Mayotte

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Mayotte was ceded to France along with the other islands of the Comoros group in 1843. It was the only island in the archipelago that voted in 1974 to retain its link with France and forego independence.

Contents 1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 sights and activities 5 Understand 6 Get in 6.1 By plane 6.2 By train 6.3 By car 6.4 By bus 6.5 By boat 7 Get around 8 Talk 9 Buy 10 Eat 11 Drink 12 Sleep 13 Learn 14 Work 15 Stay safe 16 Stay healthy 17 Respect 18 Contact 19 External links 20 Geography 21 People 22 Government 23 Economy 24 Communications 25 Transportation 26 Transnational Issues

Regions

Cities

Mamoudzou - capital

Other destinations

sights and activities

• a hike (almost a climb) to the summit of mont Choungui will offer a spectacular panorama of the island
• makis can be found in remote regions of the island
• diving is mandatory. Expect spectacular sights in the world's largest lagoon.
• sea turtles come to roost on the southern beaches
• in august-september, humpback whales can be found with their calves in tha lagoon.

Understand

Get in

By plane

planes fly daily between Réunion and Dzaoudzi, the airport/military base in Mayotte. For a return flight from Paris to Mayotte, expect to cash out at least 800€.

By train

By car

By bus

By boat

Get around

The easiest way to get around Mayotte is with bush taxis ("taxi brousse") who will take you around the island for a few euros.

Talk

French is the official language and is spoken by roughly 35% of the population. More commonly-spoken is Mahorian, a dialect of Swahili.

Buy

currency is the Euro (€). Local stuff (bananas, manioc, fish) is inexpensive, imported items (dairy products, manufactured products) are expensive

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Learn

Work

Voluntary service: Volontariat Civil à l'Aide Technique (VCAT). Conditions: you must be French or from another EU-member state or a country belonging to the European Economic Area. You must be over 18 and under 28 years old (inclusive). You must not have had your civic rights revoked by a court or have been convicted of certain offences. VCAT

Stay safe

Stay healthy

Mayotte is a malaria-infested zone. Consult your physician for anti-malaria medecine, and pile on mosquito repellent.

Respect

90% of the population is Muslim, following a very tolerant Islam. Say hello to people you will cross while hiking, always smile, and you will be respected.

Contact

External links

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Geography

Location 

Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-half of the way from northern Madagascar to northern Mozambique

Geographic coordinates 

12 50 S, 45 10 E

Map references 

Africa

Area 

total: 374 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 374 sq km

Area - comparative 

slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries 

0 km

Coastline 

185.2 km

Maritime claims 

exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate 

tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November)

Terrain 

generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks

Elevation extremes 

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Benara 660 m

Natural resources 

NEGL

Land use 

arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA%
other: NA% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 

NA sq km

Natural hazards 

cyclones during rainy season

Geography - note 

part of Comoro Archipelago; 18 islands

People

Population 

170,879 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure 

0-14 years: 46.6% (male 39,927; female 39,628)
15-64 years: 51.7% (male 48,237; female 40,210)
65 years and over: 1.7% (male 1,429; female 1,448) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate 

4.41% (2002 est.)

Birth rate 

43.59 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate 

8.58 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate 

9.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio 

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.2 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female
total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate 

67.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth 

total population: 60.21 years
female: 62.37 years (2002 est.)
male: 58.12 years

Total fertility rate 

6.15 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate 

NA%

Nationality 

noun: Mahorais (singular and plural)
adjective: Mahoran

Ethnic groups 

NA

Religions 

Muslim 97%, Christian (mostly Roman Catholic)

Languages 

Mahorian (a Swahili dialect), French (official language) spoken by 35% of the population

Literacy 

definition: NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government

Country name 

conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Mayotte
conventional short form: Mayotte

Dependency status 

territorial collectivity of France

Government type 

NA

Capital 

Mamoutzou

Administrative divisions 

none (territorial collectivity of France)

Independence 

none (territorial collectivity of France)

National holiday 

Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

Constitution 

28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system 

French law

Suffrage 

18 years of age; universal

Flag description 

the flag of France is used

Economy

Economy - overview 

Economic activity is based primarily on the agricultural sector, including fishing and livestock raising. Mayotte is not self-sufficient and must import a large portion of its food requirements, mainly from France. The economy and future development of the island are heavily dependent on French financial assistance, an important supplement to GDP. Mayotte's remote location is an obstacle to the development of tourism.

Population below poverty line 

NA%

Unemployment rate 

45% (1997) (1997)

Industries 

newly created lobster and shrimp industry, construction

Electricity - production 

NA kWh

Agriculture - products 

vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), coffee, copra

Exports - commodities 

ylang-ylang (perfume essence), vanilla, copra, coconuts, coffee, cinnamon

Imports - commodities 

food, machinery and equipment, transportation equipment, metals, chemicals

Currency 

euro (EUR); French franc (FRF)

Currency code 

EUR; FRF

Exchange rates 

euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997)

Fiscal year 

calendar year

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use 

12,000 (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular 

0 (2000)

Telephone system 

general assessment: small system administered by French Department of Posts and Telecommunications
domestic: NA
international: microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communications to Comoros (2001)

Radio broadcast stations 

AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2001)

Radios 

NA

Television broadcast stations 

3 (2001)

Televisions 

3,500 (1994)

Internet country code 

.yt

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 

NA

Internet users 

NA

Transportation

Railways 

0 km (2002)

Highways 

total: 93 km
paved: 72 km
unpaved: 21 km

Waterways 

none

Ports and harbors 

Dzaoudzi

Airports 

1 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international 

claimed by Comoros

fr:Mayotte ja:マヨット