Mayotte (2004) | Spratly Islands (2003) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (territorial collectivity of France) | - |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 46.4% (male 43,301; female 42,934)
15-64 years: 51.9% (male 52,534; female 44,100) 65 years and over: 1.7% (male 1,579; female 1,578) (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products | vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), coffee, copra | - |
Airports | 1 (2003 est.) | 3 (2002) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
Area | total: 374 sq km
land: 374 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: less than 5 sq km
land: less than 5 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over an area of nearly 410,000 sq km of the central South China Sea |
Area - comparative | slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC | NA |
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. | The Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs. They are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potentially by gas and oil deposits. They are claimed in their entirety by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, while portions are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines. About 50 islands are occupied by China (about 450 soldiers), Malaysia (70-90), the Philippines (about 100), and Vietnam (about 1,500). Brunei is a claimant but has no outposts. (2002) |
Birth rate | 42.19 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | - |
Budget | revenues: NA
expenditures: $73 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1991 est.) |
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Capital | Mamoutzou | - |
Climate | tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November) | tropical |
Coastline | 185.2 km | 926 km |
Constitution | 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) | - |
Country name | conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Mayotte
conventional short form: Mayotte |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Spratly Islands |
Currency | euro (EUR) | - |
Death rate | 8.11 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | - |
Debt - external | NA | - |
Dependency status | territorial collectivity of France | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territorial collectivity of France) | - |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territorial collectivity of France) | - |
Disputes - international | claimed by Comoros | all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone that encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands but has not publicly claimed the island; claimants in November 2002 signed the "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea", a mechanism to ease tension but which fell short of a legally binding "code of conduct" |
Economic aid - recipient | $107.7 million; note - extensive French financial assistance (1995) | - |
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. | Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing. The proximity to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary basins suggests the potential for oil and gas deposits, but the region is largely unexplored, and there are no reliable estimates of potential reserves; commercial exploitation has yet to be developed. |
Electricity - consumption | NA kWh | - |
Electricity - production | NA kWh | - |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Benara 660 m |
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Southwest Cay 4 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | NA |
Ethnic groups | NA | - |
Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 0.8860 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999) | - |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Jean-Paul KIHL (since 17 January 2005)
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 |
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Exports | $3.44 million f.o.b. (1997) | - |
Exports - commodities | ylang-ylang (perfume essence), vanilla, copra, coconuts, coffee, cinnamon | - |
Exports - partners | France 80%, Comoros 15%, Reunion (2000) | - |
Fiscal year | calendar year | - |
Flag description | the flag of France is used | - |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $466.8 million (2003 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA (2001 est.) |
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GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $2,600 (1998 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | NA | - |
Geographic coordinates | 12 50 S, 45 10 E | 8 38 N, 111 55 E |
Geography - note | part of Comoro Archipelago; 18 islands | strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the central South China Sea; includes numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs |
Highways | total: 93 km
paved: 72 km unpaved: 21 km |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
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Imports | $141.3 million f.o.b. (1997) | - |
Imports - commodities | food, machinery and equipment, transportation equipment, metals, chemicals | - |
Imports - partners | France 66%, Africa 14%, Southeast Asia 11% (2000 est.) | - |
Independence | none (territorial collectivity of France) | - |
Industrial production growth rate | NA | - |
Industries | newly created lobster and shrimp industry, construction | - |
Infant mortality rate | total: 64.19 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 70.42 deaths/1,000 live births female: 57.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA | - |
International organization participation | UPU | - |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 0 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel | - |
Labor force | 48,800 (2000) | - |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: NA
permanent crops: NA other: NA (2001) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.) |
Languages | Mahorian (a Swahili dialect), French (official language) spoken by 35% of the population | - |
Legal system | French law | - |
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 |
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Life expectancy at birth | total population: 60.99 years
male: 58.85 years female: 63.2 years (2004 est.) |
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Literacy | definition: NA
total population: NA male: NA female: NA |
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Location | Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-half of the way from northern Madagascar to northern Mozambique | Southeastern Asia, group of reefs and islands in the South China Sea, about two-thirds of the way from southern Vietnam to the southern Philippines |
Map references | Africa | Southeast Asia |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
NA |
Merchant marine | none | - |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France; small contingent of French forces stationed on the island | Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs, of which about 45 are claimed and occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam |
National holiday | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) | - |
Nationality | noun: Mahorais (singular and plural)
adjective: Mahoran |
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Natural hazards | cyclones during rainy season | typhoons; serious maritime hazard because of numerous reefs and shoals |
Natural resources | NEGL | fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas potential |
Net migration rate | 6.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) | - |
Political parties and leaders | Democratic Front or FD [Youssouf MOUSSA]; Mahoran Popular Movement or MPM [Ahmed MADI]; Federation of Mahorans or RPR [Mansour KAMARDINE]; Movement for Department Status Mayotte or MDM [Mouhoutar SALIM]; Socialist Party or PS (local branch of French Parti Socialiste) [Ibrahim ABUBACAR]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Henri JEAN-BAPTISTE] | - |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | - |
Population | 186,026 (July 2004 est.) | no indigenous inhabitants
note: there are scattered garrisons occupied by personnel of several claimant states (July 2003 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA | - |
Population growth rate | 4.09% (2004 est.) | - |
Ports and harbors | Dzaoudzi | none; offshore anchorage only |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2001) | - |
Religions | Muslim 97%, Christian (mostly Roman Catholic) | - |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.19 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1 male(s)/female total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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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 (2001) |
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Telephones - main lines in use | 10,000 (2001) | - |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 21,700 (2002) | - |
Television broadcast stations | 3 (2001) | - |
Terrain | generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks | flat |
Total fertility rate | 5.98 children born/woman (2004 est.) | - |
Unemployment rate | 38% (1999) | - |
Waterways | - | none |