Mayotte

Mayotte (pronounced in French AFI: [majɔt]; in Mahorese Mahoré) is a French archipelago located between the Mozambique Channel and in the Indian Ocean that has the status of overseas department and region, being then an outermost region of the European Union.

According to 2011 estimates, the island has 209,530 inhabitants and its area is 374 km² (square kilometres). The island became a French overseas department as of March 2011. On this basis, the European Council decided on July 11, 2012 that, from January 1, 2014, Mayotte became an Outermost Region of the European Union, similar to the Canary Islands (Spain).

Toponymy

The name Mayotte comes from the Portuguese "Mayotta", a transliteration of the Swahili "Maouti", said to be modeled on the Arabic "Jazirat al Mawet" (جزيرة الموت) meaning "island of death" (probably because of the coral reef that surrounds the island and has long been a mortal danger to ships). In Shimaoré (a local dialect derived from Kiswahili), the island is called "Maoré". It is the southernmost island of the Comoros archipelago, "Jouzour al qamar" in Arabic (جزرالقمر), meaning the "Islands of the Moon"; this popular etymology is, however, apocryphal, as the latter name comes rather from the old Arabic name for Madagascar, "Q(u)mr'" (جزر القمر)

Mayotte is often referred to as the "island of perfumes" because aromatic flowers were once intensively cultivated, especially ylang-ylang, a symbol of the island. Due to its form seen from the sky, it is sometimes also called "the island of the seahorse", or possibly "the island of the lagoon", according to some advertising brochures, although this is less specific.

Apparently the first European name for Mayotte was "Isla del Espiritu Santo", given by Portuguese navigators at the turn of the century XVI. This name did not last, although it continued to appear on nautical charts until the 17th century, associated with a non-existent island south of Mayotte and next to the other imaginary island of "Saint-Christophe" (errors probably related to the topography of the peninsula to the south of the island, seen from afar at sea with approximate distances, and later with the summary report of the observations on a survey map, but only corrected in 1665 by John Burston).

History

Mayotte has been French since 1843. It is the only island in the archipelago that has voted in a referendum to remain France (first in the 1958 referendum, then in 1974 and again in the 1976 referendum). The Comoros continue to claim the island despite the referendum voted by the Mahorais of their choice to remain French.

In 2001, Mayotte's status changed to an overseas collectivity, a status very close to that of an overseas department (as in the case of Réunion, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and French Guiana). This change was approved by 73% of the population of Mayotte in a referendum for these purposes.

Following the referendum of March 29, 2009 (95.2% favorable votes), Mayotte became an overseas department of the French Republic in March 2011, governed by article 73 of the Constitution.

Archaeological remains in Acoua (siglos XIV-XV).

Antiquity

The island, which is 9 million years old, does not appear to have been inhabited before the Middle Ages, with mammals probably absent, with the exception of dogfish.

The first recorded human settlements date from the 7th and 9th centuries. It seems that the first inhabitants already belonged to the first Swahili peoples, characterized by a culture of Bantu origin extended along the entire shore of East Africa, from Somalia to Mozambique, maintaining relationships that are still little known with the Malagasy populations, of Austronesian origin. Mayotte and Anjouan were apparently occupied at a later date, as the two islands differ from the Comoros as a whole in their specific linguistic evolution. Maritime trade, very active at that time, bears witness to contacts with the Muslim Middle East. The oldest remains of human occupation have been found in Acoua and date from this time; the first populations were probably not Muslim and only became Islamized later, through contact with Arab traders. Mayotte was then a point of trade between Africa and Madagascar, as evidenced by the archaeological data from the Ironi Bé site in Dembéni.

From the 13th century to the 15th century, the island was under the direction of some Muslim chiefs, the Fani, and lived a first "golden age" due to its strategic position in the trade between Madagascar and the Swahili world. Relations with the coast and the great island were important, and the remains of African, Malagasy, Indian and even Chinese pottery attest to a flourishing trade. Excavations carried out in Dembéni have brought to light ceramics imported from the Persian Gulf, from India and from China, as well as Malagasy products (mainly worked rock crystal) dating from the 9th to 11th centuries, shows that this locality was already heavily involved in international trade in the Indian Ocean. This "civilization of Dembeni" it seems to have experienced a decline in the 11th century century, possibly due to warfare, leading to its gradual disappearance.

Around 1470, a Shirazi sultanate (originating in Persia) was established, which was recognized until the early 19th century. The establishment of Shafiite Sunni Islam, which is still practiced in Mayotte, dates from this time. The island of Mayotte ("Mawutu") was first mentioned in 1490 by the Arab navigator Ahmad ibn Majid.

Classical and modern times

The Comoros archipelago constitutes the southern border of the Swahili cultural area, which developed since the late Middle Ages in this region, then called Zanguebar. Mayotte is also the point of contact for this group with the very different Malagasy culture, which makes this island a crossroads of influences, but also a target of war. Influences from across the Indian Ocean, but also from the African coast, turned upside down by the invasion of the Bantu, and the Malagasy coast, constantly shape Swahili island society. Bantu and Malagasy (Sakalaves) immigration started hard.

With Vasco da Gama's circumambulation of Africa to reach India by sea around the Cape of Good Hope in 1498, the Mozambique Channel suddenly found itself at the center of the world's main trade route, opening an important period of prosperity for the many islands and city-states of the Swahili cultural area.

In 1503, the island of Mayotte was mentioned for the first time by a Portuguese fleet that landed on it; it was baptized as "Island of the Holy Spirit" in 1507. According to the archives of the Portuguese Admiralty, it was charted by Diego Ribeiro in 1527. At first, this careful identification allowed the island to be avoided, in the manner of the dhow convoys that had traversed the Mozambique Channel for centuries: the reefs of Mayotte coral posed a deadly danger to ships. For this reason, until the 18th century, the island was not a regular port of call for large fleets and was only home to a few large lost and cautious European ships that came to refuel out of necessity.

Soulou sugar factory remains

French Mayotte

Andriantsoly inherited the sultanate in 1832 after deposing Bwana Kombo (or "Buanacombé", or "Banakombo"), a son of Mawana Madi, who took refuge on the island of Mohéli. He then had to defend the island against the ambitions of the hova Ramanetaka – who had become the master of Mohéli under the name of Abderahmane – and the sultans of Anjouan, Abdallah and then Salim (1836). Andriantsoly wanted to preserve the island's autonomy from him from the other Comorian sovereigns. However, lacking an ally against the latter and against the British-backed Malagasy monarchy, he knew he was under threat. Therefore, he turned to the rivals of the British, the French, who had also been present in Madagascar since 1643 and had just taken Nosy Be.

In this context, on April 25, 1841, the Sultan sold Mayotte to France, led then by King Louis Philippe I. In exchange, he obtained from Captain Pierre Passot (sent by Anne Chrétien Louis de Hell), a personal life annuity of a thousand piastres (5000 francs) and the right to raise two children of the sultan in Réunion. This treaty was officially ratified by the French state in 1843.

Abolition of slavery

French sovereignty over Mayotte is independent of the division of Africa resulting from the Berlin Conference, which did not take place until after 1885.

The abolition of slavery in Mayotte occurred on April 27, 1846, although the island had been subject to the Arab slave trade until then. At the time, the island had some 3,000 almost exclusively Muslim inhabitants, a third to half of whom were slaves. French hopes of developing a port and plantations in Mayotte were to attract more immigration from Africa, but the government was aware that the arrival of free blacks would be interpreted by the British as a covert slave trade, which was prohibited.

Consequently, the Minister of the Navy and the Colonies, Ange René Armand de Mackau, suggested to King Louis-Philippe I that the development of a market economy in Mayotte required the freeing of the slaves and compensation for their Muslim masters. In the spring of 1847, the French Parliament approved the necessary financing to pay an indemnity of 200 francs per slave. The liberation process began in July 1847. After the fall of the July Monarchy caused by the French Revolution of 1848, article 3 of the Decree on the Abolition of Slavery of April 27, 1848, voted a few months later, confirmed the abolition of slavery on the island.

