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Mayotte

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: African Countries

   Mayotte

   Flag of Mayotte Coat of arms of Mayotte
   Flag            Coat of arms
   Anthem: La Marseillaise
   Location of Mayotte
   Capital
   (and largest city) Mamoudzou
   Official languages French
   Government overseas collectivity of France
    - President Jacques Chirac
   Independence overseas collectivity of France
    - Voted to remain a territory of France 1974
   Area
    - Total 374 km² ( ~185th)
   144 sq mi
    - Water (%) 0.4
   Population
    - July 2006 estimate 201,234 ( 187th)
    - July 2002 census 160,265
    - Density 429/km² ( ~11th)
   1,110/sq mi
   GDP ( PPP) 2003 estimate
    - Total $466.8 million ( 208th)
    - Per capita $2,600 (2003 est.) ( 129th)
   HDI  (2003) n/a (unranked) ( unranked)
   Currency Euro ( EUR)
   Time zone ( UTC+3)
   Internet TLD .yt
   Calling code +269^1
   ^1 shared with Comoros. 0269 from metropolitan France or overseas
   départements.

   Mayotte IPA: [mɑjɔːt] (French pronunciation /maˈjɔt/) is an overseas
   community of France at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in
   the Indian Ocean, between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique.
   The territory is geographically part of the Comoro islands, but has
   been politically separate since the 1970s. The island is also known as
   Mahoré, especially by advocates of its inclusion in the Union of
   Comoros.

   Wikimedia Atlas of Mayotte .

Geography

   Map of the Comoros with Mayotte
   Enlarge
   Map of the Comoros with Mayotte

   The main island, Grande-Terre (or Mahoré), geologically the oldest of
   the Comoros, is 39 kilometres (24 mi) long and 22 kilometres (13½ mi)
   wide, and its highest points are between 500 and 600 meters
   (1,650–1,975  ft) above sea level. Because of the volcanic rock, the
   soil is relatively rich in some areas. A coral reef encircling much of
   the island ensures protection for ships and a habitat for fish.

   Dzaoudzi was the capital of Comoros until 1977. It is situated on
   Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi), which at 10 square kilometers (3.9  sq mi)
   is the largest of several islets adjacent to Mahoré, to which it is
   linked by a causeway. Mayotte is a member of the Indian Ocean
   Commission, with a separate membership rather than as part of the
   Comoros.
   Mayotte is about 500 km from the coast of Africa
   Enlarge
   Mayotte is about 500 km from the coast of Africa

History

   Circa 1500 the Maore or Mawuti (corrupted to Mayotte in French)
   sultanate was established on the island.

   In 1503, Mayotte was observed by Portuguese explorers, but not
   colonized.

   In 1832, Mayotte it was conquered by Andriantsoly, former king of
   Iboina on Madagascar; in 1833 conquered by the neighbouring sultanate
   of Mwali (Mohéli island in French); on 19 November 1835 again conquered
   by Ndzuwani sultanate (Anjouan sultanate in French; a governor was
   installed with the unusual islamic style of Qadi, sort of a 'Resident
   Magistrate' in British terms), but in 1836 regained its independence
   under a last local Sultan.

   Mayotte was ceded to France along with the other Comoros in 1843. For
   the history of Mayotte before 1974 see also History of the Comoros. It
   was the only island in the archipelago that voted in referenda in 1974
   and 1976 to retain its link with France and forego independence (with
   63.8% and 99.4% of votes respectively). The Comoros continue to claim
   the island, and a draft 1976 United Nations Security Council resolution
   supported by 11 of the 15 members of the Council would have recognized
   Comoros sovereignty over Mayotte, but France vetoed the resolution (the
   last time, as of 2004, France cast a lone veto in the Council). The
   United Nations General Assembly has adopted a series of resolutions on
   the issues, whose tenor can be gauged from their title: "Question of
   the Comorian Island of Mayotte."
   Sea near Mamoudzou
   Enlarge
   Sea near Mamoudzou

   The situation of Mayotte proved to be unwieldy for France: while the
   local population very largely did not want to be independent from
   France and join the Comoros, some international criticism from
   post-colonial leftist regimes was heard about Mayotte's ongoing ties to
   France. Furthermore, the peculiar local administration of Mayotte,
   largely ruled by customary Muslim law, would be difficult to integrate
   into the legal structures of France, not to mention the costs of
   bringing the standards of living to levels close to those of
   metropolitan France. For these reasons, the laws passed by the national
   parliament must state specifically that they apply to Mayotte for them
   to be applicable on Mayotte.

   The status of Mayotte was changed in 2001 towards one very close to the
   status of the départements of mainland France, with the particular
   designation of collectivité départementale, although the island is
   still claimed by the Comoros. This change was approved by 73% at a
   referendum on Mayotte. After the constitutional reform of 2003 it
   became a collectivité d'outre-mer while keeping to be entitled
   collectivité départementale de Mayotte.

Politics

   Politics of Mayotte takes place in a framework of a parliamentary
   representative democratic French overseas community, whereby the
   President of the General Council is the head of government, and of a
   pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the
   government.

Transport

     * No railways or waterways.
     * Highways:
          + total: 93 kilometres (58  mi)
               o paved : 72 kilometres (45 mi)
               o unpaved : 21 kilometres (13 mi)
     * Ports and harbours:
          + Dzaoudzi
          + "Longoni" (Koungou)
     * Airports:
          + with paved runways: 1 (2002)

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayotte"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
