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.

• tropical;
• marine;
• hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern monsoon (November to May);
• dry season is cooler (May to November)

arable land:

NA%

permanent crops:

NA%

other:

NA%

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.15 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

1.05 male(s)/female

total population:

1.08 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

noun:

Mahorais (singular and plural)

adjective:

Mahoran

conventional long form:

Department Collectivity of Mayotte

conventional short form:

Mayotte

name:

Mamoudzou

geographic coordinates:

12 46 S, 45 13 E

time difference:

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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)

cabinet:

NA; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• French president elected by popular vote for a five-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;
• next election to be held in 2014

• Democratic Front or FD [Youssouf MOUSSA];
• Federation of Mahorans or UMP-RPR [Mansour KAMARDINE];
• Force of the Rally and the Alliance for Democracy or FRAP;
• Mahoran Popular Movement or MPM [Ahmed MADI];
• Movement for Department Status Mayotte or MDM [Mouhoutar SALIM];
• Renewed Communist Party of Mayotte or MRC [Omar SIMBA];
• Socialist Party or PS [Ibrahim ABUBACAR] (local branch of French Parti Socialiste);
• Union for French Democracy or UDF [Henri JEAN-BAPTISTE]

• unofficial, local flag with the coat of arms of Mayotte centered on a white field, above which the name of the island appears in red capital letters;
• the main elements of the coat of arms are a blue upper half with white upturned crescent moon and a red lower half with two yellow ylang-ylang flowers, supported on either side by a white seahorse, and set above a scroll with the motto RA HACHIRI (We are Vigilant)

note: the flag of France used for official occasions

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.

agriculture:

NA%

industry:

NA%

services:

NA%

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

general assessment:

small system administered by French Department of Posts and Telecommunications

domestic:

NA

international:

country code - 262; microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communications to Comoros

males age 16-49:

34,769

females age 16-49:

42,005 (2010 est.)

male:

2,395

female:

2,487 (2010 est.)