Integration in the French Republic

In 1946, the protectorates of Comoros and the colony of Mayotte were administratively separated from Madagascar and became an Overseas Territory (TOM). After rejecting independence in a 1958 referendum organized by General de Gaulle, the Comoros obtained a statute of internal autonomy on December 22, 1961 (law no. 1412) (which was extended in 1968 by law no. 6804). This status of internal autonomy gave rise to a Comorian government elected by the Territorial Assembly. From 1961 to 1970, the former deputy Saïd Mohamed Ben Chech Abdallah Cheikh was elected President of the Governing Council until his death on March 16, 1970. It was during this period, in 1966, that the capital of the Dzaoudzi territory (Mayotte) to Moroni (Grand Comore), eight years after the transfer decision and much to the displeasure of the locals.

During this period the first political movements were born that challenged the power of Saïd Mohamed Cheikh and, for some, demanded independence. Others, such as the Mouvement populaire mahorais (MPM), initially demanded greater autonomy for the other islands. The Union for the Defense of the Interests of Mayotte (UDIM) was created in 1958 by a Creole from Sainte-Marie, Georges Nahouda, a high-ranking administrator, to achieve the departmentalization of Mayotte106. His nephew, Marcel Henry, continued the struggle with the creation of the MPM after his death that same year. Associated with a part of the Mauritanian elite (including Younoussa Bamana), Marcel Henry continued the fight for French Mayotte until the end. The MPM gained the support of much of the French political class.

Mayotte's rejection of independence

English cannons of the centuryXVIIdiscovered at the bottom of the Mayotte Lagoon, they belonged to an English merchant ship, the Ruby, which stalled on the Mayotte reefs in 1699. In 1992, John Guthrie took them out of the water and restored them.

On August 25, 1972, the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization included the Comoros archipelago on its list of territories that should achieve self-determination. On June 15, 1973, France and the Comoros signed the accession agreements for independence. On December 22, 1974, France organized a referendum in the Comoros, declaring that "the populations of the Comoros will be consulted" (the plural is decisive here). Although the vote obtained more than 90% in favor of the independence of the territory, Mayotte stood out, voting 63.8% in favor of maintaining it within the French Republic.

A new French government came to power in France and, following the recommendation of a group of parliamentarians who had come to the archipelago on a study tour, planned to respect the will of the Mahoreses and consider the result "island for island". The president of the Governing Council of the Comoros, Ahmed Abdallah Abderamane, then unilaterally declared the immediate independence of the Comoros "within its colonial borders", without completing the process provided for in the agreements. Mayotte remained under French administration despite the Comorian government's declaration. The Union of the Comoros has since claimed Mayotte and rejected this separation, which would call into question the territorial integrity of the archipelago. The African Union considers this territory as occupied by a "foreign power".

On February 6, 1976, France used its veto power in the UN Security Council to prevent the adoption of a draft resolution calling on it to begin negotiations with the Comorian government for the retrocession of Mayotte and to renounced the holding of a new referendum.

On February 8, 1976, a second referendum was held, confirming by 99.4% (82.3% of registered voters, 9,580 votes in favor and 13 against) the choice of the Mayotte population of stay in the French Republic.

Departmentalization

The referendum of March 29, 2009 on departmentalization was approved by 95% of voters (that is, 57% of the electorate), confirming in a third referendum the will of the local population to remain French, instead joining the new Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros (then Union of the Comoros). The organization by France of a referendum on the departmentalization of Mayotte was naturally challenged by the president of the Union of the Comoros.

On March 31, 2011, the department of Mayotte officially became France's 101st department and its fifth overseas department. Following this change in status, negotiations were held with the European Union for the island to become part of the Union, changing its status from Overseas Country and Territory (OCT) to Outermost Region (OR) on July 1, 2014, like the other overseas departments of France. Mayotte joined the EU in 2014.

Geography

Map of Mayotte.

The main island, Mayotte (or Grande Terre), is the oldest in geological terms in the Comoros archipelago. It is 39 km (kilometres) long by 22 km wide and its highest points are between 500 and 600 m s. no. m. (meters above sea level). Due to its volcanic nature, the soil is very rich in some areas. The coral reef that surrounds a large part of the island ensures the protection of boats and is an excellent habitat for various kinds of fish.

Dzaoudzi was the capital of the Comoros until 1962, and now Mamoudzou is the administrative center of Mayotte. Dzaoudzi is the second city of Mayotte, it is located on Pamanzi Island (or Petite Terre), which has 10 km² (square kilometers), being the largest of several islets that surround Grande Terre.

Topography

Mayotte is the oldest of the four large islands of the Comoros archipelago, a chain of lands that emerges on a crescent-shaped underwater relief at the entrance to the Mozambique Channel. Located 295 km west of Madagascar and 67 km southeast of Anjouan, sometimes visible at sunset in the shadows, it is made up of several islands and islets covered with lush vegetation. The two largest islands are Grande-Terre and Petite-Terre, backed by a coral reef.

This 160 km long coral reef surrounds a 1,100 km² lagoon, one of the largest and deepest in the world. A part of the barrier reef presents a rare double barrier on the planet. It protects almost all of Mayotte from ocean currents and swells, except for a dozen passes, including one in the east called "S Pass". The lagoon, which has an average width of 5 to 10 km, is up to 100 meters deep.

It is dotted with a hundred coral islets, such as Mtsamboro. This reef serves as a refuge for boats and oceanic fauna. The volcanic activity that created the islands makes the soil especially fertile.

View of the Islote Bandrélél'îlot Bandrélé)

Mayotte's total area is around 374 km², making it by far the smallest French overseas department (after Martinique, which is already three times as large at 1,128 km²). However, this area is difficult to assess precisely, given the number of small uninhabited islets, some of which are completely underwater at high tide but can reveal significant areas at low tide. The main islands are

• Grande-Terre, 363 km2, is 39 km long and 22 km wide. Its highest points are: Mount Bénara or Mavingoni (660 m), Mount Choungui (594 m), Mount Mtsapéré (572 m) and Mount Combani (477 m). It is the home of Mamoudzou, which is the economic capital of Mayotte and houses the departmental council and prefecture;

• Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi Island), with Dzaoudzi (Official Capital of Mayotte) and Pamandzi (where the airport is located). It is 11 km2;

• The islet Mtsamboro is the third largest island (2 km2). It is permanently inhabited, mainly by fishermen;

• The Mbouzi islet (84 hectares or 0.84 km2) is classified as a natural reserve;

• The islet of Bandrélé is the fifth largest island;

• Islote de Sable Blanc is located near Saziley Marine Park (protected marine area).

Geology

Monte Choungui, Mayotte

The islands that make up Mayotte are geologically the oldest in the Comoro archipelago. Their age, starting at nine million years, decreases from the southeast (Mayotte) to the northwest (Grand Comore), although in the Isla Grande Terre, as well as in the islet of Pamandzi, very recent artifacts (maars) linked to phreatic explosions, and possibly older elements are observed.

The island as a whole is a vast volcanic shield of alkaline lava with phonolitic extrusions such as that of Mount Choungui, a ball-shaped conical relief of which one fifth is still preserved. The center of the unit is in the sea, to the west, and its origin is still uncertain, perhaps linked to the East African Rift. Significant subsidence has occurred, allowing the establishment of a crown reef around the residual landforms.

Mayotte is the result of the union of two volcanic edifices whose genesis goes back at least 20 million years, but which only came out of the water 9 million years ago (the island represents only between 1 and 3 % of the Mahoran volcanic cone, which descends to a depth of 3400 m).

The lava, initially fluid, became more viscous 4 million years ago, preventing the island from widening to form higher landforms, most of which collapsed 2 million years ago. Mauritania's last major volcano, M'Tsapéré, was extinct 1.5 million years ago, but occasional small eruptions (mainly explosive in the north) continued from 100,000 to 8,000 years ago, forming an island five times larger than today (1,800 km² vs. 374 km²). Petite-Terre is separated from Grande-Terre, which is the second largest island in the world. La Petite-Terre separated from La Grande Terre 7,000 years ago – the date of the last Dziani29 explosion – and the current appearance of the island dates back about 3,000 years.

Mayotte's volcanism has been extinct for several millennia (the closest active volcano is Karthala, in Grand Comore).

The lavas of Mayotte have a very original mineralogy and geochemistry. They are undersaturated in silica, some very strongly: in addition to phonolites, basanites, tephrites, nephelinites, and olivine melilithites are present. These last ultracalcic rocks are characterized by the presence of melilite, a calcium sorosilicate, in the paste and by the absence of feldspar. The melilites are lavas that can be considered exceptional. Those in Mayotte are the result of a low rate of partial melting of a CO2-rich mantle source, which contains calcium carbonates (probably dolomite) and apatite.

