Mayotte

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"MYT" redirects here. For other uses, see MYT (disambiguation).

Department of Mayotte
Dpartement de Mayotte

Overseas region and department of France

Coat of arms
Flag

Country France

Prefecture Mamoudzou

Departments 1

Government

President of Regional Soibahadine Ibrahim

Council Ramadani

Area

Total 374 km2 (144 sq mi)

Population (Aug. 2012)[1]

 Total 212,645

Density 570/km2(1,500/sq mi)

Demonym(s) Mahoran

Time zone EAT (UTC+3)

ISO 3166 code YT

GDP (2013)[2] Ranked

Total 1.8 billion (US$2.4 bn)

Per capita 8,188 (US$10,891)

NUTS Region FRA

Website Prefecture
Departmental Council

Unofficial flag of Mayotte

Mayotte (French: Mayotte, pronounced: [majt]; Shimaore: Maore, IPA: [maore]; Malagasy: Mahori) is
an insular department and region of France officially named Dpartement de Mayotte.[3] It consists of
a main island, Grande-Terre (or Maore), a smaller island, Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi), and
several islets around these two. The archipelago is located in the northern Mozambique Channel in
the Indian Ocean off the coast of Southeast Africa, between northwestern Madagascar and
northeastern Mozambique. The department status of Mayotte is recent and the region remains the
poorest in France. Mayotte is nevertheless much more prosperous than the other countries of the
Mozambique Channel, making it a major destination for illegal immigration.
Mayotte's area is 374 square kilometres (144 sq mi) and, with its 212,645 people, is very densely
populated at 569 per km (1,473 per sq mi).[1] The biggest city and prefecture is Mamoudzou on
Grande-Terre. However, the DzaoudziPamandzi International Airport is located on the
neighbouring island of Petite-Terre. The territory is geographically part of the Comoro Islands. The
territory is also known as Maore, the native name of its main island, especially by advocates of its
inclusion in the Union of Comoros.
The language of the majority is Shimaore, a Bantu language variety closely related to the varieties in
the neighbouring Comoros islands. The second most widely spoken native language is Kibushi,
a Malagasy language variety most closely related to the Sakalava dialect of Malagasy with
influences from Shimaore. The vast majority of the population is Muslim.
The island was populated from neighbouring East Africa with later arrival of Arabs, who brought the
Islamic religion. A sultanate was established in 1500. In the 19th century, Mayotte was conquered by
Andriantsoly, former king of Iboina on Madagascar, and later by the neighbouring islands Mohli and
then Anjouan before being purchased by France in 1841. The people of Mayotte voted to
remain politically a part of France in the 1974 referendum. Mayotte became an overseas department
on 31 March 2011 and became an outermost region of the European Union on 1 January 2014,
following a 2009 referendum with an overwhelming result in favour of the department status.

Contents
[hide]

1Geography
2History
3Politics
4Administrative divisions
5Transport
6Economy
7Demographics
o 7.1Religions
o 7.2Languages
7.2.12007 census
7.2.22006 survey
8Cultural practices
9See also
10References
11External links

Geography[edit]

Beach scenery in Mayotte.

Main article: Geography of Mayotte

See also: List of islands of Mayotte
The term Mayotte (or Maore) may refer to all of the department's islands, of which the largest is
known as Maore (French: Grande-Terre) and includes Maore's surrounding islands, most notably
Pamanzi (French: Petite-Terre), or only to the largest island.
The main island, Grande-Terre (or Maore), geologically the oldest of the Comoro Islands, is 39
kilometres (24 mi) long and 22 kilometres (14 mi) wide, and its highest point is Mount Benara, at 660
metres (2,165 ft) above sea level. Because of the volcanic rock, the soil is relatively rich in some
areas. A coral reef encircling much of the island ensures protection for ships and a habitat for
fish. Dzaoudzi was the capital of Mayotte (and earlier the capital of all the colonial Comoros) until
1977. It is situated on Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi), which at 10 square kilometres (4 sq mi) is the
largest of several islets adjacent to Maore.

