Mayotte, << mah YAWT >>, is an overseas island possession of France in the Indian Ocean off the eastern coast of Africa. It consists of a large island called Mayotte, sometimes known as Mahoré, and a number of nearby islets (small islands). The large island and the islets have a total area of 142 square miles (368 square kilometers) and a population of about 260,000. Mayotte is part of an island group known as the Comoro archipelago. Its capital and largest city is Mamoudzou. Over 95 percent of the people who live on Mayotte, called Mahorais, practice the religion of Islam.
Mayotte’s main economic activities are farming, fishing, and raising livestock. Important exports include fish products, vanilla, and ylang-ylang, a yellow flower used in perfumes. Mayotte is dependent on French financial subsidies (cash grants). These subsidies make Mayotte more prosperous than the surrounding islands.
Mayotte is both an overseas department and an overseas region of France. French regions are administrative divisions that roughly resemble states in the United States, and each region has one or more departments. A departmental council governs Mayotte. The island elects representatives to both houses of the French Parliament.
France took possession of Mayotte in 1843. By 1886, France had gained control of the rest of the Comoro Islands. The French granted the islands self-rule in 1961, but in 1974, the islanders voted to remain under French control. In 1975, the other islands became the country of Comoros. Comoros claims that Mayotte is occupied by the French and rightfully belongs to Comoros. However, the Mahorais have voted several times since 1975 to remain a French possession.