Lake Dziani, volcanic caldera in Mayotte

The growth of corals, which create white limestones (and later sands of the same color), took over from the land masses, characterized by black basaltic rocks, and subjected to erosion (they become red lateritic soils, rich in iron hydroxides).

During the great continental ice ages, 20,000 years ago, the drop in sea level by more than a hundred meters emptied the lagoons and made the reefs emerge: thus, the outer coral reef of Mayotte outlined the island 12,000 years ago, when the sea was much lower and the island was less eroded. The rivers, which were held up for a while, ran through the barrier passes, especially the 'S-Pass'. Then, with upwelling from the sea caused by postglacial climate warming, corals resumed their building zeal between 9,000 and 6,000 years ago.

The contrast between coral and volcanic geochemistry is especially visible on the northern beaches of Grande Terre, near the island of Mtsamboro. The black stone reefs, which announce the land, contrast strongly with the white beach of detrital coral sands.

The island of Grande Terre has steep slopes and, especially in the vicinity of the ridges, tropical erosion destroys the fragile vegetation that colonizes the padzas, a phenomenon aggravated by forest fires caused by illegal planters of plantains or cassava. Foresters try to fix degraded soil with acacia plantations.

Mayotte's geology is studied primarily by the Mayotte section of the Bureau de recherches géologiques et minières (BRGM), a public industrial and commercial establishment and a "public establishment of reference for the application of life sciences. land to the management of soil and subsoil resources and risks ".

Seismic Activity

Seismic activity is usually limited and considered low risk. Mayotte is classified as an area of moderate seismicity, so it has only three seismic stations (supplemented when necessary by other regional stations further afield, even in the Comoros and Madagascar). Historically, some isolated earthquakes have been recorded, such as a magnitude 5.0 earthquake in September 2011.

Cliffs near the Costa de la Playa Moya in Mayotte

An episode of swarm earthquakes struck the island (beginning on May 10, 2018 and for more than a year), with more than 1,800 tremors felt (greater than magnitude 3.5), culminating in the May 15, 2018 with a magnitude 5.8 earthquake, it was the largest earthquake recorded in the Comoros archipelago, but it did not cause major damage.

Following this seismic event, at the beginning of 2019 a scientific campaign of underwater investigations was launched, called "MAYOBS", which in May 2019 revealed the existence of an 800 m high volcano located 50 km east of Mayotte, at a depth of 3,500 m, which formed in less than a year from a base 4–5 km in diameter. Underwater seismometers revealed that the epicenters of the earthquakes were actually more near Mayotte, but also deeper, 10 km east of Mayotte (versus 50 according to initial estimates), but at a depth of between 20 and 50 km, surprising for a magma chamber.

A scientific study published in early 2020 in the prestigious journal Nature Geoscience indicates that this magma pocket is the largest and deepest ever identified in the world. IGN also observed that the island was moving east at a rate of 14 mm/month, while it subsided slightly (about -7 mm/month, but already 13 cm in a year), suggesting a seismic-volcanic phenomenon.

In October 2019, the subsidence was 15 cm, which caused the beginning of the submersion of the residences closest to the shore and made it difficult to evacuate wastewater.

Hydrography

Due to the small size of the island, none of the rivers are navigable: although some of them sometimes reach impressive flows at the height of the monsoon, most are almost completely dry during the dry season.

Dzoumogné, Mayotte

Mayotte has two natural lakes:

1. Lake Dziani, a crater lake ("maar") in Petite-Terre, whose waters are not suitable for the bath because they are loaded with marine and volcanic minerals and saturated phytoplankton. Its area is approximately 17.5 hectares;
2. Lake Karihani, in the commune of Tsingoni, the only natural mass of permanent sweet water. It covers a surface of 5 hectares in the rainy season, which is reduced to 0.25 ha at the end of the dry season.
3. There is also an artificial lake in Doujani (of mining origin), and two large reservoirs on the slopes (prey lakes) used to pump drinking water: in Combani (1.5 mm3, built in 1998) and in Dzoumogné (2 mm3, built in 2001). There is also the Badamiers marshes, in Petite-Terre, a sea lagoon with a large mangrove that connects with the sea in high tide.

Mayotte's drinking water supply has been in charge, since 1977, of SMAE (Société Mahoraise des Eaux, a subsidiary of Vinci Construction Dom Tom and attached to the Direction Déléguée de l'Océan Indien). Due to the large population, the scarce availability of fresh water, the low rate of water retention and, above all, the vagaries of the rainy season, sometimes there can be a shortage of fresh water, such as that of 2016-2017.

80% of drinking water comes from surface water (mainly from the two hillside reservoirs), 18% from deep wells and 2% from a seawater desalination plant installed in Petite-Terre. Infrastructures are far from being sufficient to meet the needs of the population. As the infrastructure is far from sufficient to meet the strong growth in demand (+10% per year), several major projects are under consideration, notably a third reservoir on the hill that could be built by 2022.

Climate

The climate is tropical with offshore trade winds. Average temperatures range between 23 and 30 °C (25.6 °C annual average) and humidity levels usually exceed 85%. There are two main seasons, separated by two shorter off-seasons:

• 

  M'tsamboro, Mayotte
  Rainy station or kashkasini

It officially runs from November 1 to April 30, with a core monsoon from December to March, peaking in January. The average temperature is 27.4 °C. Humidity is 85% during the day and 95% at night. Northeasterly winds bring heavy rain. Dzaoudzi receives more than one meter of water throughout the year, 80% of which falls during the rainy season, and flooding is frequent, especially in the Mamoudzou region. This season is characterized by the abundance of tropical fruits and the greenery that covers the entire island.

• Dry station or kussini:

This occurs from June to September. The season is drier and the trade winds appear. The average temperature is 24.7 °C. Vegetables replace fruits, grass dries up, and some trees (particularly baobabs) lose their leaves.

• From April to May, between stations or matulahi:

Temperatures drop and rainfall is less.

• Between October to November or m'gnombéni:

Temperatures and humidity rise. It is the planting period (cassava, plantains, corn, etc.). The trees are flourishing.

The prevailing winds in the dry and wet seasons are the southwest trade winds and the northwest monsoon. The sea temperature fluctuates around 25.6 °C, but can exceed 30 °C in the hottest season.

Tropical cyclones, which are increased along their path by heat being exchanged with warm surface waters of the sea, are quite rare in Mayotte, which is protected by Madagascar. However, it sometimes happens that certain depressions surround the island-continent, and then they can devastate the vegetation and the dwellings; thus, the cyclones of 1819, 1829 (with the collapse of Mount Kwale), 1836, 1858, 1864, 1898 (twice), 1920, 1934, 1950, 1962, 1975, 1978, April 1984 (Kamisy, which devastated the island) or January 1987, which nearly leveled the island and caused hundreds of casualties.

Islotes Choisil, Mayotte

Environment and natural heritage

Terrestrial Environment

Mayotte is a tropical island with sensational biodiversity: in particular, the island's flora is one of the richest in the world in relation to its surface area, with at least 1,300 recorded species, half of which are indigenous or endemic. 5,577 ha (i.e. about 15% of the island's surface) have the status of "forest reserves", which protect almost all of the natural humid forests, an essentially theoretical protection, however, since uncontrolled deforestation is important.

Adansonia digitata baobabs grow near turtle beds and beaches, and are sometimes home to colonies of fruit bats, a giant fruit-eating bat. Some of these baobabs have been dated by scientists to be over 400 years old; Mayotte is also the only land in the world, along with Madagascar, that is home to several species of baobab. The most preserved landscapes are in the south of Grande-Terre, especially at the tip of Saziley or in N'Gouja, and also in the east of Petite Terre. Estuaries and some bays are also home to important mangrove forests.

In the forests and agroforests of the archipelago, the brown lemur or "Mayotte maki", an agile lemur that feeds on fruits and leaves, lives in groups of seven to twelve individuals, sometimes more in the areas where it feeds on tourists. These animals were probably imported by the first human populations to serve as game, like the Malagasy hedgehog. The Malagasy civet can also be found, although more rarely. There are only 15 species of mammals on the island, probably all imported by man, with the exception of bats.

