| Background: |
Mayotte was ceded
to France along with the other Comoros in 1843. It was the
only island in the archipelago that voted in 1974 to retain
its link with France and forgo independence. |
| Location: |
Southern Africa,
island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-half of the way
from northern Madagascar to northern Mozambique |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
12 50 S, 45 10 E |
| Area: |
total:
374 sq km
land: 374 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly more
than twice the size of Washington, DC |
| Maritime
claims: |
exclusive
economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
tropical; marine;
hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern monsoon
(November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November) |
| Terrain: |
generally
undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Benara 660 m |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
NA%
permanent crops: NA%
permanent pastures: NA%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: NA% |
| Natural
hazards: |
cyclones during
rainy season |
| Environment
- current issues: |
NA |
| Geography
- note: |
part of Comoro
Archipelago; 18 islands |
| Population: |
163,366 (July
2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
46.59% (male 38,188; female 37,920)
15-64 years: 51.73% (male 46,132; female
38,378)
65 years and over: 1.68% (male 1,361; female
1,387) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
4.58% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
44.39
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
8.84 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
10.28 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.2 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female
total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
69.54
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 59.83 years
male: 57.77 years
female: 61.96 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
6.24 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA% |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Mahorais (singular and plural)
adjective: Mahoran |
| Religions: |
Muslim 97%,
Christian (mostly Roman Catholic) |
| Languages: |
Mahorian (a
Swahili dialect), French (official language) spoken by 35%
of the population |
| Literacy: |
definition:
NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA% |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: Territorial Collectivity of Mayotte
conventional short form: Mayotte |
| Dependency
status: |
territorial
collectivity of France |
| Administrative
divisions: |
none (territorial
collectivity of France) |
| Independence: |
none (territorial
collectivity of France) |
| National
holiday: |
Bastille Day, 14
July (1789) |
| Constitution: |
28 September 1958
(French Constitution) |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since
17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Pierre BAYLE (since 15
July 1998)
head of government: President of the General
Council Younoussa BAMANA (since NA 1977)
cabinet: NA
elections: French president elected by popular
vote for a seven-year term; prefect appointed by the French
president on the advice of the French Ministry of the
Interior; president of the General Council elected by the
members of the General Council for a six-year term |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral
General Council or Conseil General (19 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 7 October 2000 (next to be
held NA 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - NA
note: Mayotte elects one member of the French
Senate; elections last held 24 September 1995 (next to be
held 24 September 2001); results - percent of vote by party
- NA%; seats by party - MPM 1; Mayotte also elects one
member to the French National Assembly; elections last held
25 May and 1 June 1997 (next to be held as a special
election on NA May 2002); results - percent of vote by party
- UDF/FD 51.7%, RPR 48.3%; seats by party - UDF/FD 1 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court or
Tribunal Superieur d'Appel |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Democratic Front
or FD [Youssouf MOUSSA]; Mahoran Popular Movement or MPM [Younoussa
BAMANA]; Mahoran Rally for the Republic or RPR [Mansour
KAMARDINE]; Movement for Department Status Mayotte or MDM
[Henri JEAN-BAPTISTE]; Socialist Party or PS (local branch
of French Parti Socialiste) [Ibrahim ABUBACAR]; Union for
French Democracy or UDF [Henri JEAN-BAPTISTE] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
FZ |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
none (territorial
collectivity of France) |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
none (territorial
collectivity of France) |
| Flag
description: |
the flag of
France is used |
| Economy
- overview: |
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: |
purchasing power
parity - $85 million (1998 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
NA% |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $600 (1998 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA% |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
NA% |
| Unemployment
rate: |
45% (1997) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$NA
expenditures: $73 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1991 est.) |
| Industries: |
newly created
lobster and shrimp industry, construction |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
NA kWh |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA% |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
NA kWh |
| Agriculture
- products: |
vanilla,
ylang-ylang (perfume essence), coffee, copra |
| Exports: |
$3.44 million
(f.o.b., 1997) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
ylang-ylang
(perfume essence), vanilla, copra, coconuts, coffee,
cinnamon |
| Exports
- partners: |
France 80%,
Comoros 15%, Reunion |
| Imports: |
$141.3 million
(f.o.b., 1997) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
food, machinery
and equipment, transportation equipment, metals, chemicals |
| Imports
- partners: |
France 66%,
Africa 14%, Southeast Asia 11% (1997) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$107.7 million
(1995); note - extensive French financial assistance |
| Currency: |
French franc (FRF);
euro (EUR) |
| Exchange
rates: |
euros per US
dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386
(1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367
(1997), 5.1155 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
9,314 (1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
0 (2000) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: small system administered by French
Department of Posts and Telecommunications
domestic: NA
international: microwave radio relay and HF
radiotelephone communications to Comoros and other
international connections |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 1, FM 4,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
3 (1997) |
| Televisions: |
3,500 (1994) |
| Internet
country code: |
.yt |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
NA |
| Highways: |
total:
93 km
paved: 72 km
unpaved: 21 km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Dzaoudzi |
| Merchant
marine: |
none (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Military
- note: |
defense is the
responsibility of France; small contingent of French forces
stationed on the island |
| Disputes
- international: |
claimed by
Comoros |
|
