Background Notes - Mayotte Island
Background:
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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.
Geography Mayotte Top of Page
Location:
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Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-half of the way from northern Madagascar to northern Mozambique
Geographic coordinates:
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12 50 S, 45 10 E
Map references:
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Africa
Area:
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total: 374 sq km
land: 374 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
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slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
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0 km
Coastline:
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185.2 km
Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
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tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November)
Terrain:
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generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks
Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Benara 660 m
Natural resources:
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NEGL
Land use:
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arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA%
other: NA%
Irrigated land:
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NA
Natural hazards:
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cyclones during rainy season
Environment - current issues:
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NA
Geography - note:
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part of Comoro Archipelago; 18 islands
People Mayotte Top of Page
Population:
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208,783 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure:
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0-14 years: 45.8% (male 48,016/female 47,533)
15-64 years: 52.5% (male 59,111/female 50,437)
65 years and over: 1.8% (male 1,864/female 1,822) (2007 est.)
Median age:
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total: 17.1 years
male: 18.1 years
female: 16.1 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate:
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3.617% (2007 est.)
Birth rate:
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40.35 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate:
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7.53 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate:
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3.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.172 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.023 male(s)/female
total population: 1.092 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
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total: 59.51 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 65.33 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 53.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 62.16 years
male: 59.94 years
female: 64.45 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate:
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5.69 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA
Nationality:
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noun: Mahorais (singular and plural)
adjective: Mahoran
Ethnic groups:
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NA
Religions:
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Muslim 97%, Christian (mostly Roman Catholic) 3%
Languages:
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Mahorian (a Swahili dialect), French (official language) spoken by 35% of the population
Literacy:
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definition: NA
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA
Government Mayotte Top of Page
Country name:
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conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Mayotte
conventional short form: Mayotte
Dependency status:
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departmental collectivity of France
Government type:
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NA
Capital:
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name: Mamoudzou
geographic coordinates: 12 46 S, 45 13 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
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none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)
Independence:
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none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)
National holiday:
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Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Constitution:
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4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system:
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the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007); represented by Prefect Jean-Paul KIHL (since 17 January 2005)
head of government: President of the General Council Said Omar OILI (since 8 April 2004)
cabinet: NA
elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; president of the General Council elected by the members of the General Council for a six-year term; next election to be held in 2010
Legislative branch:
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unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 21 and 28 March 2004 (next to be held in 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - MDM 23.3%, UMP 22.8%, PS 10.2%, MRC 8.9%, FRAP 6.5%, MPM 1.2%, other 27.1%; seats by party - MDM 6, UMP 9, MRC 2, MPM 1, diverse left 1
note: Mayotte elects one member of the French Senate; elections last held 24 September 2001 (next to be held in September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Mayotte also elects one member to the French National Assembly; elections last held 16 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007); results - percent of vote by party - UMP-RPR 55.1%, UDF 44.9%; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1
Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel
Political parties and leaders:
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Democratic Front or FD [Youssouf MOUSSA]; Mahoran Popular Movement or MPM [Ahmed MADI]; Federation of Mahorans or UMP-RPR [Mansour KAMARDINE]; Force of the Rally and the Alliance for Democracy or FRAP; Movement for Department Status Mayotte or MDM [Mouhoutar SALIM]; Renewed Communist Party of Mayotte or MRC [Omar SIMBA]; Socialist Party or PS [Ibrahim ABUBACAR] (local branch of French Parti Socialiste); Union for French Democracy or UDF [Henri JEAN-BAPTISTE]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA
International organization participation:
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UPU
Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)
Flag description:
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unofficial, local flag with the coat of arms of Mayotte centered on a white field, above which the name of the island appears in red capital letters; the main elements of the coat of arms, flanked on either side by a seahorse, appear above a scroll with the motto RA HACHIRI (We are Vigilant); the only official flag is the national flag of France
Economy Mayotte Top of Page
Economy - overview:
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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.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$953.6 million (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
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$NA
GDP - real growth rate:
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NA%
GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$4,900 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Labor force:
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44,560 (2002)
Unemployment rate:
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25.4% (2005)
Population below poverty line:
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NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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1.7% (2005)
Budget:
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revenues: $420 million
expenditures: $394 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005)
Agriculture - products:
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vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), coffee, copra
Industries:
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newly created lobster and shrimp industry, construction
Industrial production growth rate:
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NA%
Electricity - production:
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NA kWh
Electricity - consumption:
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139.2 million kWh (2005)
Exports:
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$6.5 million f.o.b. (2005)
Exports - commodities:
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ylang-ylang (perfume essence), vanilla, copra, coconuts, coffee, cinnamon
Exports - partners:
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France 43%, Comoros 36%, Reunion 15% (2006)
Imports:
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$341 million f.o.b.; note - excludes petroleum imports (2005)
Imports - commodities:
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food, machinery and equipment, transportation equipment, metals, chemicals
Imports - partners:
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France 49%, Seychelles 8.8%, China 4.1%, South Africa 2.8% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
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$208 million; note - extensive French financial assistance (2004)
Debt - external:
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$NA
Currency (code):
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euro (EUR)
Exchange rates:
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euros per US dollar - 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002)
Fiscal year:
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calendar year
Communications Mayotte Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use:
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10,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
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48,100 (2005)
Telephone system:
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general assessment: small system administered by French Department of Posts and Telecommunications
domestic: NA
international: country code - 269; microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communications to Comoros
Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
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3 (2001)
Internet country code:
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.yt
Internet hosts:
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1 (2007)
Internet users:
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NA
Transportation Mayotte Top of Page
Airports:
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1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Roadways:
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total: 93 km
paved: 72 km
unpaved: 21 km
Ports and terminals:
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Dzaoudzi
Military Mayotte Top of Page
Military - note:
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defense is the responsibility of France; a small contingent of French forces is stationed on the island
Transnational Issues Mayotte Top of Page
Disputes - international:
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claimed by Comoros
Votes:10
Comments: 0