Makis (Eulemur fulvus) in the islet of Mbouzi (Mayotte)

In Mayotte there are about 140 species of birds, most of which are typical of neighboring African and Malagasy lands, such as the sad kingfisher, the great egret or the straw-tailed bird.

In terms of reptiles, there are about 18 species in Mayotte, including several species of geckos, such as the beautiful but invasive golden dust gecko (Phelsuma laticauda), numerous skinks and chameleons, as well as some small endemic (harmless) snakes, mainly in the mountains, including at least one endemic species, Madatyphlops eudelini. Amphibians are only represented by two species of frogs.

Among invertebrates, there are currently 23 species of land molluscs (snails and slugs), 116 species of butterflies (12 of them endemic), 38 species of dragonflies, 50 species of orthoptera (crickets, locusts and grasshoppers, 31 of them endemic) and 150 species of beetles.

Mayotte is very rich in plant biodiversity, but the primary forest is diminishing in favor of crops and housing, and now only covers 5% of the island, the rest is given over to agriculture (legal or not) and to introduced or invasive species. This deforestation generates risks of instability for the land and the coastline, as well as contamination and degradation of the lagoon, while territorial pressure and demography continue to grow.

At the current rate of deforestation, all of Mayotte's natural forests could disappear in thirty years, according to the Les Naturalistes de Mayotte association, which monitors the island's ecological evolution. In particular, to curb this phenomenon, a "national forest nature reserve" will be created in 2021; which aims to protect the primary forest of Mayotte in 2801 hectares distributed in six forest massifs that extend through 11 of the 17 municipalities of the department.

Yellow-faced butterflyfish (Chaetodon xanthocephalus) in night colors, in Mayotte.

Marine environment

Mayotte's coral reef is especially spectacular, holding several probable records, including the world's largest lagoon, the deepest and one of the only double barrier reefs. The outer coral reef is 195 km long, and is home to 1,500 km² of lagoon, including 7.3 km² of mangroves.

There are at least 250 different species of coral, 760 species of tropical fish, and the National Inventory of Natural Heritage lists no less than 3,616 marine species, but this figure is probably far from the true count, as many groups have not yet significantly inventoried. As this region of the world remains little inventoried by scientists, Mayotte's waters continue to harbor many species unknown to science and allow for important scientific discoveries each year.

The lagoon's warm waters can support midwife whales that live off their southern blubber reserves, and then their nursing young, and are home to more than twenty species of marine mammals, i.e., a quarter of known species, including very large schools of dolphins.

Mayotte continues to support a small population of dugongs, estimated at fewer than ten individuals, and therefore critically endangered. The lagoon is a fish nursery. Mangroves play an ecological cleansing role, preventing sediment flow, increasing the density of animals and plants, particularly juvenile fish species. There are also several species of sharks, but encounters are rare and there have never been any accidents in the area.

Green turtle Chelonia mydas in Mayotte

Other emblematic species of the lagoon are the reef manta ray, which is especially present from April to June. Other large ray species (eagle ray, sea ray, etc.) are also present.

Five species of sea turtles have been recorded in Mayotte, and several of them (mainly green and hawksbill) come to lay their eggs on the beaches; As an important nesting area for the green turtle, Mayotte records some 4,000 turtles coming to lay their eggs on the sands of at least 150 Mayotte beaches each year. The turtles and emblematic marine mammals of the lagoon are protected.

Mayotte has four protected marine zones (where fishing and destructive activities are prohibited): the Saziley Marine Park, the Passe en S (integral fishing reserve), the protection zone of the natural site of N'Gouja and the Islet of Mbouzi National Nature Reserve. in which activities potentially harmful to the environment are subject to the approval of the board of directors.

Government and politics

Since 2011, Mayotte has been a single territorial entity, in which a single institution, the Departmental Council of Mayotte, exercises the powers of a department and a region, within the framework of legislative identity.

Legal status

The law of July 11, 2001 relating to Mayotte provides for the progressive application of French common law to Mayotte, with a view to its conversion into an overseas department (DOM). This law made Mayotte a departmental authority with a general council and a decentralized administration, in force from April 1, 2004, maintaining this status until March 30, 2011. Since 2001, the regulations applicable to Mayotte are contained in the General Code of Territorial Authorities. The organic law of February 21, 2007 rewrote this statute, extending the logic of the 2001 law. As of January 1, 2008, except in some matters (taxation, urban planning, social law, etc.), the legislative identity governs the legislative regime of Mayotte: this means that common law will apply, as in the overseas departments.

Residencia del Gobernador de Mayotte

The French State is represented until March 30, 2011 by a government commissioner who acts as a prefect, and from that date by a full-fledged prefect. As for national education, Mayotte is a vice-rectorate (attached to Réunion), which should evolve into a rectorship from 2019.

The change in status of the island is also reflected in terms of environmental issues for which local authorities have an increasing responsibility.

Administrative divisions

Mayotte is divided into 17 communes. There are, in turn, 19 cantons, each of which belongs to one of the communes, except the commune of Mamoudzou, which is divided into 3 cantons. There are no districts.

Communes de Mayotte

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

View of "Petite-Terre".

Departmentalization

Mayotte became an overseas department and region on March 31, 2011 with a single institution, the Conseil départemental de Mayotte.

Following the renewal of the General Council in March 2008, the General Councilors of Mayotte adopted on Friday, April 18, 2008 (unanimously) a resolution in which they invited the French Government to transform the community into a DOM. Therefore, the government had to consult the population of Mayotte within twelve months on the departmentalization process.

However, the UN and the Comoros had warned that they considered null and void any consultation organized within the framework of the departmentalization of the island of Mayotte. The consultation took place on March 29, 2009, as promised by the president of the Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy. All the local political organizations voted "Yes". Participation was marked by a high abstention rate (38.63%). The "Yes" he won with more than 95.2% of the votes cast.

In autumn 2011, an organic law and an ordinary law were examined specifying the conditions of this transformation, which will come into force after the 2011 cantonal elections, since the community will be governed by article 73 instead of article 74. The law provides for transitional provisions, such as the creation of a local tax system, only in 2014.

Mayotte thus became the one hundred and first French department and the fifth of the French overseas territories, along with Guadeloupe, Guyana, Martinique and Reunion, on March 31, 2011. It exercises the powers attributed to the overseas departments and regions, being the same assembly the one that exercises the powers of the general council and those of the regional council. The organic law adopted for this purpose was validated by the Constitutional Council. The two laws (organic and ordinary) were promulgated on December 7, 2010 and published in the Official Gazette on December 8.

The departmental council of Mayotte

This new status does not automatically include the one hundred and first department in the category of outermost regions. Mayotte's application for integration as an integral part of the European Union (EU) was approved by the European Council on July 11, 2012. According to this decision, Mayotte retains its status as an overseas country and territory until December 31, 2012. 2013 and becomes the ninth outermost region of the Union on January 1, 2014.

The departmentalization, which was carried out in a hasty manner, was described by the Court of Auditors as "precipitation" and a reform "insufficiently prepared and managed" whose cost and financial risks were not evaluated.

In 2018, the same Court of Auditors criticized the department of Mayotte, in particular for its disastrous management of human resources, a legacy of decades of hiring unqualified and ineffective civil servants, but with exorbitant salary and functional costs (housing and company cars, mission expenses). Thus, in 2017, the salary cost alone represented more than a third of the total budget of the department, while vacancies, absenteeism and numerous failures make this departmental council extremely dysfunctional and ineffective in its main missions.

Irregularities bordering on infringement were also found: the agents continued to get paid from the department for several years after leaving it, several directors were appointed despite not having the degree or level of training corresponding to their role, and those elected they spent more than double their budget on mission expenses. In more general terms, the Court points out "false trips and missions, cronyism in hiring, excess personnel, illegal bonuses, disorganization, small and large agreements with the regulations, directors without competencies, phantom services, fictitious jobs, ownership galore ".

Political life

In 1958, five sparsely populated overseas territories chose to maintain their status and not become states within the new French Community: Saint Pierre and Miquelon, the French Somali Coast (which became independent as Djibouti), the Territory of the Comoros (the former protectorate plus the former colony of Mayotte), New Caledonia, and French Polynesia. These OCTs continued to send representatives to the National Assembly, but due to the delay in exercising the option, they were unable to participate in the legislative elections of November 23 and 30, 1958, the first for the Fifth Republic. The seat of the deputation of Mayotte thus dates back to that of the Comoros, since the latter, by its vote of February 8, 1976 ("Yes" to 99.4%, that is, 82.3% of registered voters) maintained its ties to France.

