Mayotte

Mayotte is an overseas department and region of France. It is one of the 18 regions of France and has the same status as the departments of Metropolitan France. It is also an outermost region of the European Union. Because it is an overseas department of France, it uses the euro as its money, as part of the eurozone.

Mayotte is in the northern part of the Mozambique Channel, in the western Indian Ocean, near Southeastern Africa. It lies between the northwest of the island of Madagascar and northeast Mozambique. Mayotte has a main island, Grande-Terre (also called Maore), a smaller island, Petite-Terre (also called Pamanzi), and several small islets. You can read more about the main island in [Grande-Terre (Mayotte)](/wiki/Grande-Terre_(Mayotte). The main island has an area of 374 square kilometres (144 square miles). About 320,901 people live there, according to official estimates from January 2024, so it is very crowded. The biggest city and prefecture is Mamoudzou, on Grande-Terre. The Dzaoudzi–Pamandzi International Airport is on Petite-Terre. The territory is also known as Maore, the native name of its main island.

French is the official language. Many people speak it as a second language, and more people are learning it. In the 2007 census, 63% of people aged 14 and older said they could speak French. Mayotte has two native languages. The most common one is Shimaore. The other is a Malagasy language called Kibushi, which has two dialects. Both dialects have been influenced by Shimaore.

The islands were first settled by people from nearby East Africa. Later, Arabs arrived and brought the religion of Islam. A sultanate was set up in 1500. Today, most people are Muslim.

In the 1800s, Mayotte was taken over by Andriantsoly, a former king of Iboina on Madagascar. In 1841, he sold the islands to France. At that time France was the Kingdom of France, and it was later ruled by the July Monarchy (1830–1848). The islands became part of the overseas French Empire. Mayotte became part of France under King Louis Philippe I (1773–1850, who ruled from 1830 to 1848 and belonged to the royal family of the House of Bourbon-Orleans). Seven years later, it became part of the Second French Republic (1848–1870), after the French Revolution of 1848. Soon after French rule began, slavery was ended. Workers were brought to the islands to work on farms and plantations. When the nearby Comoros became independent after its 1974 independence referendum, Mayotte chose to stay with France. On 31 March 2011, Mayotte became the 101st department of France in the Fifth French Republic. On 1 January 2014, it became an outermost associated region of the European Union. This followed a March 2009 referendum, in which most people voted to stay a French department. In the 2010s and 2020s, illegal immigration became a major issue in local politics. This led France to start Operation Wuambushu.

In 2019, the population was growing by about 3.8% each year, and half of the people were under 17 years old. About 48% of the people were foreign nationals. Most immigrants came from the nearby island country of Comoros, and many of them came illegally. Mayotte is France's poorest department, but it is much richer than nearby East African countries. It has French roads, buildings, and a welfare system. This makes it an attractive place for people who are struggling to find work and money elsewhere in the region. A report from 2018 by the Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (National Institute of Economic Statistics Studies of France – INSEE) found that over 83% of people lived below the poverty line by French standards. In Metropolitan France, the figure was 16%. The report also found that 40% of homes were built from corrugated sheet metal. About 29% of households had no running water, and 34% of people aged 15 to 64 did not have a job.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Mayotte

See also: List of islands of Mayotte

The name Mayotte (or Maore) can refer to all the islands of the department, or just the largest one. The largest island, Grande-Terre (or Maore), is the oldest of the Comoro Islands. It is 39 kilometres long and 22 kilometres wide. Its highest point is Mount Benara, at 660 metres above sea level. Some areas have rich soil because of the volcanic rock. A coral reef goes around much of the island. Dzaoudzi was the capital until 1977, when the capital moved to Mamoudzou on Grande-Terre. Dzaoudzi is on Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi), the largest of several small islands next to Maore. Another high point is Mount Choungui.

Mayotte is the oldest of the four large islands of the Comoros archipelago. It rises from a crescent-shaped relief at the entrance to the Mozambique Channel. It lies 295 kilometres west of Madagascar and 67 kilometres southeast of Anjouan. A coral reef about 160 kilometres long surrounds a lagoon. The lagoon is one of the largest and deepest in the world. The reef protects most of the islands from ocean waves. About a hundred small coral islets, such as Mtsamboro, lie inside it. Mtsamboro is home mainly to fishermen. The Mbouzi islet is a nature reserve. The Sable Blanc islet lies near a marine park. Mayotte covers about 374 square kilometres. This makes it the smallest French overseas department. Martinique is about three times larger.