History[edit]
For the history of Mayotte before 1974, see History of the Comoros.
In 1500, the Maore or Mawuti (contraction of the Arabic Jazrat al-Mawt meaning island
of death and corrupted to Mayotte in French) sultanate was established on the island. In 1503,
Mayotte was observed by Portuguese explorers, but not colonized.
In 1832, Mayotte was conquered by Andriantsoly, former king of Iboina on Madagascar; in 1833, it
was conquered by the neighbouring sultanate of Mwali (Mohli island in French). On 19 November
1835, Mayotte was again conquered by the Ndzuwani Sultanate (Anjouan sultanate in French); a
governor was installed with the unusual Islamic style of Qadi (from the Arabic which means
judge). However, in 1836 it regained its independence under a last local Sultan.
Mayotte was purchased by France in 1841. It was the only island in the archipelago that voted in
referendums in 1974 and 1976 to retain its link with France and forgo independence (with 63.8% and
99.4% of votes respectively). The Comoros continue to claim the island. A draft 1976 United Nations
Security Council resolution recognizing Comorian sovereignty over Mayotte, supported by 11 of the
15 members of the Council, was vetoed by France.[4] It was the last time, as of 2011, that France
cast a lone veto in the Council.[5] The United Nations General Assembly adopted a series of
resolutions on the issues, under the title "Question of the Comorian Island of Mayotte" up to 1995.
Since 1995, the subject of Mayotte has not been discussed by the General Assembly.

Sea near Mamoudzou.

Mayotte became an overseas department of France in March 2011 in consequence of a 29 March

2009 referendum.[6] The outcome was a 95.5 per cent vote in favour of changing the island's status
from a French "overseas community" to become France's 101st dpartement. [7] Its non-official
traditional Islamic law, applied in some aspects of the day-to-day life, will be gradually abolished and
replaced by the uniform French civil code.[8] Additionally, French social welfare and taxes apply in
Mayotte, though some of each will be brought in gradually. [9] Comoros continues to claim the island,
while criticising the French military base there.[10]
Politics[edit]
Main article: Politics of Mayotte

Map of the European Union in the world with overseas countries and territories and outermost regions

The politics of Mayotte takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative

democratic French local government, whereby the President of the Departmental Council is the head
of the local assembly, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the French
government.
Mayotte also sends one deputy to the French National Assembly and two senators to the French
Senate.
Mayotte is an overseas department and region of France officially named Dpartement de
Mayotte.[3] Unlike the other overseas regions and departments of France, Mayotte possesses a
single local assembly, officially called the "departmental council" (conseil dpartemental), which acts
both as a regional and departmental council.
The situation of Mayotte proved to be awkward for France: while the local population very largely did
not want to be independent from France and join the Comoros, some international criticism from
post-colonial leftist regimes was heard about Mayotte's ongoing ties to France.[citation
needed] Furthermore, the peculiar local administration of Mayotte, largely ruled by customary Muslim

law, would be difficult to integrate into the legal structures of France, not to mention the costs of
bringing the standards of living to levels close to those of Metropolitan France. For these reasons,
the laws passed by the national parliament had to state specifically that they applied to Mayotte for
them to be applicable on Mayotte.
The status of Mayotte was changed in 2001 towards one very close to the status of the Departments
of France, with the particular designation of departmental collectivity. This change was approved by
73% of voters in a referendum. After the constitutional reform of 2003 it became an overseas
collectivity while retaining the title "departmental collectivity" of Mayotte.
Mayotte became an overseas department of France (dpartement d'outre-mer, DOM) on 31 March
2011 following the result of the March 2009 Mahoran status referendum, which was overwhelmingly
approved by around 95% of voters.[11][12] Becoming an overseas department will mean it will adopt the
same legal and social system as used in the rest of France. This will require abandoning some
customary laws, adopting the standard French civil code, and reforming the judiciary, educational,
social and fiscal systems, and will take place over a period of about 20 years. [13]
Despite its domestic constitutional evolution from the status of an overseas collectivity to that of an
overseas department, effectively becoming a full constituent territory within the French Republic,
with regards to the European Union, Mayotte remained an 'Overseas country and territory' (OCT)
in association with the Union (as per Article 355(2) TFEU) and not a constituent territory of the
European Union in the same way as the other four overseas departments. However following a
directive of the European Council in December 2013, Mayotte became an outermost region of
the European Union on 1 January 2014.[14] This successful agreement between the 27 member
states follows a petition made by the French government for Mayotte to become an integral territory
of the European Union nonetheless benefiting from the derogation clause applicable in existing
Outermost regions, namely Article 349 TFEU, as favoured in a June 2012 European Commission
opinion on Mayotte's European constitutional status. [15]