Residence of the Prefect in Mamoudzou

In 1978, the UDF Younoussa Bamana was the first deputy elected, and later re-elected, in this territorial community of 19,000 voters. With the election of François Mitterrand, Jean-François Hory, close to the PRG, was elected (Valéry Giscard d'Estaing had obtained 89.9% of the vote shortly before). In 1986, a centrist from Martinique, Henry Jean-Baptiste, was elected and re-elected in 1988, 1993 and 1997. In 2002, RPR-UMP Mansour Kamardine, first vice-president of the General Council, was elected over the UDF-MDM candidate who was running to succeed the outgoing deputy.

In the 2007 general elections, Abdoulatifou Aly (Movimiento Democrático), candidate of the Alternance Force of the Movimiento Departamentalista Mahonés (a dissident of the Movimiento Departamentalista Mahonés) was elected in the second round against Mansour Kamardine.

In 2007, the departmentalization project for Mayotte accelerated under the impetus of MP Mansour Kamardine, who succeeded in adopting a consultation law on departmentalization. In 2008, Secretary of State Roger Karoutchi announced on January 24 that, after the March elections, the General Council would adopt, if it so wished, a resolution for Mayotte to become a department-region. After the cantonal elections of March 2008, Ahmed Attoumani Douchina, general councilor of the canton of Kani-Kéli (UMP), was elected president of the general council by thirteen votes in favor, five against and one null vote, succeeding Saïd Omar Oili, without party label and president of the Nouvel Élan pour Mayotte (NEMA).

The new president was elected by a UMP-PS-MDM coalition (the MDM is part of the Mouvement Populaire Mahorais) in favor of this evolution, which was then expected for 2008 or 2009. Despite the UN vote and the Comoros had warned that they considered null and void any consultation organized within the framework of the departmentalization of the island of Mayotte. The referendum for the departmentalization took place on March 29, 2009.

During his visit, the overseas minister, Christian Estrosi, raised the possibility of resorting to the droit du sol to discourage illegal immigration, but this idea was not taken up by his successor, Yves Jégo.

The DOM status may be incompatible with the maintenance of personal status, and the matter is not clear in this regard, since, for example, the French Guyanese, the Walloons and the New Caledonians already have that status, and the Constitution already "protects" personal status throughout the territory of the Republic.

Departmentalization implies important changes, some of which have been implemented since 2003 under the impetus of MP Mansour Kamardine: the minimum legal age for women to marry has been raised from 15 to 18, polygamous marriages are prohibited, although the acquired situations are not questioned, and local justice is being replaced by civil justice.

The social minimums will also gradually increase, starting with the only two in force, those for disabled adults and the elderly. Similarly, the transformation of Mayotte into an overseas department should allow the allocation of the active solidarity income (RSA), which explains the lobbying of a large part of the political class in this regard.

The RSA will be paid from 2012 to a quarter of what is paid in metropolitan France and will then increase in value gradually over a period of 20 to 25 years, depending on the rate of economic development of the island, but with the creation of a cadastre, the housing tax and the property tax should also make an appearance.

At the end of 2012, the social situation in Mayotte was still problematic. 75% of the island's inhabitants only speak Shimaoré, 48% of adolescents between the ages of 16 and 18 are illiterate and fail at school, and 64% of CE1 students fail the French exam.

Demographics

Sada View, with a mosque in the background.

Mayotte's population growth is very strong: the island had 3,000 inhabitants when it was bought by France in the 1840s, 11,000 in 1911, 67,205 in 1985, growth that has accelerated with 186,452 inhabitants in 2007, 212,645 in 2012 and 256,518 inhabitants in 2017. This makes it the French department with the highest population growth rate (3.8% per year) and even the fastest growing population on the entire African continent, with the exception of Niger, the youngest country on the planet.

Mayotte has a very young population: currently, more than one in two inhabitants is under the age of 20 in Mayotte (compared to 1/3 in Réunion and 1/4 in mainland France). According to an INSEE projection carried out by 2020, Mayotte's population could reach between 440,000 and 760,000 by 2050.

This growth is the result of high fertility and immigration. In 2019, the fertility rate is 4.68 children per woman. In 2017, the CHM de Mayotte was again the first maternity hospital in France, with 9,800 births, surpassing its own record every year.

Mayotte is the most densely populated department (682 inhabitants/km²) outside of Île-de-France. By comparison, the second most densely populated DOM is Reunion Island, with only 339 inhabitants/km², i.e., less than half the density of Mayotte.

The improvement in hygienic conditions, public health (rural, preventive medicine, free for all until 2005) and the standard of living has resulted in a decrease in the mortality rate of 25 ‰ of inhabitants in the census from 1958, to 7.36 ‰ in 2008. The estimated mortality rate in 2015 is 2.8 ‰, but the Insee considers it an underestimate.

Despite having the lowest average life expectancy of all the French departments (76.3 years, like Jamaica or Argentina), Mayotte has some very old people, such as Tava Colo, officially born on December 22, 1902 in Passamaïnty and died in the same town on May 1, 2021 (aged 118), and who was the dean of the French for several years. In 2020, it is estimated that 2,350 Mayotíes will be over 75 years old.

It is estimated that 84% of the population lives below the poverty line in Mayotte. The Mayotte Human Development Index has been estimated at 0.75174, which according to the authors of the estimate would place Mayotte in 70 in the world (not far from Algeria).

Graph of Mayotte's evolution between 1958 and 2017

Cities and Habitat

Town Hall or Mayor of Mamoudzou

Mayotte's strong population growth is reflected in an acceleration of urbanization. Mamoudzou, the capital and main city of the department, had 71,437 inhabitants in 2017, up from 53,022 ten years earlier. It is located in the center of a catchment area of 256,518 inhabitants in 2017. The second most populous municipality, Koungou (32,156 inhabitants in 2017), borders Mamoudzou. The municipalities of Grande Terre close to the main city are the ones that are developing the most.

The material living conditions of a large part of the population remain very deficient, with an expansion of shantytowns that is probably the first in Europe: "28% of homes do not have running water, 59 % do not have toilets inside the home and 52% do not have a bath or shower". 21% of homes do not have electricity (not counting the many homes that benefit from illegal connections).

47% of dwellings have only one or two rooms (compared to 19% in metropolitan France), despite the fact that the average size of households is much larger, meaning that more than half of dwellings they are overcrowded, with one in three people living in a household with more than four people in one or two rooms (compared to 0.5% in metropolitan France). 79% of households in Mayotte live in substandard housing, and only 3% benefit from social housing.

Health

Mamoudzou is the only city where there is a hospital (the CHM, Center Hospitalier de Mayotte), with annexes in Dzaoudzi (in Petite-Terre), Chirongui, Kahani and Dzoumogné. Since 2001, the CHM has had a mental health service. The total capacity of the hospital is 411 beds.

So-called 'inter-community' maternity units have been opened: Mramadoudou in the south of the island (2005), the Kahani commune of Ouangani in the center (2006) and Bandraboua in the north (2010).

However, the vast majority of births take place in Mamoudzou, which makes the CHM the first maternity hospital in France: 54% of the annual births on the island in 2003, 57.3% in 2004. Since April 1, 2005, health care is no longer free in the territory. Patients must present the Social Security card or pay a fixed fee in public health centers or a fee to a private doctor.

There are also around fifteen dispensaries in the towns, shared by the few doctors on call. They are supported by four intercommunal hospitals, or referral clinics: a branch of the CHM in Petite-Terre (Dzaoudzi), the Hospital du Sur (Chirongui), the Hospital du Center (Kahani) and the Hospital du Nord (Dzoumogné).

Mayotte Hospital Center in Dzaoudzi built in 1847

The island is the most disadvantaged French territory in terms of medical personnel, since there are only 0.18 doctors per 1,000 inhabitants in Mayotte, compared to 2 in metropolitan France (and 1.8 in Reunion Island). Since 2005, nurses have established themselves in private practice, providing home care.

Although it is possible to benefit from universal health coverage in Mayotte, its inhabitants cannot benefit from the CMU-Complémentaire as in mainland France. Cases of malaria, dengue and chikungunya have been reported on the island, all transmitted by mosquitoes, but infections in healthy people living in acceptable hygienic conditions are rare. Rats are sometimes vectors of leptospirosis, and a species of invasive giant snail (Lissachatina fulica) can transmit a form of meningitis (angiostrongylosis).

