Mayotte (2002) | Cocos (Keeling) Islands (2007) | |
Administrative divisions | none (territorial collectivity of France) | none (territory of Australia) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 46.6% (male 39,927; female 39,628)
15-64 years: 51.7% (male 48,237; female 40,210) 65 years and over: 1.7% (male 1,429; female 1,448) (2002 est.) |
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA |
Agriculture - products | vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), coffee, copra | vegetables, bananas, pawpaws, coconuts |
Airports | 1 (2001) | 1 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007) |
Area | total: 374 sq km
land: 374 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 14 sq km
land: 14 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the two main islands of West Island and Home Island |
Area - comparative | slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC | about 24 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC |
Background | 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. | There are 27 coral islands in the group. Captain William KEELING discovered the islands in 1609, but they remained uninhabited until the 19th century. From the 1820s to 1978, members of the CLUNIE-ROSS family controlled the islands and the copra produced from local coconuts. Annexed by the UK in 1857, the Cocos Islands were transferred to the Australian Government in 1955. The population on the two inhabited islands generally is split between the ethnic Europeans on West Island and the ethnic Malays on Home Island. |
Birth rate | 43.59 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | NA |
Budget | revenues: $NA
expenditures: $73 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991 est.) |
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA |
Capital | Mamoutzou | name: West Island
geographic coordinates: 12 10 S, 96 50 E time difference: UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November) | tropical with high humidity, moderated by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year |
Coastline | 185.2 km | 26 km |
Constitution | 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) | Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955 (23 November 1955) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992 |
Country name | conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Mayotte
conventional short form: Mayotte |
conventional long form: Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands
conventional short form: Cocos (Keeling) Islands |
Currency | euro (EUR); French franc (FRF) | - |
Death rate | 8.58 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | NA |
Debt - external | $NA | - |
Dependency status | territorial collectivity of France | non-self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territorial collectivity of France) | none (territory of Australia) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territorial collectivity of France) | none (territory of Australia) |
Disputes - international | claimed by Comoros | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $107.7 million (1995); note - extensive French financial assistance | $NA |
Economy - overview | 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. | Grown throughout the islands, coconuts are the sole cash crop. Small local gardens and fishing contribute to the food supply, but additional food and most other necessities must be imported from Australia. There is a small tourist industry. |
Electricity - consumption | NA kWh | - |
Electricity - production | NA kWh | - |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA% |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Benara 660 m |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | fresh water resources are limited to rainwater accumulations in natural underground reservoirs |
Ethnic groups | NA | Europeans, Cocos Malays |
Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997) | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Jean-Jacques BROT (since 3 July 2002)
head of government: President of the General Council Younoussa BAMANA (since NA 1977) 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 |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by the Australian governor general
head of government: Administrator (nonresident) Neil LUCAS (since 30 January 2006) cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia |
Exports | $3.44 million f.o.b. (1997) | $NA |
Exports - commodities | ylang-ylang (perfume essence), vanilla, copra, coconuts, coffee, cinnamon | copra |
Exports - partners | France 80%, Comoros 15%, Reunion | Australia (2006) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 July - 30 June |
Flag description | the flag of France is used | the flag of Australia is used |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $85 million (1998 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
- |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $600 (1998 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | - |
Geographic coordinates | 12 50 S, 45 10 E | 12 30 S, 96 50 E |
Geography - note | part of Comoro Archipelago; 18 islands | islands are thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation |
Highways | total: 93 km
paved: 72 km unpaved: 21 km |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
- |
Imports | $141.3 million f.o.b. (1997) | $NA |
Imports - commodities | food, machinery and equipment, transportation equipment, metals, chemicals | foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | France 66%, Africa 14%, Southeast Asia 11% (1997) | Australia (2006) |
Independence | none (territorial collectivity of France) | none (territory of Australia) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | - |
Industries | newly created lobster and shrimp industry, construction | copra products and tourism |
Infant mortality rate | 67.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA% | - |
International organization participation | FZ | none |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | NA | - |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel | Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court |
Labor force | NA | NA |
Labor force - by occupation | - | note: the Cocos Islands Cooperative Society Ltd. employs construction workers, stevedores, and lighterage workers; tourism employs others |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA% other: NA% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
Languages | Mahorian (a Swahili dialect), French (official language) spoken by 35% of the population | Malay (Cocos dialect), English |
Legal system | French law | based upon the laws of Australia and local laws |
Legislative branch | unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 7 October 2000 (next to be held NA 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA note: Mayotte elects one member of the French Senate; elections last held 24 September 2001 (next to be held NA 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 as a special election on NA June 2005); results - percent of vote by party - UMP-RPR 55.08%, UDF 44.92%; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1 |
unicameral Cocos (Keeling) Islands Shire Council (7 seats)
elections: held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held in May 2005 (next to be held in May 2007) |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 60.21 years
male: 58.12 years female: 62.37 years (2002 est.) |
total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
Literacy | definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
NA |
Location | Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-half of the way from northern Madagascar to northern Mozambique | Southeastern Asia, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Indonesia, about halfway from Australia to Sri Lanka |
Map references | Africa | Southeast Asia |
Maritime claims | exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | none (2002 est.) | - |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France; small contingent of French forces stationed on the island | defense is the responsibility of Australia; the territory has a five-person police force |
National holiday | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) | Australia Day, 26 January (1788) |
Nationality | noun: Mahorais (singular and plural)
adjective: Mahoran |
noun: Cocos Islander(s)
adjective: Cocos Islander |
Natural hazards | cyclones during rainy season | cyclone season is October to April |
Natural resources | NEGL | fish |
Net migration rate | 9.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | NA |
Political parties and leaders | Democratic Front or FD [Youssouf MOUSSA]; Mahoran Popular Movement or MPM [Younoussa BAMANA]; Federation of Mahorans or RPR [Moustoifa MOHAMED]; Movement for Department Status Mayotte or MDM [Younoussa BEN ALI]; Socialist Party or PS (local branch of French Parti Socialiste) [Ibrahim ABUBACAR]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Henri JEAN-BAPTISTE]; note - may no longer be in existence | none |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | none |
Population | 170,879 (July 2002 est.) | 596 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | - |
Population growth rate | 4.41% (2002 est.) | 0% (2007 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Dzaoudzi | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2001) | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2004) |
Radios | NA | - |
Railways | 0 km (2002) | - |
Religions | Muslim 97%, Christian (mostly Roman Catholic) | Sunni Muslim 80%, other 20% (2002 est.) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.2 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
- |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | NA |
Telephone system | general assessment: small system administered by French Department of Posts and Telecommunications
domestic: NA international: microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communications to Comoros (2001) |
general assessment: connected within Australia's telecommunication system
domestic: NA international: country code - 61; telephone, telex, and facsimile communications with Australia and elsewhere via satellite; 1 INTELSAT satellite earth station (2001) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 12,000 (1998) | 287 (1992) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 0 (2000) | - |
Television broadcast stations | 3 (2001) | NA |
Terrain | generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks | flat, low-lying coral atolls |
Total fertility rate | 6.15 children born/woman (2002 est.) | NA |
Unemployment rate | 45% (1997) (1997) | 60% (2000 est.) |
Waterways | none | - |