Administrative divisions[edit]
Main article: Communes of Mayotte
Mayotte is divided into 17 communes. There are also 19 cantons (not shown here) each of which
corresponds to one of the communes, except for the commune of Mamoudzou which is divided into
three cantons. There are no arrondissements.

1. Dzaoudzi
2. Pamandzi
3. Mamoudzou
4. Dembeni
5. Bandrl
6. Kani-Kli
7. Bouni
8. Chirongui
9. Sada
10. Ouangani
11. Chiconi
12. Tsingoni
13. M'Tsangamouji
14. Acoua
15. Mtsamboro
16. Bandraboua
17. Koungou

Transport[edit]
 Waterways
Ferry between Dzaoudzi and Mamoudzou.
Highways:
total: 93 kilometres (58 mi)
paved : 72 kilometres (45 mi)
unpaved : 21 kilometres (13 mi)
Ports and harbours:
Dzaoudzi
"Longoni" (Koungou)
Airports: Dzaoudzi Pamandzi International Airport - the only airport
in Mayotte
with paved runways: 1 (2002)

Economy[edit]
Main article: Economy of Mayotte
The official currency in Mayotte is the euro.[16]
In 2013, the GDP of Mayotte at market exchange rates was 1.785 billion.[2] In that same year
the GDP per capita of Mayotte at market exchange rates, not at PPP, was 8,200,[2] which was 12.5
times higher than the GDP per capita of the Comoros that year, but only 41% of the GDP per capita
of Runion and 25% of the GDP per capita of Metropolitan France.

Demographics[edit]
Main article: Demographics of Mayotte

Population census

Year Pop. % p.a.

1958 23,364

1966 32,607 +4.25%

1978 47,246 +3.14%

1985 67,205 +5.16%

1991 94,410 +5.83%

1997 131,320 +5.65%

2002 160,265 +4.06%

2007 186,452 +3.07%

2012 212,645 +2.66%

 Official population figures from past censuses.

As of the August 2012 census, there were 212,645 people living in Mayotte.[1] According to the 2007
census, 63.5% of the people living in Mayotte were born in Mayotte, 4.8% were born in the rest of
the French Republic (either metropolitan France or overseas France except Mayotte), 28.3% were
immigrants from the Comoros, 2.6% were immigrants from Madagascar, and the remaining 0.8%
came from other countries.[17]

A view of Sada including mosque.

85,000 of the total 90,000 inhabitants of the island are Comorians. The Comorians are a blend of
settlers from many areas: Iranian traders, mainland Africans, Arabs and Malagasy. Comorian
communities can also be found in other parts of the Comoros chain as well as in Madagascar.
Religions[edit]
The main religion in Mayotte is Islam,[18] with 97% of the population Muslim and 3% Christian.[19]
The main religious minority, Roman Catholicism, has no proper diocese but is served, together with
the Comoros, by a missionary jurisdiction, the Apostolic Vicariate of Comoros Archipelago.
Languages[edit]
French is the only official language of Mayotte. It is the language used for administration and the
school system. It is the language most used on television and radio as well as in commercial
announcements and billboards. In spite of this, knowledge of French in Mayotte is lower than in any
other part of France. The native languages of Mayotte are:

