Coinage of Comoros since 1964

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Map of eastern Africa, including Comoros.




Comoros and neighbouring countries.




Map of Comoros.

The Comoros, officially the Union of the Comoros, is an independent country located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. It is located about 180 miles (290 km) off the south-eastern coast of Africa and consists of three islands: Grande Comore, Moheli, and Anjouan.  Its capital and largest city is Moroni, situated on the island of Grande Comore. Moroni has most of the country's modern commercial and manufacturing facilities. Comoros has a population of around 851 000. The religion of the majority of the population, and the official state religion, is Sunni Islam.

As a member of the Arab League, Comoros is the only country in the Arab world that is entirely in the Southern Hemisphere. The country proclaimed its independence on July 6, 1975. It is also a member state of the African Union, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the Indian Ocean Commission. The country has three official languages: Chi Comori, French and Arabic.

Comoros was likely first settled by Austronesian/Malagasy peoples, followed by Swahili peoples, Bantu speakers from East Africa, and seafaring Arab traders. It then became part of the French colonial empire during the 19th century, before its independence in 1975. Since then, it has experienced more than 20 coups or attempted coups, with various heads of state assassinated. Along with this constant political instability, it has one of the worst levels of income inequality of any nation and ranks in the worst quartile on the Human Development Index. Most islanders have to rely on subsistence farming.

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Scene from Moroni, capital of Comoros.

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COLONIAL HISTORY UNDER FRANCE

France's presence in the western Indian Ocean dates to the early seventeenth century. The French established a settlement in southern Madagascar in 1634 and occupied the islands of Reunion and Rodrigues. In 1841 the governor of Reunion negotiated with the Malagasy ruler of Mayotte to cede Mayotte to France.

Although France had established a foothold in Comoros, the acquisition of the other islands proceeded fitfully. In 1908 the four Comoro Islands became part of France's colony of Madagascar. In 1912 the last sultan of the Comoros abdicated. In 1946 the Comoro Islands became an overseas department of France with representation in the French National Assembly. In 1949, the islands' administrative ties to Madagascar were severed.

A Governing Council was elected on the four islands in August 1957. In a referendum held in 1958, Comorians voted overwhelmingly to remain a part of France. Comoros was granted autonomous rule in 1961. Its government consisted of a territorial assembly.

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Flag of Comoros from 1963 to 1975.

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FIRST MODERN COINAGE

In 1964 coins were introduced specifically for use in the Comoros.

These replaced the Madagascan coins that were previously in use.

Comoros had formerly been a province of French-ruled Madagascar for many years.

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The common obverse, as seen on the aluminium coins.

The lowest denomination of the coin series issued in 1964 was the 1 franc coin.

The 1, 2 and 5 franc coins were all made of aluminium.


Marianne, symbol of the French Republic, is portrayed on the obverse.

Some modern ships appear in the background.

The ships indicate that this is a French overseas possession.

This design appeared on several coins of France's overseas territories in Africa.


It is a magnificent design and a modern numismatic classic.

The scene evokes both modernity and tradition, as well as the power of France.

The design was the work of Lucien Bazor.

A Frenchman, he was one's of the world's most talented and prolific numismatic artists.

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Comoros, 1 franc, 1964.

The reverse design of the 1 franc coin.

It featured palm trees, coconuts, vanilla plants and a house.

This beautiful scene was also the work of Lucien Bazor.


The coins were all produced by the Paris mint in France.

The 1 franc coin weighed 1.3 grams and had a diameter of 23 mm.

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Comoros, 2 francs, 1964.

The reverse design of the 2 francs coin.

The coin weighed 2.21 grams and had a diameter of 27.1 mm.

The French for "ARCHIPELAGOS OF THE COMOROS" appeared on the reverse of all the coins.

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Comoros, 5 francs, 1964.

The reverse design of the 5 francs coin.

The coin weighed 3.73 grams and had a diameter of 31.1 mm.

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Comoros, 10 francs, 1964.

The remaining two coins of the series were the 10 and 20 francs.

They were made of aluminium-bronze.

Above you see how the obverse looked on those coins.

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Comoros, 10 francs, 1964.

The reverse of the 10 francs coin.

The coin weighed 3 grams and had a diameter of 20 mm.


The reverse design featured several elements:

a coelacanth fish, a jet plane, dhows, palm trees, coconuts, and triton shells.

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Comoros, 20 francs, 1964.

The reverse of the 20 francs coin.

The coin weighed 4 grams and had a diameter of 23.5 mm.

The design was once again the work of Lucien Bazor.


All the coins in this series were dated 1964 only.

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INDEPENDENCE

Agreement was reached with France in 1973 for Comoros to become independent in 1978. On July 6 1975, however, the Comorian parliament passed a resolution declaring unilateral independence. The deputies of Mayotte abstained.

Comoros broke all ties with France and established itself as an independent republic. Mayotte refused to join the new republic and aligned itself firmly to the French Republic, but the other islands remained committed to independence. In two referendums, in December 1974 and February 1976, the population of Mayotte voted against independence from France (by 63.8% and 99.4% respectively). Mayotte thus remains under French administration, but the Comorian Government still claims Mayotte and considers it to be part of Comoros.

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Flag of Comoros, 1976 to 1978.

Ahmed Abdallah became the first president of the independent islands on 6 July 1975. However, he was overthrown by Said Mohamed Jaffar in a coup d'état on August 3 1975. Ali Soilih then overthrew Jaffar in January 1976. Solih was a revolutionary socialist who imposed violent and chaotic Maoist policies and methods on the country during his short rule. He adopted the flag shown above.

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National seal of the Comorian State, 1975 to 1978.