Language and other Comoros Local Custom Tips

The official languages of The Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoro Islands are French and Arabic. French is the language of government while Arabic is the language of Islam, the major religion in the Republic. French is used as the official language on the island of Mayotte.
In daily life, most people speak one or more varieties of Comorian, the language group indigenous to the Islands. It is closely related to the Swahili of the East African coast. Comorian is typical of a Bantu language with a large number of noun classes and an elaborate set of verb tenses and aspects. For centuries, people have used Arabic script to write Comorian and there is an attempt presently to normalize an orthography for writing the varieties of the language in Roman script.

The rich vocabulary of Comorian has been enhanced by the borrowing of words from many other languages. Since Comorians have been involved in maritime trade for a thousand years or more, they have come into contact with a number of different peoples and their language reflects this contact. Words of Indian, Persian, Arabic, Portuguese, English, and French origin have been added to those of African ancestry.

There are four varieties of Comorian spoken in the Islands: Shingazidja, Shimwali, Shinzwani, and Shimaore, each one named for the primary island on which it is spoken.

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Communities on the islands are mentioned in ancient documents. Domoni, located on the eastern shore of the island of Nzwani (Anjouan), for example, was described as a major trading center in the fifteenth century. It had trade contacts with Africa and Asia and we know from archaeological evidence that trade existed between the community and places as far away as Japan. After the Portuguese entered the Indian Ocean many European and American sailors visited the islands. These included whalers, merchants, and pirates, such as the infamous Captain Kidd. Sailors especially liked the island of Nzwani and it served as an important refueling and provisioning stop. But after the opening of the Suez Canal, the Comoros ceased to be on the main route of trade and, except for an occasional incident of history, they virtually disappeared from American and European awareness. Today, the Comoros are "Forgotten Islands."

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The total population of the Comoro Islands is estimated to be over 700,000 people today. Over 27% live in urban areas. A 1980 estimate of the average density was 182.5 persons per square kilometer, varying between 65.5 persons per square kilometer in Mwali and 349.1 persons per square kilometer in Nzwani. Today the densities are much higher.
In recent decades the population was increased by the forced evacuation of Comorians from Madagascar and Zanzibar. These peoples resettled in the Comoros adding to an already difficult situation. Earlier, changes in politics in the area had reduced the opportunities for Comorian men to go abroad; one means that had effectively eased population pressures. There still are a number of Comorians living abroad. Comorians can be found living in many parts of the world but most of the emigrants are in Europe or in Kenya and Zanzibar along the East African coast. There are an estimated 60,000 Comorians or people of Comorian descent living in France today.

The present population increase is an estimated 3.5% per year with an annual birth rate of 47 births per 1,000 and an annual death rate of 12 deaths per 1,000 population. The most recent estimate of the total fertility rate is 6.8 children born per woman. Life expectancy at birth is 54 years for males and 59 years for females.

The inhabitants are a blend of various peoples of the Indian Ocean littoral. African, Malagasy, and Arabic features are clearly evident. Maritime commerce before entry of Europeans into the Indian Ocean brought Comorians into contact with peoples from southern Africa to southeast Asia. Since the end of the fifteenth century European influence has also impacted upon Comorian life.

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