MAYOTTE

The Island That Stayed French

Mayotte (mah-YAWT), or Mahoré, was probably first settled by peoples from Southeast Asia, of the same ancestry as Malays and Polynesians. This migration may have occurred over two thousand years ago. As one of the Comoros (see COMOROS), Mayotte lay on trading routes across the Indian Ocean, and island tradition states that Islam arrived from Arabia as early as 642 C.E. Mayotte was partly settled by Arabs, Persians, and Swahili (Bantu-Arab traders from the east African coast) between about eleven hundred and six hundred years ago.

The Comoros appeared on European maps in 1527. They were ruled by rival sultanates (Islamic kingdoms) and traded in slaves from the African mainland.

European and North American pirates haunted the Comoros in the early 1700s, and Sakalava and Betsimisaraka people from Madagascar (see MADAGASCAR) invaded and settled parts of the island later in that century. Local rivalry and civil wars enabled France to move in and lay claim to Mayotte. French colonial rule started on Mayotte in 1843 by agreement with the local sultan, and the island was administered as part of Madagascar until 1946, when the Comoros became a separate overseas territory of France.

	CLIMATE
	Mayotte has two seasons. A warm, rainy season, lasting from November to April, is marked by monsoon winds. The rest of the year is cooler and less humid.

In 1974 the Comoros Islands voted for independence, with the exception of Mayotte, whose people did not want to risk losing the powerful economic support of France and feared political unrest. In 1976 Mayotte was given the status of a French Territorial Collectivity; in 2001 this was changed to a Departmental Collectivity. Subject to referendums held every five years, the island remains French and is governed by an elected council. The Comoros, however, continue to claim the island as theirs.

The people of Mayotte are known as Mahorais (mah-HOE-rie). They are mostly of mixed descent, with ancestors from the various peoples who settled the island over the ages. A small French population is involved in business or administration.

The Mahorais mostly live by farming the lowlands, producing the starchy root crop cassava, as well as rice and corn. Tropical fruits include bananas, mangoes, coconuts, and pineapples. Spices include vanilla, cloves, and cinnamon; ylang-ylang is grown for perfume. Farmers raise cattle, goats, and pigs. Lobsters and shrimp are caught offshore.

Mayotte is 97 percent Muslim and 3 percent Roman Catholic. French and Malagasy are spoken, but the principal language is the Comorian dialect of the widespread east African language called Swahili.

Mayotte has a young and rapidly growing population, that includes unofficial immigrants from the rest of the Comoros. Malaria and tuberculosis are common, but Mayotte is better provided with hospitals and clinics than the other islands. Education is also well funded, with over seventy French-style schools as well as Koranic schools, where children learn the teachings of Islam.

Some on Mayotte resent the dominance of French culture. Even so, many Comorian customs still thrive, such as the love of dancing at weddings and making sandalwood masks.