![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/06\/Mayotte-Map-300x169.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Mayotte’s land area is 374 square kilometres (144 sq mi) and, with its 279,471 people according to January 2020 official estimates, is very densely populated at 747 inhabitants per km2 (1,935 per sq mi). The biggest city and prefecture is Mamoudzou<\/a> on Grande-Terre. However, the Dzaoudzi\u2013Pamandzi International Airport<\/a> is located on the neighboring island of Petite-Terre. The territory is also known as Maore, the native name of its main island, especially by advocates of its inclusion in the Union of the Comoros.<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Although, as a department, Mayotte is now an integral part of France, the majority of the inhabitants do not speak French as a first language, but a majority of the people 14 years and older report in the census that they can speak French (with varying levels of fluency). The language of the majority is Shimaore<\/a>, a Sabaki language<\/a> closely related to the varieties in the neighboring Comoros<\/a> islands. The second most widely spoken native language is Kibushi<\/a>, a Malagasy language<\/a>, of which there are two varieties, Kibushi Kisakalava, most closely related to the Sakalava dialect of Malagasy, and Kibushi Kiantalaotra. Both have been influenced by Shimaore. The vast majority of the population is Muslim.<\/p>\n The island was populated from neighbouring East Africa with later arrival of Arabs, who brought Islam. A sultanate was established in 1500. In the 19th century, Mayotte was conquered by Andriantsoly, former king of Iboina<\/a> on Madagascar, and later by the neighboring islands Moh\u00e9li<\/a> and then Anjouan<\/a> before being purchased by France in 1841. The people of Mayotte voted to remain politically a part of France in the 1974 referendum<\/a> on the independence of the Comoros. Mayotte became an overseas department on 31 March 2011 and became an outermost region of the European Union on 1 January 2014, following a 2009 referendum<\/a> with an overwhelming result in favour of the department status.<\/p>\n The new department is facing enormous problems and challenges: in 2019, with an annual population growth of 3.8%, half the population is less than 17 years old, unemployment reaches 35% and 84% of the inhabitants live below the official poverty line. In addition, as a result of massive illegal immigration from neighboring islands, 48% of the population are foreign nationals.<\/p>\n In 1500, the Maore sultanate was established on the island. In 1503, Mayotte was observed and named (firstly Espiritu Santu) by Portuguese explorers, but not colonized. The island has known several eras of wealth (especially during the 11th century at Acoua or between 9th and 12th centuries at Demb\u00e9ni), being an important part of the Swahili coast<\/a> culture. However, its sister island Anjouan was preferred by international traders due to its better suitability to large boats, and for a long time Mayotte remained poorly developed compared to the three other Comoros islands, and often was targeted by pirates and Malagasy or Comorian raids.<\/p>\n In 1832, Mayotte was conquered by Andriantsoly, former king of Iboina on Madagascar; in 1833, it was conquered by the neighbouring sultanate of Mwali<\/a> (Moh\u00e9li island in French). On 19 November 1835, Mayotte was again conquered by the Ndzuwani Sultanate (Anjouan<\/a> sultanate in French); a governor was installed with the unusual Islamic style of Qadi<\/a> (from the Arabic \u0642\u0627\u0636 which means judge). However, in 1836 it regained its independence under a last local Sultan. Andriantsoly won again the island in 1836, but his depopulated and unfortified island was in a weak position towards the sultans of Comoros, Malagasy kings and pirates. Looking for the help of a powerful ally, he began to negotiate with the French, installed in the nearby Malagasy island of Nosy B\u00e9 in 1840.<\/p>\n Mayotte was purchased by France in 1841, and integrated to the Crown. This also entailed the end of the slavery regime which had dominated the island for centuries : the slaves were sent free and most of the masters, ruined, had to leave the island.<\/p>\n Mayotte therefore became a French island, but it remained an island emptied of its inhabitants by decades of wars, as well as by the exodus of former elites and part of their slaves: most of the cities were abandoned, and nature regained its rights over the old plantations. The French administration therefore tried to repopulate the island, recalling first of all the Mayotte exiles or refugees in the region (Comoros, Madagascar), proposing to the former exiled masters to return in exchange for compensation, then by inviting wealthy Anjouan families to come and set up trade. France launched some first major works, such as the realization in 1848 of the Boulevard des Crabes connecting the rock of Dzaoudzi to Pamandzi and the rest of Petite-Terre.<\/p>\n In the wake of the West Indies and Reunion, the French government planned to make Mayotte a sugar island: despite the steep slopes, large plantations were developed, 17 sugar factories were built and hundreds of foreign workers (mainly African, in particular Mozambic Makwas) hired from 1851 onwards. However, production remained mediocre, and the sugar crisis of 1883-1885 quickly led to the end of this crop in Mayotte (which had just reached its peak of production), leaving only a few factory ruins, some of which are still visible now. The last sugar plant to be closed was Dzoumogn\u00e9 in 1955: the best preserved, and now heritage, is Soulou, in the west of the island.<\/p>\n At the Berlin conference in 1885, France took control over the whole Comoros archipelago, which was actually already ruled by French traders; the colony took the name of “Mayotte and dependencies”.<\/p>\n In 1898, two cyclones razed the island to the ground, and a smallpox epidemic decimated the survivors. Mayotte had to start from the beginning once again, and the French government had to repopulate the island with workers from Mozambique, Comoros and Madagascar. The sugar industry was abandoned, replaced by vanilla, coffee, copra, sisal, then fragrant plants such as vetiver, citronelle, sandalwood and especially ylang-ylang, which later became one of the symbols of the island.