Environment

Main article: Geology of Mayotte

Mayotte is mostly a volcanic island. It rises steeply from the ocean floor to a height of 660 metres (2,170 ft) at Mont Bénara, although OpenStreetMap gives it as 661 metres. Volcanic activity began in the south about 7.7 million years ago and stopped about 2.7 million years ago. In the north, it started about 4.7 million years ago and lasted until about 1.4 million years ago. On 11 November 2018, a 11 November 2018, seismic event happened about 24 km off the coast. It was felt in many places, including Kenya, Chile, New Zealand, Canada, and Hawaii. Later, scientists linked these earthquakes to a newly discovered undersea volcano about 50 km away.

Mayotte is surrounded by a typical tropical coral reef. A large outer barrier reef surrounds one of the world's largest and deepest lagoons, and a fringing reef with many mangroves lies closer to the shore. The Mayotte Marine Natural Park protects all of Mayotte's waters. On land, the island has more than 1,300 plant species, and half of them are found nowhere else. About 15% of the island is a natural reserve, but its original forest now covers only about 5% because of illegal tree cutting. The only native mammals are flying foxes (Pteropus seychellensis comorensis). By 2021, there were 30 protected areas, including Pointes et plages de Saziley et Charifou. On 3 May 2021, the French government created the Forests of Mayotte National Nature Reserve, which protects forests on mountains such as Mount Mtsapéré, Mount Combani, Mount Benara, and Mount Choungui.

Main article: Comoros forests

For the history of Mayotte before 1974, see History of the Comoros.

In 1500, the Maore sultanate was set up on the island. Portuguese explorers saw it and named it in 1503, but they did not settle there. Mayotte was once rich and was part of the Swahili coast culture. However, traders preferred its sister island Anjouan, so Mayotte stayed poorly developed for a long time. In the early 1800s, it had ties with the Anjouan Sultanate. It changed hands several times in the 1830s. In 1841, France bought the island and added it to the Crown. Sugar plantations were started but did not last. At the Berlin Conference in 1885, France took control of the whole Comoros islands. In 1898, two cyclones and a smallpox outbreak hit the island hard, and France had to bring in workers to rebuild it.

In 1974 and 1976, Mayotte was the only island in the archipelago to vote in referendums to stay linked with France instead of becoming independent. The Comoros have never stopped claiming the island. In 2011, Mayotte became an overseas department of France, following a 2009 vote in which most people chose this change. In 2018, there was unrest on the island over migration from the Comoros. In December 2024, Cyclone Chido caused great damage, and President Emmanuel Macron visited the island to bring food and health aid. A state of emergency has been declared for the department.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Mayotte

Further information: Elections in Mayotte

Mayotte is run as a parliamentary representative democratic system, where many political parties are allowed (multi-party system). The President of the Departmental Council leads the local assembly. The French government holds executive power.

Mayotte sends two deputies to the French National Assembly. It also sends two senators to the French Senate. The deputies represent Mayotte's 1st constituency and Mayotte's 2nd constituency.

Many local people did not want to become independent from France, as the Comoros did. Some Marxist-Leninist governments criticized Mayotte's close ties to France. Local customs, which are largely based on Muslim law, were hard to fit into French law. Raising living standards to the level of Metropolitan France would also be expensive.

In 2001, Mayotte's status moved closer to the departments of France and became a departmental collectivity. About 73% of voters approved this change. After a constitutional reform in 2003, it became an overseas collectivity, but it kept the name "departmental collectivity." On 31 March 2011, Mayotte became an overseas department of France. This followed the 2009 Mahoran status referendum, which about 95% of voters approved.

Since 2011, Mayotte has had one local assembly, the Departmental Council. It works as both a regional and a departmental council. This is called a single territorial collectivity.

On 1 January 2014, Mayotte became an outermost region of the European Union. This followed a decision by the European Council in December 2013.

In recent national elections, Mayotte has been a strong supporter of the right-wing populist National Rally party. It gave its presidential candidate, Marine Le Pen, her highest vote share in the first round of the 2022 French presidential election. The party tries to limit Islamic practice in continental France. In Mayotte, however, its message focuses on immigration rather than Islam. This helps explain its success in this territory, where most people are Muslim.

Defence

The French Armed Forces are responsible for defending the territory. Most of this work is done by a Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte. A new landing craft called Épée is due to arrive for the navy based in Mayotte by 2025. It is an Engins de Débarquement Amphibie – Standards (EDA-S). It will replace a CTM landing craft that is currently in the territory, and it will help with work along the coast.

About 170 members of the National Gendarmerie are stationed in Mayotte. In late 2022, the Maritime Gendarmerie used two patrol boats in the territory, the Odet and the Verdon. In December 2024, Cyclone Chido badly damaged both boats. Reports said they might not be able to be repaired and would need to be replaced. In early 2025, a sister ship, the patrol boat Adour, was sent to Mayotte from mainland France to take their place for a while.