Obesity is one of Mayotte's main health scourges: according to the ARS, almost one in two women (47%) is obese, and one in 10 people is diabetic between the ages of 30 and 69. Consequently, hypertension and diabetes have a record prevalence in the territory. In 2020, although the island was already affected by a wave of dengue, it is now suffering the full force of the Covid-19 pandemic, with a social and health situation that prevents the satisfactory application of protection measures.

Languages

Poster written in French on the beach of Tahiti, Mayotte

French is the only official language of Mayotte. However, it is little or nothing known by the older people of the traditional world of the island. Like most young people, they are fluent in an African Bantu language, Mahores (a dialect of Kiswahili), or a language of Malagasy origin, Bushi (a dialect of Sakalava), which is the vernacular of southern and northwestern Mayotte. These two languages vary slightly from one town to another due to the influence of other dialects in the region. Shimaore is the de facto indigenous lingua franca for everyday use, especially in the media. It differs slightly from the languages spoken in the Comoros, the closest being Shindzuani (spoken in Anjouan) and the furthest away, the Shingazidja of Grand Comore, which is closest to the classic Kiswahili of the African east coast. All Comorian dialects are represented in Mayotte, among the immigrant population, with a clear predominance of Shindzuani.

It is estimated that illiteracy in French affected 35% of men and 40% of women in the year 2000. The Alliance Française worked to promote it, committing itself to various emancipatory cultural activities, such as martial arts, before departmentalization. However, this French illiteracy is also due to a lack of familiarity with the Latin alphabet. Illiteracy in Arabic is lower because the Arabic language and alphabet are taught regularly in madrasas. However, since the last decade, the State has made great efforts in education, so this figure has been constantly decreasing and illiteracy only affects a certain category of the relatively older population.

Relevant languages

• French administrative language and education.

• Shimaore: a dialect of suajili very influenced by French and Malagasy.
• Kibushi: a western variety of Malagasy (Madagascar tongue) influenced by shimaore and Arabic.
• Kiantalaotsi: another Malagasy western dialect also influenced by shimaore and Arabic.
• Arabic: essentially learned in Koranic schools.

Education

Centro Universitario de Mayotte

Although Mayotte has been linked to France for a long time, the establishment of the national education system is relatively recent: at the beginning of the century XX, there were barely fifty schoolchildren for more than 12,000 inhabitants, since primary education was essentially entrusted to the madrasahs, which considerably delayed the learning of French on the island. The first schools were not opened until later of the war, and the first institute in 1980 (the second in 1998); nursery schools did not appear until the 1990s. On the other hand, some recent changes (the advent of television and later social networks, air-conditioned houses closed to the outside world, insecurity, etc.) have greatly disturbed the traditional modes of education, particularly the village education system, which locks children into often inadequate family units.

Illiteracy is extremely high on the island. In 2000, it still affected 35% of men and 40% of women. According to 2015 JDC data, 50.9% of young people are illiterate. 71% of the population have no diploma. French is the only language used in class, although most young people do not know it when they arrive at school.

More than 100,000 minors are enrolled in Mayotte, making it one of the most populous academies in France.

Education is administered in the department by the Rectorate of Mayotte (academic region).

There are 64 nursery schools, 119 primary schools, 21 secondary schools and 11 institutes, among which are the Younoussa-Bamana de Mamoudzou Lyceum (opened in 1980), the Petite-Terre Lyceum (opened in 1998), the Sada High School, the Mamoudzou Nord High School in Kawéni, the High Schools du Nord, Dembéni, Kahani and Chirongui.

The educational situation in Mayotte is worrying: the SNES reports that there are up to 30 students per class in a REP+ classified school and up to 38 students per class in high school. All schools have been classified as REP or REP+ for the start of the 2015 school year. The increase in the number of students, together with the lack of investment in schools, highlights the difficulties in meeting the needs of primary education and secondary. Thus, the Overseas Minister, Annick Girardin, admitted at the beginning of 2018 that "to meet the objective, we would have to create one class a day ".

Mayotte children on their way to a local school

In general, the school training provided in Mayotte by teachers is not questionable, except for the large number of contracted teachers, whose level of training is not always up to the mark.

The disconnect between Generation Y and their elders raises the problem of following up on homework. French, despite being an official language, is rarely used at home, which jeopardizes adaptation to studies and progressively leads to school failure. In general, local youth do not realize their shortcomings until the last year of secondary school. Within a year, some of them try to catch up with the knowledge they are supposed to have acquired since high school, but the chances of success in higher education at the national level are still very low.

Outside Mayotte, the financial means granted to students for their studies in metropolitan France do not appear to be sufficient. In addition, there is a high rate of failure in higher education for Mayotte students in mainland France. The opening of the University on the island should allow better management of higher education.

The Mayotte University Training and Research Center is a French higher education institution created in 2011 and located in Dembéni. It is attached to several universities in mainland France (in particular Nîmes for the administrative configuration, and Aix-Marseille, Rouen, Montpellier and Nîmes for the pedagogical one). The local authorities hope that the center will soon become a full-fledged university. In 2018, the CUFR has thirteen different majors, including six university degrees (law, economic and social administration, modern literature, geography, life sciences, mathematics), two professional degrees and teacher training. At the moment, students wishing to take a master's degree must complete their studies in Réunion or in metropolitan France (except the master's degree for teachers in "Teaching, education and training").

Mtsapéré Mosque in Mayotte

Religion

Approximately 95% of the population of Mayotte is Muslim. The Sunni tradition was introduced by Arab-Persian populations, while African and Malagasy cultures have come to color it with animism. From the age of six Many children attend both the Koranic school and the Republic primary school. This double assistance is losing ground due to the increasing westernization of the island, reinforced by the national and international media. Therefore, the Koranic school is less and less a systematic resource for the locals. Mahoran Islam is of a chafé tradition, reputed to be moderate, open and tolerant, and the island has never experienced any religious conflict or problems related to radicalization. However, a Saudi influence is beginning to be felt (no doubt due to the growing influence of this country in the Union of the Comoros), and the traditional shawl is now sometimes replaced by an Islamic veil (prohibited as such in schools), or even in some families in the west of the island by the niqab (theoretically prohibited on public roads).

Justice in matters of personal status was dispensed for a long time by the qadis, whose authority was recognized by the Republic before the departmentalization. These courts were abolished by Ordinance No. 2010-590 of June 3, 2010, but judges still have the possibility to consult the kadis on the application of local law, and the kadis can deal with out-of-court settlements; however, now only judges can decide a dispute.

Built in the Arab-Shirazian tradition, the mosques were small before they underwent the architectural evolution common on African coasts. The oldest known stone mosque is Tsingoni, founded at least in the 16th century. The Majora tradition, however, tells of the arrival of the first Muslims on the island of Petite-Terre or on Dzaoudzi: the Ziyâra of Pôlé is considered, in this oral tradition, as the founding sacred place, at the origin of the spread of Islam all over the island. The legitimacy of the sacred power of the early Shirazi sultans emanated from this holy place.

Church of Our Lady of Fatima of Mamoudzou

The Christians of Mayotte, who are a minority, come from mainland France, Madagascar or mainland Africa (Rwandans, Burundians, Congolese...). The Catholic community, arrived as a consequence of the French colonization and is made up of about 4,000 people, has a parish with two places of worship: the church of Our Lady of Fatima (Notre-Dame-de-Fatima) in Mamoudzou (created in 1855) and the church of Saint Michael (Saint-Michel) in Dzaoudzi (1849). As the island had no diocese, Pope Pius IX erected the Apostolic Prefecture of Mayotte, Sainte-Marie and Nossi-Bé on 4 September 1848.

On August 5, 1975, the prefecture was established as an apostolic administration by the Congregation for Propaganda for the Faith. Finally, on May 1, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI elevated it to the rank of apostolic vicar. The current vicar apostolic is Monsignor Charles Mahuza Yava. According to the Journal de Mayotte, although they feel "tolerated within the framework of testimonials or missions to the excluded", Catholics are not allowed to ring the bells before mass. There are also places of worship of various Protestant groups, including evangelicals and Seventh-day Adventists. Jehovah's Witnesses (with considerable presence in other DOMs) are present, but have few followers, as do Mormons.