<\/p>\n Mayotte was the only island in the archipelago that voted in referenda in 1974 and 1976<\/a> to retain its link with France and forgo independence (with 63.8% and 99.4% of votes respectively). The United Nations’ constant policy regarding decolonisation has been that independence must be effected in the framework of the colonial borders and for that reason it has not recognized the validity of that referendum; over twenty UN resolutions have condemned France’s annexation of Mayotte, while the independent Comoros have never ceased to claim the island. A draft 1976 United Nations Security Council<\/a> resolution recognizing Comorian sovereignty over Mayotte, supported by 11 of the 15 members of the Council, was vetoed by France. It was the last time, as of 2011, that France cast a lone veto in the Council. The United Nations General Assembly<\/a> adopted a series of resolutions on the issues, under the title “Question of the Comorian Island of Mayotte” up to 1995. Since 1995, the subject of Mayotte has not been discussed by the General Assembly, and all the following referenda over Mayotte independence have shown a strong will of Mayotte people to remain French.<\/p>\n Mayotte became an overseas department of France in March 2011 in consequence of a 29 March 2009 referendum. The outcome was a 95.5 per cent vote in favour of changing the island’s status from a French “overseas community” to become France’s 101st d\u00e9partement. Its non-official traditional Islamic law, applied in some aspects of the day-to-day life, will be gradually abolished and replaced by the uniform French civil code. Additionally, French social welfare and taxes apply in Mayotte, though some of each will be brought in gradually. Comoros continues to claim the island, while criticising the French military base there.<\/p>\n The term Mayotte (or Maore) may refer to all of the department’s islands, of which the largest is known as Maore (French: Grande-Terre) and includes Maore’s surrounding islands, most notably Pamanzi (French: Petite-Terre), or only to the largest island. The name is believed to come from Mawuti, contraction of the Arabic \u062c\u0632\u064a\u0631\u0629 \u0627\u0644\u0645\u0648\u062a Jaz\u012brat al-Mawt \u2013 meaning “island of death” (maybe due to the dangerous reefs circling the island) and corrupted to Mayotta in Portuguese, later turned into French. However, the local name is Mahore, and the Arabic etymology is doubtful.<\/p>\n The main island, Grande-Terre (or Maore), geologically the oldest of the Comoro Islands, is 39 kilometres (24 mi) long and 22 kilometres (14 mi) wide, and its highest point is Mount Benara,<\/a> at 660 metres (2,165 ft) 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<\/a> was the capital of Mayotte (and earlier the capital of all the colonial Comoros) until 1977, when the capital was relocated to Mamoudzou on the main island of Grande-Terre. It is situated on Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi), which at 10 square kilometres (4 sq mi) is the largest of several islets adjacent to Maore. The area of the lagoon behind the reef is approximately 1,500 square kilometres (580 sq mi), reaching a maximum depth of about 80m. It is described as “the largest barrier-reef-lagoon complex within the southwestern Indian Ocean”.<\/p>\n Living standards are lower than in metropolitan France. Close to a third of the population lives in a housing which is not connected to public water network. Additionally, 10% of the housing has no electricity.<\/p>\n The local agriculture industry is threatened by insecurity, and due to a more expensive workforce cannot compete on the export ground with Madagascar or the Comoros union. Main crops include ylang-yland for perfumes and vanilla.<\/p>\n The major economic potential of the island remains tourism, however hampered by delinquency rates.<\/p>\n Mayotte had a ferry that runs between Dzaoudzi and Mamoudzou.<\/p>\n There are a total of 93 kilometres (58 mi) of highways of which 72 kilometres (45 mi) are paved.<\/p>\n There are two ports, one at Dzaoudzi and one at “Longoni” (Koungou).<\/p>\n The only airport is Dzaoudzi Pamandzi International Airport<\/a> with services to: all other Comorian islands, Kenya<\/a>, Tanzania<\/a>, Madagascar, Reunion Island<\/a>, and France<\/a>.<\/p>\n The official flag of Mayotte is the French tricolor.<\/p>\n The unofficial local flag consists of a white field with the archipelago’s coat of arms below an inscription “MAYOTTE” in red capitals. It consists of a shield with a cloud design, a sideways crescent and flowers in blue and red segments. The supporters of the shield are seahorses<\/a>. The motto, placed in a grey ribbon, reads “RA HACHIRI” \u2013 We are vigilant in Shimaore (Comorian).<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The official flag of Mayotte is the French tricolor. The unofficial local flag consists of a white field with the archipelago’s coat of arms below an inscription “MAYOTTE” in red capitals. It consists of a shield with a cloud design, a sideways crescent and flowers in blue and red segments. The supporters of the shield are seahorses. The motto, placed in a grey ribbon, reads “RA HACHIRI” \u2013 We are vigilant in Shimaore (Comorian).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5592,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[59,5,11,6,7,31,29],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5316"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5316"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5316\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5592"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/06\/Mamoudzou.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/06\/Comoros-Map-in-Africa-300x211.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>History:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/06\/Andriantsoly-Last-Sultan-of-Mayotte-from-1832-to-1843-262x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/06\/Ylang-Ylang-Flowers-300x240.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Geography:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/06\/Grande-Terre-Mayotte-246x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Economy:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/06\/Vanilla-Beans-146x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Transportation:<\/h2>\n
Flag of Mayotte:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/03\/Flag-of-France-300x200.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/06\/Unofficial-Flag-of-Mayotte-300x200.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>