Administrative divisions

Main article: Communes of Mayotte

Mayotte is split into 17 communes. It also has 13 cantons, which are not shown here. It is the only department and region of France without an arrondissement.

People get around Mayotte by sea and by road. A waterways ferry goes between Dzaoudzi and Mamoudzou. The island has 93 kilometres (58 mi) of highways. Of these, 72 kilometres (45 mi) are paved and 21 kilometres (13 mi) are not paved.

The island's ports and harbours are at Dzaoudzi and at "Longoni" (Koungou). Planes arrive and leave at Dzaoudzi Pamandzi International Airport. In 2002, the airport had one paved runway.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Mayotte

The official currency in Mayotte is the euro. In 2019, the total value of goods and services in Mayotte was €2.66 billion. The average income per person was €9,692. This was eight times higher than in the Comoros that year, but much lower than in Réunion and Metropolitan France. The figure does not adjust for local prices (PPP), so living standards are lower than in metropolitan France. In the 2017 census, many homes lacked basic services. About 1 in 10 homes had no electricity, and many did not have running water or toilets inside.

The economy grew quickly after the year 2000. This was helped by money from the French government and by becoming a full French department after a 2009 vote. From 2001 to 2008, the economy grew by an average of 9.3% per year in real terms. The 2008 financial crisis then caused a recession in 2009, but the economy recovered. Growth slowed in 2018 because of weeks of protests and blockades. The COVID-19 pandemic affected the economy in 2020. Mayotte is catching up with the rest of France, but many families still struggle. Unemployment is high, and many children live in poverty.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Mayotte

On 1 January 2024, a record 320,901 people lived in Mayotte, according to an official INSEE estimate. In the 2017 census, 58.5% of people were born in Mayotte, down from 63.5% in 2007. About 35.8% were immigrants born in other countries, most of them in the Union of the Comoros. In a study from 2015 to 2016, 37.4% of adults were born in Anjouan or had mothers born there. Another 13.5% were born in Grande Comore or Mohéli, or had mothers born there. Most people on the island are culturally Comorian. The Comorians come from a mix of settlers from South Arabs, Bantus, and Malagasy peoples.

The largest religion is Islam. The French census does not collect religious data. The CIA World Factbook estimates that 97% of the population is Muslim and 3% is Christian. The main Christian group is Roman Catholic. It is served together with the Comoros by an Apostolic Vicariate of Comoros Archipelago. French is the only official language. It is used for government, schools, and most television and radio. The native languages are Shimaore, a dialect of Comorian (a close relative of Swahili), Kibushi, a western dialect of Malagasy, and Kiantalaotsi, another western Malagasy dialect. Arabic is mostly learned in Quranic schools. Some people worry that these native languages could disappear or become a French-based creole.

Notable people

Many people from Mayotte, or with close ties to it, have done well in different fields. Abdou Baco (born around 1965) is a writer who started the musical group Mobissa. Toifilou Maoulida (born 1979) is a former French footballer who played 556 games. Manou Mansour (born 1980) is a French poet. El Fardou Ben Nabouhane (born 1989) is a footballer from the Comoros.

Some politicians are also listed. Marcel Henry (1926–2021) was a politician who served as a French senator from 1977 to 2004. Soibahadine Ibrahim Ramadani (born 1949) is a former senator. Nourdine Bourhane (born 1950) is a former senior politician. Ibrahim Aboubacar (born 1965) is a politician in the French National Assembly. Thomas Degos (born 1971) served as Prefect of Mayotte from 2011 to 2013.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Mayotte

Mayotte competes at the Indian Ocean Island Games, which are held every four years. Football is popular, and teams from the territory play in the Coupe de France.

Education in Mayotte faces many challenges. Many young people are not in school, and it is harder for some of them to learn because of their family backgrounds. Many people also find reading difficult. Schools are often crowded, and natural disasters make the situation harder.

Tourism

The island of Mayotte has many kinds of coastline, but fewer sandy beaches than its neighbours. Its sand comes in many colours, including black, brown, grey, red, beige, and white. Its lagoon is the largest in this part of the world, covering 1,500 km², and it is also the deepest. Its double barrier reef is rare and is home to many animals, including large whales and dolphins.

Visitors can go hiking to the old volcano Dziani Dzaha and its lake, or climb Mount Combani and Mount Choungui. They can dive and snorkel among colourful tropical fish on the coral reef. From the lagoon, they can watch green and hawksbill turtles, dolphins, and whales. Other activities include visiting maki lemurs on the M'Bouzy islet, relaxing on the many beaches, and seeing the Soulou waterfall. Visitors can also explore the MuMa museum at Dzaoudzi.