Mayotte State Overview

Mayotte is a small island off the coast of Madagascar that is a collectivity of France. The island encompasses 144 square miles, and a population of nearly 190,000, making it the 11th most densely populated territory of the nation in the world. It is found in the Mozambique Channel in the Comoros Islands chain, between Madagascar and Mozambique. Mayotte consists of a large island, a small island, and a series of small islets. Mayotte Geography can be found on allpubliclibraries.

Like the other countries and several overseas territories, this island is part of the community territory of the European Union (EU).

Mayotte is an island in the overseas possessions of France. It is also known as Mahoré, especially when referring to its inclusion by the Union of the Comoros.

History

The history of Mayotte dates back to the 15th century, when Arab pirates landed on the island of Mayotte. In 1500 the Mawuti Sultanate (which means “island of death” or “of the dead”, which was later deformed by the French to Mayotte) is created on the island. The Arabs convert the local population, who were probably of Bantu and Malay origin, to Islam. The island is visited by Portuguese and French expeditions during the 16th century. Towards the end of the 18th century, the island is invaded by the Malagasy and from Madagascar, who impose their language. The French crown takes control of Mayotte in 1843, establishing a colony. At the beginning of the 20th century Mayotte, together with the archipelago of the Comoros Islands and Madagascar, became a French overseas territory. From 1975 the administration of Mayotte was split from that of Comoros, since the three islands of the extreme north of Comoros and with a Muslim majority declared their independence, while the residents of Mayotte decided to remain under French rule. According to a resolution of the United Nations of 1979, the sovereignty of Comoros over Mayotte was recognized, which was reaffirmed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1991. The African Union he also supported Comoros’s claim to Mayotte.

Mayotte Department

On March 29 of the year 2009 a referendum was held among the people of Mayotte, whether they wanted their island acquired the status of Department and the rights of a Department and Region [[overseas as provided for in Article 73 of the Constitution from France. 61% of the registered voters voted, of which 95% accepted the proposal. In this way, from the year 2011, the island will become the French department number 101 and will become part of the [[European Union.

Economy

The economy of Mayotte is strong, largely because of its close ties with France, and as a result, the tourism infrastructure is extensive.

Currency

The official currency is the [[euro], which is divided into 100 cents. You will only find ticket dispensing ATMs in Mamoudzou, Dzaoudzi, Labattoir and Pamandzi.

Demography

Population

According to the July 2007 census there were 186,452 residents in Mayotte. In the 2002 census, 64.7% of the people living in Mayotte were born in Mayotte, 28.1% were immigrants from the Comoro Islands, and 3.9% were born in the rest of France.

The enormous disparity between the economic conditions of this island and the others located in the archipelago less than 70 km away, is due to the economic subsidies that come from the metropolis. As a consequence, Mayotte attracts tens of thousands of immigrants who arrive each year in fragile boats. This island has undoubtedly the highest fertility rate in France with 7,000 births per year, 75% of these births being the result of illegal immigration.

Languages

French is the only official language of Mayotte. It is the language used in administrations and in the school system. It is also the most widely used language on television and radio as well as in advertisements. Despite this, Mayotte is one of the French overseas territories where the knowledge of the same language is less developed. In the census of 2002, only 55% of people over 15 said they knew to read and write French, although this figure is higher than those who know how to write other languages.

Others

Shimaore: a dialect of Swahili heavily influenced by French and Malagasy.
Kibushi: a western dialect of the Malagasy language (language of Madagascar) influenced by Shimaore and Arabic.
Kiantalaotsi: another western Malagasy dialect also influenced by Shimaore and Arabic.
Arabic: essentially learned in Koranic schools.

Health

Although Mamoudzou is the only town with a hospital, the medicines are distributed free of charge to all towns.

Culture

Different types of culture are conglomerated in Mayotte, the main one of Comorian origin representing 60% of the population and the second one of Malagasy origin, both strongly framed by the French culture that is increasingly permeated in them. Moringue, analogous to Brazilian capoeira, is still practiced on the island. Its most notable event has been the visit this year 2011 of JUSTIN BIEBER at the beginning of his new Tour, after an arduous fight of voting on the internet with his neighbor Somalia. Although French is the official language, many speak (but do not write) Shimaore (Swahili dialect) and Malagasy, the two main languages of the island.