Shimaore, a dialect of the Comorian language (a close relative

of Swahili)
Kibushi, a western dialect of the Malagasy language (the language
of Madagascar) heavily influenced by Shimaore and Arabic
Kiantalaotsi, another western dialect of the Malagasy language also
heavily influenced by Shimaore and Arabic
Kibushi is spoken in the south and north-west of Mayotte, while Shimaore is spoken elsewhere.
Besides French, other non-indigenous languages are also present in Mayotte:

Arabic, essentially learned in the Quranic schools

various dialects of the Comorian language essentially imported by
immigrants who have arrived in Mayotte since 1974: Shindzwani
(the dialect of Anjouan, or Nzwani), Shingazidja (the dialect
 of Grande Comore, or Ngazidja), and Shimwali (the dialect
of Mohli, or Mwali).
Shingazidja and Shimwali on the one hand and Shimaore on the other hand are generally mutually
intelligible. Shindzwani and Shimaore are perfectly mutually intelligible.
2007 census[edit]
At the 2007 census, 63.2% of people 14 years and older reported that they could speak French
(although 87.1% of those whose age was 14 to 19 years old reported that they could speak it,
whereas only 19.6% of those aged 65 and older reported that they could speak it). 93.8% of the
population whose age was 14 or older reported that they could speak one of the local languages of
Mayotte (Shimaore, Kibushi, Kiantalaotsi, or any of the Comorian dialects, which the census
included in the 'local languages'). 6.2% of the population aged 14 and older reported that they spoke
none of the local languages and could speak only French. [20]
2006 survey[edit]
A survey was conducted by the French Ministry of National Education in 2006 among pupils
registered in CM2 (equivalent to fifth grade in the US and Year 6 in England and Wales). Questions
were asked regarding the languages spoken by the pupils as well as the languages spoken by their
parents. According to the survey, the ranking of mother tongues was the following (ranked by
number of first language speakers in the total population; note that percentages add up to more than
100% because some people are natively bilingual):[21]

Shimaore: 55.1%
Shindzwani: 22.3%
Kibushi: 13.6%
Shingazidja: 7.9%
French: 1.4%
Shimwali: 0.8%
Arabic: 0.4%
Kiantalaotsi: 0.2%
Other: 0.4%
When also counting second language speakers (e.g. someone whose mother tongue is Shimaore
but who also speaks French as a second language) then the ranking became:

Shimaore: 88.3%
French: 56.9%
Shindzwani: 35.2%
Kibushi: 28.8%
Shingazidja: 13.9%
Arabic: 10.8%
Shimwali: 2.6%
Kiantalaotsi: 0.9%
Other: 1.2%
With the mandatory schooling of children and the economic development both implemented by the
French central state, the French language has progressed significantly on Mayotte in recent years.
The survey conducted by the Ministry of National Education showed that while first and second
language speakers of French represented 56.9% of the population in general, this figure was only
37.7% for the parents of CM2 pupils, but reached 97.0% for the CM2 pupils themselves (whose age
is between 10 and 14 in general).
Nowadays there are instances of families speaking only French to their children in the hope of
helping their social advancement. With French schooling and French language television, many
young people turn to French or use many French words when speaking Shimaore and Kibushi,
leading some to fear that these native languages of Mayotte could either disappear or become some
sort of French-based creole.[22]

Cultural practices[edit]
Approximately 26% of the adult population, and five times as many women as men, enter trance
states in which they believe they are possessed by certain identifiable spirits who maintain stable
and coherent identities from one possession to the next.[23]

See also[edit]

Geography portal

Africa portal
France portal

Outline of Mayotte
2008 invasion of Anjouan
Administrative divisions of France
Colonial and Departmental Heads of Mayotte
Communications in Mayotte
Islands administered by France in the Indian and Pacific oceans
Music of the Comoro Islands
Caring for the Lagoon, a documentary on the preservation of
Mayotte's lagoon.

