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 and, as an overseas department of France, part of the eurozone.

Mayotte lies in the northern part of the Mozambique Channel, in the western Indian Ocean, off the coast of Southeastern Africa. It sits between the northwestern part of the island of Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique. Mayotte includes a main island, Grande-Terre (or Maore), a smaller island, Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi), and several islets around them. The main island is also described in Grande-Terre (Mayotte). Its land area is 374 square kilometres (144 sq mi), and its 320,901 people, according to official estimates from January 2024, make it very densely populated. 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. It is spoken as a second language by a growing part of the population. In the 2007 census, 63% of people aged 14 and older said they could speak it. Mayotte has two native languages. The most common is Shimaore. The less common one is a Malagasy language called Kibushi, which has two dialects. Both dialects have been influenced by Shimaore.

The islands were first populated from neighbouring East Africa. Later, Arabs arrived and brought the religion of Islam. A sultanate was established in 1500, and today the vast majority of people are Muslim.

In the 19th century, Mayotte was conquered by Andriantsoly, a former king of Iboina on Madagascar. In 1841 he sold the islands to France, which was then the Kingdom of France and its later July Monarchy (1830–1848), along with its overseas French Empire. Mayotte became part of the Crown of France under King Louis Philippe I (1773–1850, reigned 1830–1848, of the royal dynasty 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 abolished, and workers were brought to the area to work in fields and plantations. When the nearby Comoros declared independence after its 1974 independence referendum, Mayotte chose to remain 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, following a March 2009 referendum that strongly supported staying a French department. In the 2010s and 2020s, illegal immigration became a very important issue in local politics, which led France to organize Operation Wuambushu.

In 2019, the population was growing by 3.8% each year, and half of the people were under 17 years old. Also, 48% of the population were foreign nationals, and most immigrants came from the nearby island state of Comoros, many of them illegally. Although Mayotte is France's poorest department, it is much richer than neighbouring East African countries. It has French infrastructure and a welfare system, which makes it an attractive destination for people in poverty elsewhere in the region. A report by the Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (National Institute of Economic Statistics Studies of France – INSEE), published in 2018, found that over 83% of the population lived under the poverty line by French standards, compared with 16% in Metropolitan France. It also found that 40% of homes were corrugated sheet metal shacks, 29% of households had no running water, and 34% of inhabitants 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 mean all of the department's islands, or only 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. Because of the volcanic rock, the soil is rich in some areas. 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. Other high points include 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 160 kilometre long coral reef surrounds a lagoon that 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 within it. Mtsamboro is home mainly to fishermen. The Mbouzi islet is a nature reserve, and the Sable Blanc islet lies near a marine park. Mayotte covers about 374 square kilometres, making 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 recorded in many places, including Kenya, Chile, New Zealand, Canada, and Hawaii. Later, these earthquakes were linked to a newly discovered undersea volcano about 50 km away.

Mayotte is surrounded by a typical tropical coral reef. A large outer barrier reef encloses 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 barely 5% because of illegal deforestation. 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 established on the island, and Portuguese explorers observed and named it in 1503 but did not settle it. Mayotte was once rich and part of the Swahili coast culture, but traders preferred its sister island Anjouan, and Mayotte stayed poorly developed for a long time. In the early 1800s, it had ties with the Anjouan Sultanate and was conquered 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 that voted in referendums to stay linked with France rather than become independent. The Comoros have never stopped claiming the island. In 2011, Mayotte became an overseas department of France after a 2009 referendum, in which 95.5% voted for the change. In 2018, the department experienced civil unrest over migration from the Comoros. In December 2024, Cyclone Chido caused extreme damage, and President Emmanuel Macron visited the island to deliver 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 governed as a parliamentary representative democratic system with a multi-party system. The President of the Departmental Council leads the local assembly, and executive power is held by the French government. Mayotte sends two deputies to the French National Assembly and two senators to the French Senate. These deputies represent Mayotte's 1st constituency and Mayotte's 2nd constituency. Many local people did not want to become independent from France like the Comoros, but some Marxist-Leninist governments criticized Mayotte's ties to France. Its local customs, largely based on Muslim law, were hard to fit into French law, and raising living standards to the level of Metropolitan France would be costly. In 2001, Mayotte's status moved closer to the departments of France as a departmental collectivity, approved by 73% of voters. After the 2003 constitutional reform, it became an overseas collectivity and kept the title "departmental collectivity." On 31 March 2011, Mayotte became an overseas department of France after the 2009 Mahoran status referendum, which about 95% of voters approved.