Economy

In 2001, the tertiary sector accounted for 45% of wages on the island. In addition to administration, public works, commerce and its associated services are the main jobs. Despite variations of 9% per year, the unemployment rate remains at 22%. Mayotte's interprofessional minimum wage is 63% lower than the national interprofessional minimum wage. The annual per capita income of households was €9,337 in 2005, as opposed to €29,696 for the French population. According to INSEE, Mayotte suffers more from inequalities than from income differences.

Agriculture, livestock and fishing

Fishermen in Moya (Petite-Terre).

Mayotte is an island where the population practices subsistence agriculture. The per capita gross national product does not exceed $1,000 per capita in 1993. The unemployment rate rose to 38% in 1995, but did not rise above 29% in the 2002 census. applies in Mayotte.

Agricultural products are mainly those associated with cereal crops and notably rice and corn and tropical fruits, bananas, coconuts, pineapples and mangoes. But its export is only developed in the fields of ylang-ylang and citronelle used in perfumery, vanilla, cinnamon and cloves.

A high number of cattle, goat and poultry farms (egg production) are maintained. The sea provides, in addition to the fish from coastal fishing, swordfish, lobsters, groupers and prawns.

Tourism

The island of Mayotte, with a highly varied coastal relief, has fewer sandy beaches than its neighbors Grande Comore, Moheli, Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar, but it has a wide variety of coastlines and sand colors (black, brown, grey, red, beige, white, etc.). Its lagoon is the largest (1,500 km²) and deepest in this part of the world68 (and one of the largest on the planet), and its double barrier reef is a biological curiosity that only occurs a dozen times on our planet, housing a great diversity of animals, including large cetaceans, which is extremely rare.

Playa Moya, Mayotte

Certain tourist activities have been structured:

• Walk to the extinct volcano Dziani Dzaha in Petite-Terre and Lake Dziani;

• Walk to Mount Combani and Mount Choungui;

• Walk to the governor's house;

• Observation of the maki lemurs of the Bouzy islet;

• Diving and snorkeling in the coral reef between tropical fish in the "S" step, in N'Gouja, in Saziley or in the outer barrier;

• The lagoon allows the observation of green and carey turtles (which come to disobey the deserted beaches), of dolphins (common ring, spotted and tursiops, in particular), of whales and their young (who come to parir);

• Water sports or leisure activities on the many beaches of Mayotte;

• Swimming and visiting the isolated beaches of the white sand islets of the north and the south;

• Activities in desert islands;

• Visit to the Soulou waterfall, on the beach of the same name, is a natural curiosity;

• The marsh of Badamiers, in Petite-Terre, is a swamp rich in biodiversity and of great landscape beauty;

• Shipwreck observation such as that of the Dwyn Wen sailboat in front of the Badamiers (two masts from which they are still rising from the water);

• Return to the island in ultralight that allows to observe the reefs from the sky;
  

  Cannons of the colonial era in Mayotte

• Visit to the Mayotte Museum, the MuMa de Dzaoudzi, labeled as a French museum.

Tourism is an underdeveloped activity on the island. The island's hotel capacities are low: 150 among which 80 are of the comfort required according to ESTAS in 1997. According to a study by Insee, 9,300 tourists would have visited Mayotte in the first half of 1999, among which 44% were from Réunion and 42% from France. 42% of the total corresponds to family visits.

The stay lasted an average of 9.6 days with an average cost of fifty euros per household of 1.5 members. For a long time, there was no direct connection between Mayotte and France. Indeed, the Air Austral company from Réunion had almost a monopoly over the destination, shared with the company Comores Aviation, and offered only flights with stopovers on the island of Réunion, while Air Austral's Boeing 777 had been landing in Mayotte since 2005. Corsairfly has it on its list with a direct link between Paris-Orly and Mayotte.

In 2019, INSEE recorded 65,500 tourists, which represents an increase of 16% compared to the previous year. There were 62,000 in 2017, and an average of 50,000 since 2014, compared to 30,000 in 2006, and less than 20,000 in 1999 - all these figures include cruise ship calls. Of these, 44% came from Réunion and the 42% from mainland France. 69% of the total corresponds to family visits ("affinity tourism"), and 16% to leisure tourism.

INSEE surveys show that Mayotte enjoys an excellent image among these tourists, since 95% recognize the tourist interest of the island and 93% say they want to return soon; in fact, 60% have already visited it. In total, these tourists brought €44 million to Mayotte in 2019238, compared to €36 million in 2017.

For a long time, there were no direct flights between Mayotte and mainland France: Boeing 777s of the Reunion airline Air Austral have only landed in Mayotte since 2005, which has increased the attractiveness of this destination for tourists. Air Austral has a virtual monopoly on the destination, but in 2020 the French company Corsair International opened a flight to the mainland with a stopover on the island of Reunion. Regional flights are operated by Air Madagascar and Ewa Air (a subsidiary of Air Austral). The Union of the Comoros is served by Int'Air Îles for Anjouan and Air Austral for Moroni.

Several associations, such as Les Naturalistes de Mayotte, offer guided outings (walks, visits, bivouacs, etc.), and several maritime operators accompany tourists to discover the lagoon and its marine mammals in particular, without forgetting the many diving clubs.

The Mayotte Departmental Tourism Committee is the official body that manages everything related to tourism in Mayotte. It is itself the official central authority that oversees the development and improvement of tourism activity in the archipelago.

Infrastructure

International Airport Dzaoudzi Pamandzi

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

Transportation

• There are no railroads or channels.
• Roads:
  • total: 93 km (53 mi)
    • paved: 72 km (45 mi)
    • without paving: 21 km (13 mi)
• Ports and boats:
  • Dzaoudzi
  • "Longoni" (Koungou)
• Airports: Dzaoudzi Pamandzi International Airport, the only airport in Mayotte
  • with paved tracks: 1 (2002)

Routes and port services

In addition to the school and health frameworks, French investment over the last thirty years can be seen in the more than 230 km (kilometres) of paved roads where cars and two-wheelers of various types circulate. The contrast is stark with respect to the 1980s, where light traffic did not affect the circulation of the few sedans that circulated privately alongside 4L taxis, legionnaires' méharis or transport vans called taxis-brousse.

The deepwater port is a mining-type port in the Mozambique Channel.

Port of Dzaoudzi

Divided into two islets, Mayotte is difficult to access. The Mamoudzou jetty, in Grande-Terre, can accommodate only light boats.

Media

On April 12, 2012, the department accessed "for the first time" to high-speed internet after France Telecom's (Orange) Lion 2 submarine cable was laid. Since then, 4G has made its way to the island, which is now much better connected to metropolitan France.

No print media (newspapers, magazines) are imported into Mayotte, which makes do with its few local titles. Only some national stations, such as France Inter, broadcast.

Mayotte has several local media, such as a public television channel (Mayotte Première) and a private one (Kwézi TV), radio stations (Mayotte Première, Kwézi FM, Yao FM, RMJ, Radio Dziani, Ylang FM, Caribou FM...), newspapers (Flash Infos, Le Journal de Mayotte, Les Nouvelles de Mayotte, France Mayotte Matin), a general weekly (Mayotte Hebdo) and some other more specialized titles with greater circulation (Mayotte Magazine, Memento, Glitter, Swiha, Fantasy...)

Energy

Électricité De Mayotte is a Mixed Economy Limited Company (SAEM) owned 50.01% by the General Council of Mayotte, 24.99% by Electricité de France, 24.99% by SAUR International and 0.01 % For the state. EDM entered IEG on January 1, 2011 (Industries Electriques and Gazières). It carries out the mission of public service of production, distribution and commercialization of electricity on the island of Mayotte. Its activities are fully regulated by the Energy Regulation Commission (CRE). The General Management as well as the assembly of positions of managers of operational poles are provided by agents of Groupe EDF.

At the beginning of 2012, the company's production was characterized by the following objectives:

• The production is ensured exclusively by 17 semi-fast diesel generators of pulses and heterogeneous technologies (from 750 kW to 8 MW), distributed in two sites: one on Petite Terre in service in 1987 (central Badamiers), one on Grande Terre in service in 2009 (central Longoni).
• The total installed power is 77.5 MW.
• Improvement in the service of new means of production takes place every three years for maintaining the strong increase in demand and removing older generators.
• There is a construction project of a 36 MW plant.
• Project to improve current environmental standards (emission treatment).

