Akrotiri (2006) | Mayotte (2008) | |
Administrative divisions | - | none (territorial overseas collectivity of France) |
Age structure | - | 0-14 years: 45.8% (male 48,016/female 47,533)
15-64 years: 52.5% (male 59,111/female 50,437) 65 years and over: 1.8% (male 1,864/female 1,822) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | - | vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), coffee, copra |
Airports | - | 1 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | - | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007) |
Area | total: 123 sq km
note: includes a salt lake and wetlands |
total: 374 sq km
land: 374 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC |
Background | By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created the independent Republic of Cyprus, the UK retained full sovereignty and jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers - Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The southernmost and smallest of these is the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the Western Sovereign Base Area. | 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. |
Birth rate | - | 40.35 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | - | revenues: $420 million
expenditures: $394 million (2005) |
Capital | name: Episkopi Cantonment; also serves as capital of Dhekelia
geographic coordinates: 34 40 N, 32 51 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
name: Mamoudzou
geographic coordinates: 12 46 S, 45 13 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters | tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November) |
Coastline | 56.3 km | 185.2 km |
Constitution | Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960 | 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) |
Country name | conventional long form: Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area
conventional short form: Akrotiri |
conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Mayotte
conventional short form: Mayotte |
Death rate | - | 7.53 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | - | $NA |
Dependency status | overseas territory of UK; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus | departmental collectivity of France |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | none (territorial overseas collectivity of France) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | none (territorial overseas collectivity of France) |
Disputes - international | - | claimed by Comoros |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $201.3 million; note - extensive French financial assistance (2005) |
Economy - overview | Economic activity is limited to providing services to the military and their families located in Akrotiri. All food and manufactured goods must be imported. | 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. |
Electricity - consumption | - | 139.2 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production | - | NA kWh |
Elevation extremes | - | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Benara 660 m |
Environment - current issues | shooting around the salt lake; note - breeding place for loggerhead and green turtles; only remaining colony of griffon vultures is on the base | NA |
Ethnic groups | - | NA |
Exchange rates | - | euros per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Administrator Air Vice-Marshal Richard LACEY (since 26 April 2006); note - reports to the British Ministry of Defence elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the administrator is appointed by the monarch |
chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007); represented by Prefect Jean-Paul KIHL (since 17 January 2005)
head of government: President of the General Council Said Omar OILI (since 8 April 2004) cabinet: NA 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 2010 |
Exports | - | $6.5 million f.o.b. (2005) |
Exports - commodities | - | ylang-ylang (perfume essence), vanilla, copra, coconuts, coffee, cinnamon |
Exports - partners | - | France 43%, Comoros 36%, Reunion 15% (2006) |
Fiscal year | - | calendar year |
Flag description | the flag of the UK is used | 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, flanked on either side by a seahorse, appear above a scroll with the motto RA HACHIRI (We are Vigilant); the only official flag is the national flag of France |
GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
GDP - real growth rate | - | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 34 37 N, 32 58 E | 12 50 S, 45 10 E |
Geography - note | British extraterritorial rights also extended to several small off-post sites scattered across Cyprus | part of Comoro Archipelago; 18 islands |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | - | $341 million f.o.b.; note - excludes petroleum imports (2005) |
Imports - commodities | - | food, machinery and equipment, transportation equipment, metals, chemicals |
Imports - partners | - | France 49%, Seychelles 8.8%, China 4.1%, South Africa 2.8% (2006) |
Independence | - | none (territorial overseas collectivity of France) |
Industrial production growth rate | - | NA% |
Industries | - | newly created lobster and shrimp industry, construction |
Infant mortality rate | - | total: 59.51 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 65.33 deaths/1,000 live births female: 53.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | 1.7% (2005) |
International organization participation | - | InOC, UPU |
Irrigated land | - | NA |
Judicial branch | - | Supreme Court or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel |
Labor force | - | 44,560 (2002) |
Land boundaries | total: 47.4 km
border countries: Cyprus 47.4 km |
0 km |
Land use | - | arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA% other: NA% |
Languages | English, Greek | Mahorian (a Swahili dialect), French (official language) spoken by 35% of the population |
Legal system | the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply | the laws of France, where applicable, apply |
Legislative branch | - | unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 21 and 28 March 2004 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - MDM 23.3%, UMP 22.8%, PS 10.2%, MRC 8.9%, FRAP 6.5%, MPM 1.2%, other 27.1%; seats by party - MDM 6, UMP 9, MRC 2, MPM 1, diverse left 1 note: Mayotte elects one member of the French Senate; elections last held 24 September 2001 (next to be held in September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Mayotte also elects one member to the French National Assembly; elections last held 16 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007); results - percent of vote by party - UMP-RPR 55.1%, UDF 44.9%; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | - | total population: 62.16 years
male: 59.94 years female: 64.45 years (2007 est.) |
Literacy | - | definition: NA
total population: NA male: NA female: NA |
Location | peninsula on the southwest coast of Cyprus | Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-half of the way from northern Madagascar to northern Mozambique |
Map references | Middle East | Africa |
Maritime claims | - | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Military - note | Akrotiri has a full RAF base, Headquarters for British Forces on Cyprus, and Episkopi Support Unit | defense is the responsibility of France; a small contingent of French forces is stationed on the island |
National holiday | - | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) |
Nationality | - | noun: Mahorais (singular and plural)
adjective: Mahoran |
Natural hazards | - | cyclones during rainy season |
Natural resources | - | NEGL |
Net migration rate | - | 3.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | - | Democratic Front or FD [Youssouf MOUSSA]; Mahoran Popular Movement or MPM [Ahmed MADI]; Federation of Mahorans or UMP-RPR [Mansour KAMARDINE]; Force of the Rally and the Alliance for Democracy or FRAP; 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] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | - | NA |
Population | no indigenous inhabitants
note: approximately 1,300 military personnel are on the base; there are another 5,000 British citizens who are families of military personnel or civilian staff on both Akrotiri and Dhekelia; Cyprus citizens work on the base, but do not live there |
208,783 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | NA% |
Population growth rate | - | 3.617% (2007 est.) |
Radio broadcast stations | FM 1
note: British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1 and Radio 2 service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia (2006) |
AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2001) |
Religions | - | Muslim 97%, Christian (mostly Roman Catholic) 3% |
Sex ratio | - | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.172 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.023 male(s)/female total population: 1.092 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
Suffrage | - | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | - | general assessment: small system administered by French Department of Posts and Telecommunications
domestic: NA international: country code - 269; microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communications to Comoros |
Telephones - main lines in use | - | 10,000 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | - | 48,100 (2005) |
Television broadcast stations | British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia (2006) | 3 (2001) |
Terrain | - | generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks |
Total fertility rate | - | 5.69 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | - | 25.4% (2005) |