Since 2011, Mayotte has had one local assembly, the Departmental Council, which acts as both a regional and departmental council. This is called a single territorial collectivity. Mayotte became an outermost region of the European Union on 1 January 2014, after a directive from the European Council in December 2013. In recent national elections, Mayotte has been a stronghold for 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, but in Mayotte its message is against immigration rather than Islam. This explains its success in this Muslim-majority territory.

Defence

Defence of the territory is the responsibility of the French Armed Forces, mainly carried out by a Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte. One Engins de Débarquement Amphibie – Standards (EDA-S) landing craft, called Épée, is to be delivered to naval forces based in Mayotte by 2025. It will replace a CTM landing craft now in the territory, to better support coastal operations.

About 170 personnel of the National Gendarmerie are stationed in Mayotte. As of late 2022, the Maritime Gendarmerie operated the patrol boats Odet and Verdon in the territory. In December 2024, both boats were badly damaged by Cyclone Chido. Reports suggested they might be beyond repair and would need to be replaced. In early 2025, a sister ship, the patrol boat Adour, was moved to Mayotte from mainland France as a temporary replacement.

Administrative divisions

Main article: Communes of Mayotte

Mayotte is divided 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.

Mayotte gets around by sea and by road. A waterways ferry runs between Dzaoudzi and Mamoudzou. The island has 93 kilometres (58 mi) of highways in total. Of these, 72 kilometres (45 mi) are paved and 21 kilometres (13 mi) are unpaved.

The island's ports and harbours are at Dzaoudzi and at "Longoni" (Koungou). Flights arrive and leave at Dzaoudzi Pamandzi International Airport, which had one paved runway in 2002.

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 GDP per person was €9,692. This was eight times higher than in the Comoros that year, but only 42.8% of the level in Réunion and 26.4% of the level in Metropolitan France. The figure does not adjust for local prices (PPP). Living standards are therefore lower than in metropolitan France. In the 2017 census, 10% of homes had no electricity, 29% had no running water inside, and 54% had no toilets inside.

The economy grew quickly after the year 2000, helped by money from the French government and by becoming a full French department after a 2009 vote. It grew by an average of 9.3% per year in real terms from 2001 to 2008. 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, and the COVID-19 pandemic affected the economy in 2020. Mayotte is catching up with the rest of France, but hardship remains. The unemployment rate is 30%, and 8 out of 10 children live in poverty.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Mayotte

On 1 January 2024, a record 320,901 people were living 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 foreign 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, and 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, but the CIA World Factbook estimates that 97% of the population is Muslim and 3% is Christian. The main Christian group is Roman Catholic, which is served with the Comoros by a Apostolic Vicariate of Comoros Archipelago. French is the only official language and is used for government, schools, 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 connected to it have made their mark in different fields. Abdou Baco (born around 1965) is a writer who founded the musical group Mobissa. Toifilou Maoulida (born 1979) is a former French footballer who played 556 games, and Manou Mansour (born 1980) is a French poet. El Fardou Ben Nabouhane (born 1989) is a footballer from the Comoros.

Several 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, and Nourdine Bourhane (born 1950) is a former senior politician. Ibrahim Aboubacar (born 1965) is a politician at 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, and it has the worst educational outcomes in France. About one third of young people are not in school, and many of them come from disadvantaged and immigrant backgrounds. According to the Ministry of National Education, over 70% of people face difficulty reading. A 2023 study from the University of Paris-Nanterre found that up to 9 percent of school-age children were not enrolled in school. Schools are often overcrowded, and natural disasters make the situation worse.

Tourism

The island of Mayotte has many different 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 it is home to a great variety of animals, including large whales and dolphins.

Visitors can go hiking to the old volcano Dziani Dzaha and its lake, or up Mount Combani and Mount Choungui. They can dive and snorkel among tropical fish on the coral reef, and watch green and hawksbill turtles, dolphins, and whales from the lagoon. 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.