Culture

Various types of culture conglomerate in Mayotte, the main one of Comorian origin^{[citation needed]} represents 60% of the population^{[ citation required]} and the second of Malagasy origin, both strongly framed by the French culture that is increasingly impregnated in them. The moringue, analogous to Brazilian capoeira, is still practiced on the island.

Debaa dancers with identical salouva suits.

Although French is the official language, many speak (but do not write) Shimaore (Swahili dialect) and Malagasy, the two main languages of the island.

Stamps and philately

In postal matters, Mayotte was the administrative center of the Comoros in the second half of the 19th century^{[citation needed]}, this is what led to the appearance of the emblem of the time: "Mayotte and dependencies". It was administratively integrated and used the colonial stamps of Madagascar from 1912 to 1950^{[citation needed]}, of the Comoros archipelago from 1950 to 1975 and of France from 1975 to 1997^{[citation needed]}, the island obtained philatelic and postal autonomy on January 2, 1997 using specific stamps designed by the local branch of La Poste.

Gastronomy

The cuisine of the archipelago is spicy and hearty. He leans towards fried, slow-cooked or grilled dishes and relies on local produce.

Thanks to its tropical climate, Mayotte is rich in spices, fruits and vegetables. Its large coral reef and its mangroves make it an abundant nursery for fish. The rest of the food is provided by cattle (zebus, chickens, goats) and crops (bananas, cassava, etc.), although a part is always extracted from the forest.

Local food is not based on the traditional appetizer, starter, main course and dessert, it is inappropriate to try to distinguish these categories.

As for drinks, alcohol consumption is widespread and ingrained in the culture of Mayotte.

• Palm wine (trembo tamu and trembo vurga).
• Beer, of which Hypo 101 is manufactured locally.
• Metropolitan wine and Gandía (Spanish picket).

• Ti-punch.
• The soft drinks sold in the territory are notoriously sweeter than those sold in continental France (up to 50% more sugar).

There are soft drinks, syrups and Juices or juices according to the fruits present on the island (tamarind, guava, papaya (Lechoza), lychee, mango, jackfruit, passion fruit).

Typical costumes of Mayotte

Theater and literature

In 2017, the Mayotte Book Fair was organized for the first time at the initiative of the Book and Public Reading Department of the Departmental Council.

There are about twenty authors from Mayotte.

Nassur Attoumani is one of the leading local authors^{[citation needed]}. He wrote the work La Fille du polygame, published in 1992. He is also the author of several novels, including Le Calvaire des baobabs and Mon mari est plus qu'un fou: c'est un homme. His humorous work is an unconventional critique of certain aspects of Mahoran and Comoran society: for example, he has published a modernized and "Mahoranized" version; from Molière's Tartuffe, under the title Le Turban et la capote, which has been staged and adapted as a Comic.

Novelist Baco Mambo Abdou is the author of Brûlante est ma terre, Si longue que soit la nuit, Coupeurs de têtes and 5 femmes, as well as other works.

Mayotte is also a source of inspiration for non-local authors, such as Comorian Ali Zamir (Anguille sous Roche, 2016, Senghor prize) or Mauritian Nathacha Appanah (Tropique de la violence, 2017, Femina des lycéens prize, France prize Télévisions and Jean Amila-Meckert Award). In April 2018, cartoonist Phil Ouzov wrote the comic Odyssée mahoraise, which cartoonishly narrates the adventures of a professor from metropolitan France transferred to Mayotte^{[citation needed]}.

Annual events

Each year in April, the Festival of Traditional Arts pays homage to the culture of the island of Mayotte.

Since 1974, the Festival of Underwater Images has been held in May. Maoré divers and swimmers exhibit their best still and moving images, and numerous meetings and conferences are held on the island's underwater heritage.

Shigoma show with the association Zanattani de Labattoir

In June, the traditional tire race takes place, bringing together hundreds, even thousands of children from Cavani to Mamoudzou. The goal is to get there first by rolling a tire, supported by two sticks, in front of them.

Each year, the Indian Ocean Tourism, Agriculture, Fashion and Craft Fairs are also held. Mayotte also participates in the European Heritage Days, the Nature Festival and various French artistic and cultural events.

Mayotte also hosts the Hip-Hop Dance Battle of the Year. The election of Miss Mayotte, in August, is also a very popular event for the inhabitants of Mayotte.

Since 2018, in mid-June, the Kayamba festival promotes the encounter between traditional and electronic music, creating a melting pot of artists from the island, the Indian Ocean region and the rest of the world.

Shows, music and carnival

Many local writers tell the story of the island through their works. Various shows liven up the weekend afternoons, from theater to music through local tradition. Mayotte has different types of music, such as "m'godro", a local music inspired by the salegy or saleg, a Malagasy music.

Around June and July there is a school carnival. During the school year, students organize and prepare this event. With the help of the teachers, they illustrate the theme of the year and refine it. The objective of the event is usually to inform and sensitize the population and young people, and the theme changes every year. In the 1990s, ideas such as pirates, turtles, and other themes focused on the environment and everyday life followed.

Mayotte Museum Marine Worlds Room (Ancient Petite Terre barracks)

Tangible cultural heritage

Mayotte has several places and monuments listed or classified as historical monuments according to the Mérimée database of the Ministry of Culture:

• The Mosque-ziara de Polé (sixteenth centuryXV, catalogued)
• The Tsingoni MosqueXVI, protected) and minaret (sixteenth centuryXX.protected)
• El Cuartel de Petite TerreXIX, catalogued, which now houses the Mayotte Museum)
• The old house of the Governor of Mayotte (centuryXIX, catalogued)
• The old Soulou sugar factory (sixteenth centuryXIX, catalogued)
• The old Dembeni sugar factory (sixteenth century)XIXcatalogued.

Sports

Various sports are practiced on the island including soccer, handball, basketball, volleyball, rugby, and other recreational activities such as diving, sailing, canoeing, hiking, cycling, and excursions.

Mayotte is a paradise for divers, on some beaches, the coral reef is accessible with only a few strokes of the fins, navigation is difficult due to natural conditions (reefs) and high costs (only a small group offers the necessary services and facilities for sailing), canoeing is practiced in rented canoes ideal for observing the reefs. Excursions to Mount Choungui or Mount Bénara and tours around the island are common.

Pamandzi football team in 2005

Football

Football in Mayotte remains the most popular sport, with more than 9,230 license holders for a population of about 212,000. It remains the sport of choice for young people, although the highest level of competition is equivalent to that of a division of honor in metropolitan France (DH). Very few locals have tried their luck in mainland France, only Toifilou Maoulida has managed to play at the highest level.

The Mayotte national soccer team represents the overseas department of Mayotte in international soccer.

Mayotte is not a member of FIFA or CAF, so it does not have the possibility of participating in the World Cup or the African Cup of Nations.

In 2007, the team participated in the Indian Ocean Island Games for the first time, placing third after losing to Madagascar in the semi-finals and beating Mauritius on penalties in the match for third place.

Local teams include:

• Association sportive et culturelle Abeilles de M'tsamboro

• Football Club Mtsapéré

• Association sportive de Rosador

• Association sportive de Sada
• Union culturelle et sportive de Sada

Rugby

In the late 1980s, locals discovered rugby, imported by the legionnaires, played with an oval-shaped ball unlike anything they had seen before. From the Baobab stadium, rugby spread to other towns: Labattoir, Vahibé, Iloni. Its promoters managed to integrate it into schools and proceeded, with CM2 students, to the first rugby initiations in EPS classes.

In January 1991, Mayotte's rugby players organized themselves and created the Mayotte Regional Rugby Committee. Guy Figarède was its first president.

In 2007, invited to participate in the qualifying phase of the Rugby XV Africa Cup, the Mayotte team beat Rwanda 58-0. This was Mayotte's first and only international rugby victory.

In terms of membership, rugby union remains the fifth most popular team sport in Mayotte, behind football, handball, basketball and volleyball.

Stadiums

Pamandzi Stadium

The stadiums in Mayotte are very modest, but suitable for playing football, rugby, athletics and other sports:

• The Cavani Stadium, the main part of the Kawani complex;
• Baobab Stadium;
• Passamaïnty Stadium;
• Sada Stadium;
• Ouangani Stadium;
• Bandrani Stadium.

References and notes