References[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to:a b c INSEE, Government of France. "212 600 habitants
Mayotte en 2012 - La population augmente toujours
fortement" (PDF) (in French). Retrieved 2013-10-04.
2. ^ Jump up to:a b c "GDP per capita in the EU in 2013: seven capital
regions among the ten most prosperous" (PDF). Eurostat. Retrieved 30
July 2015.
3. ^ Jump up to:a b Ministre de l'intrieur, de l'Outre-Mer, des
collectivits territoriales et de l'immigration, Mayotte devient le 101e
dpartement franais le 31 mars 2011 (PDF) (in French), p. 4,
retrieved 2015-07-30
4. Jump up^ "France Cast UN Veto". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 7
February 1976. Retrieved 13 April 2011. The vote was 11-1 with three
abstentions -- the United States, Britain and Italy.
5. Jump up^ Celine Nahory; Giji Gya; Misaki Watanabe. "Subjects of UN
Security Council Vetoes". Global Policy Forum. Archived from the
original on 17 March 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
6. Jump up^ "Enqute sur le Futur 101e Dpartement" (in French).
7. Jump up^ "Mayotte votes to become France's 101st department".
Telegraph.co.uk. 29 March 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
 8. Jump up^ (French) Mayotte vote en faveur de la
dpartementalisation, Le Monde, 29 March 2009
9. Jump up^ "Mayotte becomes 101st department". The Connexion. 31
March 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2011.
10. Jump up^ UN General Assembly General Debate of the 67th Session
- Comoros (The)
11. Jump up^ Elise Cannuel (31 March 2011). "EU shores spread to
Indian Ocean island". Deutsche Welle.
12. Jump up^ "Mayotte accde son statut de dpartement dans la
confusion". Le Monde.
13. Jump up^ Marina Mielczarek (31 March 2011). "Mayotte devient le
101me dpartement franais". Radio France Internationale.
14. Jump up^ "Council Directive 2013/61/EU of December 2013" (PDF).
2013-12-17. Retrieved 2014-01-01.
15. Jump
up^ http://www.parlament.gv.at/PAKT/EU/XXIV/EU/08/45/EU_84522/i
mfname_10032623.pdf
16. Jump up^ Minister of the Economy, Industry and Employment
(France). "L'volution du rgime montaire outre-mer" (in French).
Retrieved 30 November 2008.
17. Jump up^ INSEE, Government of France. "Population de Mayotte
selon le lieu de naissance - RP 07" (in French). Retrieved 2013-10-04.
18. Jump up^ "Europe | Mayotte backs French connection". BBC News.
29 March 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
19. Jump up^ "Africa :: Mayotte". CIA. Archived from the original on 21
September 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
20. Jump up^ INSEE, Government of France. "LANG1M- Population de
14 ans ou plus par sexe, ge et langues parles" (in French).
Retrieved 2013-10-10.
21. Jump up^ Daniel Barreteau. "Premiers rsultats d'une enqute
sociolinguistique auprs des lves de CM2 de Mayotte" (PDF) (in
French). Retrieved 2007-05-17.
22. Jump up^ Malango Mayotte (2 October 2009). "Le shimaor fout le
camp" (in French). Retrieved 2013-10-10.
23. Jump up^ Lambek, Michael 1988 Spirit Possession/Spirit Succession:
Aspects of Social Continuity among Malagasy Speakers in Mayotte.
American Ethnologist: 15 (4): 710-731

External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to:
Mayotte (category)

Wikivoyage has a travel

guide for Mayotte.

Wikimedia Atlas of Mayotte

Mayotte : a preserved archipelago - Official French website (in
English)
IleMayotte.com, the Mayotte Portal.
 Mayotte at WorldStatesmen.org.
"Mayotte". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
Mayotte at DMOZ
Comit du tourisme de Mayotte Official tourism website (French)
"Voyages...Visages" - Another way of travelling and seeing
Analysis of the linguistic situation on Mayotte (French)

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Coordinates: 125035S 450818E

ldCat Identities
F: 312738295
CN: n81141395
D: 6106489-0
Categories:
Departments of France
Mayotte
Comoros archipelago
Countries of the Indian Ocean
Islands of Africa
Islands of France
Overseas departments of France
Southeast African countries
Disputed islands
French-speaking countries and territories
States and territories established in 1974
1974 establishments in Africa
1974 establishments in France
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