Africa A to Z: Continental and Country Profiles: Third Edition

Mayotte

COUNTRY PROFILES A-Z Africa Institute of South Africa | Africa A-Z: Continental and Country Profiles 275 Mayotte Orientation The island of Mayotte (or Maore) is geographically part of the Comoros Archipelago but is French territory remaining politically separate from the independent island state comprising Mayotte’s three sister islands (see Comoros Profile). Mayotte lies in the Mozambique Channel, the sea strait between Africa and Madagascar, and is the Comoran island nearest to Madagascar (about 350 km). The distance to its nearest sister island, Anjouan, is about 100 km. Mayotte consists of two islands, a larger one called La Grande Terre, with the largest town, Mamoudzou (Mamutzu), located on it. The smaller island is La Petite Terre, also known as Pamandzi, where the islands’ capital, Dzaoudzi, perches on a rocky Gibraltar-like peninsula. A French naval base with a few thousand troops is located on Pamandzi. Mayotte is encircled by a coral barrier which forms a vast lagoon and contains the largest natural harbour of all the Comoro islands. The towns of Mamoudzou and Dzaoudzi face each other across the narrowest part of the lagoon. The larger island consists of uneven terrain with deeply indented bays and is covered by forest and plantations. People Mayotte is the third largest island in the Comoros Archipelago (374 km2 ) and has the third largest population (about 160 000) of the four islands, though it is more densely populated than the others. Mayotte’s climatic, demographic and cultural features are largely similar to those of its sister islands. The people are of Arab, African and Madagascan stock; most of them are Muslims. There is an influential Creole minority, originally from Réunion Island, who are mainly Roman Catholic. French is the official language but the lingua franca is a variant of Kiswahili, spoken along the East African coast. Economy Although living standards and per capita income are higher on Mayotte than on the other Comoro islands, Mayotte is highly dependent on French economic aid. As a result, Mayotte attracts illegal immigrants from the rest of the archipelago which is cause for concern on Mayotte as around one-third of the Mahorais are unemployed themselves. The island has no mineral deposits and oil has to be imported for power generation. About one-fifth of the economically active persons are engaged in agriculture and fishing, producing various COUNTRY PROFILES A-Z 276 Africa A-Z: Continental and Country Profiles | Africa Institute of South Africa food crops and export crops such as vanilla, ylang-ylang (an ingredient of perfume), coffee and copra. However, the bulk of food requirements have to be imported. Tourism contributes to the economy as well, but is constrained by the island’s remote location. History and Government Having been a French naval base since 1843, Mayotte has been exposed to French culture at least half a century longer than its neighbours. Traditionally, Mayotte also has strong bonds with Réunion, the other Indian Ocean island that has remained French. In the early 1960s, when Mayotte and the rest of the Comoros were granted limited self-government, the colonial capital was moved from Dzaoudzi (Mayotte) to Moroni (Grand Comoro), a step that alienated the Mahorais from the rest of the Comoros as they feared domination from Grand Comoro. When, in 1975, the other three islands declared an independent Comoran state, Mayotte refused to be part of it and remained French. In 1976 France gave Mayotte the status of a collectivité territoriale, a lower status than that of a département that was the normal sub-national division in the French system of government. At a referendum in 1999 the Mahorais voted in favour of département status and in 2001 the French parliament elevated the island’s system of government to that of a collectivité départementale. In terms of this arrangement Mayotte has an elected General Council whose President is to become the island’s chief executive. In addition, Mayotte is represented in the French parliament by a deputy and a senator , elected by the island’s voters. There are several political parties that contest regular elections for the General Council. In addition, the island’s voters participate in elections for the French president and the National Assembly in Paris. The island is represented in the European Parliament. COUNTRY PROFILES A-Z Africa Institute of South Africa | Africa A-Z: Continental and Country Profiles 277...