Comoros
The Union of the Islands
11°41′S43°16′E / 11.69°S 43.26°E
- 99.6% Islam (Official)
- 0.3% Christianity
- 0.1% Other
- Comorian
- Comorese
944,388 (159th)
$3.432 billion $3,463 $1.364 billion $1,377
30.3medium inequality
0.603medium (152nd)
The Comoros, officially the Union of the Comoros, is an archipelagic country made up of three islands in Southeast Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city is Moroni. The predominant religion of the population—and the official state religion—is Islam. Comoros proclaimed its independence from France on 6 July 1975. The country has three official languages: Comorian, French and Arabic. The Comoros is the only country of the Arab League which is entirely in the Southern Hemisphere. It is also a member state of the African Union, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation, and the Indian Ocean Commission.
At 1,659 square kilometres (641 sq mi), the Comoros is the third-smallest African country by area after São Tomé and Príncipe and Seychelles. Although its population was estimated in 2026 to only number 944,388, the Comoros ranks as one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The sovereign state consists of three major islands, namely Grande Comore, Anjouan, and Mohéli, and numerous smaller islands, all of the volcanic Comoro Islands with the exception of Mayotte. Mayotte voted against independence from France in a referendum in 1974 and continues to be administered by France as an overseas department. France has repeatedly vetoed United Nations Security Council resolutions that would have affirmed Comorian sovereignty over the island. Mayotte became the overseas department and a region of France in 2011 following a referendum which was passed overwhelmingly. However, the Comoros continues to claim the island, with backing from the AU and UN.
The Comoros were likely first settled by Austronesian-speaking Malagasy peoples, Bantu speakers from East Africa, and seafaring Arab traders. From 1500 the Sultanate of Anjouan dominated the islands, with Grande Comore split between several sultans. It became part of the French colonial empire during the 19th century, before its independence in 1975. It has experienced more than 20 coups or attempted coups, with various heads of state assassinated. Along with this political instability, it ranks in the medium quartile on the Human Development Index. In 2023, the Comoros had the least income inequality among its peers regionally, though poverty remains widespread especially in rural areas. Between 2009 and 2014, about 19% of the population lived below the international poverty line of US $1.90 a day by purchasing power parity.