Mayotte

Mayotte was ceded to France along with the other islands of the Comoros group in 1843. It was the only island in the archipelago that voted in 1974 to retain its link with France and forego independence. In March 2009, Mayotte voted overwhelmingly to become France's 101st department - and fifth overseas department - a change scheduled to become official in 2011.

Geography[edit]

Mayotte is located in the Southern Indian Ocean, island in the Mozambique Channel, about halfway between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique

People[edit]

• Nationality: Mahorais
• Population (2011 est.): 209,530
• Annual growth rate (2011): 1.533%
• Religions: Muslim 97%, Christian (mostly Roman Catholic) 3%
• Languages: Mahorian (a Swahili dialect), French (official language) spoken by 35% of the population.
• Education: Literacy—86%.
• Health: Infant mortality rate—16.17 deaths/1,000 live births. Life expectancy (at birth)--76.83 years.

Government and Political Conditions[edit]

Principal Government Officials[edit]

• Chief of state: President Nicolas Sarkozy (since 16 May 2007); represented by Prefect Hubert DERACHE (since 22 July 2009)
• Head of government: President of the General Council Ahmed Attoumani DOUCHINA (since March 2008)

Foreign Relations[edit]

The island is claimed by the Comoros.

Economy[edit]

Economic activity is based primarily on the agricultural sector, including fishing and livestock raising. Mayotte is not self-sufficient and must import a large portion of its food requirements, mainly from France. The economy and future development of the island are heavily dependent on French financial assistance, an important supplement to GDP. Mayotte's remote location is an obstacle to the development of tourism.

• GDP (2005 est.): $953.6 million.
• Per capita GDP (2005 est.): $4,900.
• Unemployment rate (2005): 25.4%.
• Inflation Rate (2005 est.): 1.7%
• Agriculture: vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), coffee, copra; fish, livestock.
• Industry: newly created lobster and shrimp industry, construction.
• Trade (2005 est.): Exports--$6.5 million: ylang-ylang (perfume essence), vanilla, copra, coconuts, coffee, cinnamon. Imports--$341 million: ffood, machinery and equipment, transportation equipment, metals, chemicals.