Mayotte (2005) | Heard Island and McDonald Islands (2003) | |
Administrative divisions | none (territorial collectivity of France) | - |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 46.2% (male 44,926/female 44,521)
15-64 years: 52.1% (male 54,713/female 46,156) 65 years and over: 1.7% (male 1,666/female 1,651) (2005 est.) |
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Agriculture - products | vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), coffee, copra | - |
Airports | 1 (2004 est.) | - |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Area | total: 374 sq km
land: 374 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 412 sq km
land: 412 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC | slightly more than two times the size of 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. | These uninhabited, barren, sub-Antarctic islands were transferred from the UK to Australia in 1947. Populated by large numbers of seal and bird species, the islands have been designated a nature preserve. |
Birth rate | 41.58 births/1,000 population (2005 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) | antarctic |
Coastline | 185.2 km | 101.9 km |
Constitution | 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) | - |
Country name | conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Mayotte
conventional short form: Mayotte |
conventional long form: Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands
conventional short form: Heard Island and McDonald Islands |
Death rate | 7.9 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) | - |
Debt - external | $NA | - |
Dependency status | territorial collectivity of France | territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Antarctic Division of the Department of the Environment and Heritage |
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; 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. | No indigenous economic activity, but the Australian Government allows limited fishing around the islands. |
Electricity - consumption | NA kWh | - |
Electricity - production | NA kWh | - |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Benara 660 m |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mawson Peak, on Big Ben 2,745 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | NA |
Ethnic groups | NA | - |
Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000) | - |
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 Said Omar OILI (since NA 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 |
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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 | the flag of Australia is used |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
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GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $2,600 (2003 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | - |
Geographic coordinates | 12 50 S, 45 10 E | 53 06 S, 72 31 E |
Geography - note | part of Comoro Archipelago; 18 islands | - |
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: 62.4 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 68.51 deaths/1,000 live births female: 56.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 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% |
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 | the laws of Australia, 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 NA 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%; 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 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 in 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: 61.39 years
male: 59.22 years female: 63.62 years (2005 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 | islands in the Indian Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica |
Map references | Africa | Antarctic Region |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France; small contingent of French forces stationed on the island | defense is the responsibility of Australia; Australia conducts fisheries patrols |
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 | Mawson Peak, an active volcano, is on Heard Island |
Natural resources | NEGL | fish |
Net migration rate | 5.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) | - |
Political parties and leaders | Democratic Front or FD [Youssouf MOUSSA]; Mahoran Popular Movement or MPM [Ahmed MADI]; FARC [leader NA]; Federation of Mahorans or RPR (UMP) [Mansour KAMARDINE]; Movement for Department Status Mayotte or MDM [Mouhoutar SALIM]; Renewed Communist Party of Mayotte or MRC [Omar SIMBA]; 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 | 193,633 (July 2005 est.) | uninhabited (July 2003 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | - |
Population growth rate | 3.93% (2005 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: 1.18 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2005 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 | Heard Island - 80% ice-covered, bleak and mountainous, dominated by a large massif (Big Ben) and an active volcano (Mawson Peak); McDonald Islands - small and rocky |
Total fertility rate | 5.89 children born/woman (2005 est.) | - |
Unemployment rate | 38% (1999) | - |
Waterways | - | none |