The Various Names of Comoros
The name “Comoros” means “Islands of the Moon” in Arabic. Comoros also has the nickname “The Perfume Islands” because their main exports (ylang-ylang, cloves, vanilla) are commonly used to make perfume. It is important to note that according to BBC News (2018), there are a variety of spellings of “Comoros” based on either the French, Comorian, or Arabic influence. In French, Comoros is translated to “Comores” and in Comorian, it becomes “Komori” (BBC News, 2018).
Geography and Population |
Languages |
Comoros is an archipelago between Madagascar and Mozambique located in the Mozambique Channel. It consists of three islands: Grande Comore (Ngazidja), Moheli (Mwali), and Anjouan (Ndzuwani). There is some debate whether the fourth island, Mayotte, is included in the country of Comoros because of political differences. The capital of Comoros is Moroni, which is located in Grande Comore. However, even though Moroni is on Grande Comore, the most densely populated island is Anjouan. Its total population, as of July 2018, is around 821,164 people. The main ethnic groups in Comoros are Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava.
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The three official languages in Comoros are Arabic, French, and Shikamoro (sometimes referred to as Shikamori or Comorian). Shikamori is a combination of Swahili and Arabic. The original Comorian language was a Bantu language that sounded similar to Swahili (Full, 2006). Further, there are four varieties of Shikamori, one for each island of Comoros; Shingazidja is spoken on Ngazidja (Grande Comores), Shinzwani in Nzwani (Anjuouan), Shimwali in Mwali (Moheli), and Shimaore in Mayotte (Mwakikagile) (Mwakikagile, 2009, p. 68). Arabic was first introduced to the islands as early as the eighth century, since Comoros was part of a “trading network in the Indian Ocean dominated by Arab merchants” (Full, 2006, p. 685-686). The establishment of the French language began much later, after Comoros became a French protectorate in 1866. The English language, however, has not yet gained the status and prevalence as the other official languages.
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The Education System and Literacy Rates
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Approximately 77.8 percent of Comoros’ total population is considered literate, which is defined as being older than fifteen and having the ability to read and write. Further, more males (81.8 percent of the total population) are literate than females (73.7 percent). There is conflicting information on the average number of years students attend school. According to the World Factbook, students spend an average of eleven years in school, but the Survey of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) found that children are typically enrolled in six years of primary school and seven years of secondary school (Isaacs & Ngombo, 2007). As of 2019, the only higher education currently offered in Comoros is the University of Comoros which is located in Moroni. The university opened in 2003 (US Department of State, n.d.). It is still a relatively new university considering their English department was established in 2014 (English Department of the Comoros University, 2015).
Politics |
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After declaring independence from France in 1974, Comoros has experienced around twenty coups and attempted coups (BBC News, 2018). Since Mayotte did not secede from France, the other three islands do not consider it to be part of Comoros. In addition to its extreme political unrest and instability, Comoros has “[o]ne of the world’s poorest and smallest economies” (Central Intelligence Agency, 2019, The World Factbook Comoros). Even after the secession, France still provides and receives many of Comoros’ top imported and exported products.
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98 percent of the total population practices Sunni Muslim. The other two percent consists of Shia Muslim, Roman Catholicism, Jehovah's Witness, Protestantism. The dominance of Sunni Muslim is most likely attributed to the early introduction to Arabic in the eighth century. It has influenced many sectors of life in Comoros including the language, culture, and education system.
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