Mayotte

{{Infobox Country |native_name = Collectivité départementale de Mayotte |common_name = Mayotte |image_flag = Flag_of_Mayotte (local).svg |flag_caption = Flag of Mayotte |image_map = LocationMayotte.png

Geography

Map of the Comoros with Mayotte

The main island, Grande-Terre (or Mahoré), geologically the oldest of the Comoros, is 24 mi (39 km) long and 13½ mi (22 km) wide, slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC. Its highest point is Mount Benara at 2,165 feet (660 m) 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 Comoros until 1977. It is situated on Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi), which at 3.9 square miles (10 sq. km) is the largest of several islets adjacent to Mahoré. Mayotte is a member of the Indian Ocean Commission, with a separate membership rather than as part of the Comoros.

The climate is tropical; with a hot and humid, rainy season during the northeastern monsoon season (November to May); the dry season (May to November) is cooler. The area is prone to cyclones during the rainy season.

The terrain is generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks.

History

In 1500 the Maore or Mawuti (corrupted to Mayotte in French) sultanate was established on the island. In 1503, Mayotte was observed by Portuguese explorers, but not colonized.

In 1832, it was conquered by Andriantsoly, former king of Iboina on Madagascar; in 1833 conquered by the neighbouring sultanate of Mwali (Mohéli island in French); on 19 November 1835 again conquered by Ndzuwani sultanate (Anjouan sultanate in French; a governor was installed with the unusual islamic style of Qadi (from the Arabic قاض which means judge), sort of a 'Resident Magistrate' in British terms), but in 1836 regained its independence under a last local Sultan.

Mayotte was ceded to France along with the other Comoros in 1843. 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, and a draft 1976 United Nations Security Council resolution supported by 11 of the 15 members of the Council would have recognized Comoros sovereignty over Mayotte, but France vetoed the resolution (the last time, as of 2004, France cast a lone veto in the Council). The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a series of resolutions on the issues, whose tenor can be gauged from their title: "Question of the Comorian Island of Mayotte" up to 1995. Since 1995, the subject of Mayotte has no more been evocated by the General Assembly.

Sea near Mamoudzou

The situation of Mayotte proved to be unwieldy 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. 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 must state specifically that they apply 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 mainland France, with the particular designation of departmental community, although the island is still claimed by the Comoros. This change was approved by 73% at a referendum on Mayotte. After the constitutional reform of 2003 it became an overseas community while retaining the title departmental community of Mayotte.

Politics

Politics of Mayotte takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic French overseas community, whereby the President of the General Council is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Mayotte has a multi-party system, with numerous parties in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition governments.

Mayotte also sends one deputy to the French National Assembly and two senators to the French Senate.

Politics of Mayotte takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic French overseas collectivity, whereby the President of the General Council is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. The status of Mayotte was changed in 2001 toward one very close to the status of the départements of mainland France, with the particular designation of collectivité départementale, although the island is still claimed by the Comoros. This change was approved by 73% at a referendum on Mayotte. After the constitutional reform of 2003 it became a collectivité d'outre-mer while keeping to be entitled collectivité départementale de Mayotte.

The head of state is President Nicolas Sarkozy of France as represented by prefect Philippe Boisadam. The head of government is President of the General Council Saïd Omar Oili.

The General Council (Conseil Général) has 19 members, elected for a three- year term in single seat constituencies. Parliamentary elections were held in Mayotte on 21 March and 28 March 2004. The Mahoran branch of the Union for a Popular Movement won the most seats despite gaining fewer votes than the Mahoré Departementalist Movement.

Defense is the responsibility of France; a small contingent of French forces is stationed on the island.

Administrative divisions

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.

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Dzaoudzi Pamandzi Mamoudzou Dembeni Bandrélé Kani-Kéli Bouéni Chirongui Sada Ouangani Chiconi Tsingoni M'Tsangamouji Acoua Mtsamboro Bandraboua Koungou

Economy

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. Unemployment is 25 percent.

Agricultural products are vanilla, ylang-ylang (a perfume essence), coffee, copra, coconuts, and cinnamon. Industries include the newly created lobster and shrimp industry, as well as construction.

Export partners are France 43%, Comoros 36%, Reunion 15% (2006). Imports include food, machinery and equipment, transportation equipment, metals, and chemicals, mostly from France 49%, Seychelles 8.8%, China 4.1%, and South Africa 2.8% (2006).

Demographics

At the 2002 census there were 160,301 people living in Mayotte. 64.7% of these were born in Mayotte, 3.9% were born in the rest of the French Republic (either metropolitan France or overseas France except Mayotte), 28.1% were immigrants from the Comoros, 2.8% were immigrants from Madagascar, and the remaining 0.5% came from other countries.

The population was estimated at 208,783 in July 2007, with nearly half (45.8 percent) under the age of 14. Slightly more than half are from age 15 to 64, and only 1.8 percent are over sixty-five. Life expectancy at birth is 62.16 years (males 59.94 years and females 64.45 years).

People from France, called wazungu (singular, mzungu), make up 4 percent of the population. They work mainly in the municipal administration and are in a position of authority. A different lifestyle, a higher economic level, and a lack of understanding of the local languages reinforce their separation from Mahorans.

Culture

There is a common desire to remain French in order to preserve social equality and receive financial aid. However, Mahorans feel that they share in Comorean culture, along with certain Malagasy traits, and are united by their practice of Islam. This explains their reluctance to abandon their individual status under local (Islamic) law. Their French identity as an overseas collectivity is somewhat precarious: The status of the island within the French republic is considered provisional and will be reviewed in 2010.

Mahorans, who have family ties to the inhabitants of the other Comorian islands, especially Ndzuani and the northeastern part of Madagascar, are faced with immigration from the neighboring islands (officially 26,000 Comorians and 1,500 Malagasy), where the standard of living is lower. From Ngazidja, men come to marry Mahoran women to obtain French citizenship and gain the right to enter France. Poor farmers from Nzwani arrive clandestinely. Despite this migratory pressure, violent social reactions are rare.

Languages

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
• Arabic, essentially learned in the Qu'ranic schools

Kibushi is spoken in the south and northwest of Mayotte, while Shimaore is spoken elsewhere.

Other non-native languages are also present in Mayotte:

• French, the language imported by the French colonizers
• various dialects of the Comorian language essentially imported by immigrants who have arrived in Mayotte since 1974: Shindzwani (the dialect of Anjouan), Shingazidza (the dialect of Grande Comore), and Shimwali (the dialect of Mohéli).

Shingazidza and Shimwali on the one hand and Shimaore on the other hand are hardly mutually intelligible. Shindzwani and Shimaore are perfectly mutually intelligible.

French, the only official language, is the language used by the administrations and the school system. It is the language most used by televisions and radios as well as in commercial announcements and billboards. Despite this, Mayotte is one of the French overseas territories where the knowledge of French is the least developed. At the 2002 census, only 55 percent of people older than 15 years old declared they could read and write French, although this figure is higher than those who can read and write Shimaore (41%) or Arabic (33%).

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. A 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, but reached 97.0% for the pupils themselves (whose age is between 10 and 14).

Already 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 could either disappear or become some sort of French-based creole.

External links

• CIA World Factbook - Mayotte
• {{{2}}} at the Open Directory Project
• WorldStatesmen- Mayotte
• Travel guide to Mayotte from Wikitravel
• (French) Analysis of the linguistic situation on Mayotte
• "Voyages...Visages" - Another way of travelling and seeing
• Comité du tourisme de Mayotte Official tourism website (French)

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