Mayotte

Aldabra Andaman Islands Madagascar Maldives Mauritius Mayotte Reunion Seychelles Sri Lanka

Mayotte

a French island in the

Comoros

of the INDIAN OCEAN

 

entering harbor

Mayotte was invaded in the 19th century by the Sakalava from the island of Madagascar. The island came under the rule of a Malagasy chief, Andriansouli, and in 1843 he ceded Dzaoudzi to the French, who were looking for a naval base in the western Indian Ocean. The island was then dominated by Creole planters from Réunion, whose descendants continue to exert some political influence. Mayotte and the other three islands of the Comoros were made a colony of France in 1912, and Dzaoudzi remained the capital of the archipelago until it was replaced by Moroni in 1962.

 

defending the island

By this time, the separatist Mouvement Populaire Mahorais was pressing for full incorporation with France, and they won a narrow victory in the referendum of 1974. When the other islands declared independence in 1975, France retained control of Mayotte, which has become an important base for French influence in the region.

 

welcome center

The status of the island has remained undecided, since France refuses to designate Mayotte as one of the départements, or administrative districts, of France and has postponed many times any referendum on the territory's future. The United Nations and the Organization of African Unity, however, have recognized Mayotte as part of the country of Comoros.

 

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Dzaoudzi, Mayotte

 

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Colorful costumes worn in the town market

 

street

 

man and woman

 

bananas

 

straw items for sale

 

cloth goods

 

basket

 

 

charcoal

 

costumes

 

selling bread

 

cooking

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Photos from the other Islands of the
INDIAN OCEAN

Aldabra Andaman Islands Madagascar Maldives Mauritius Mayotte Reunion Seychelles Sri Lanka

 

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Aldabra

 

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Madagascar

 

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Mauritius

 

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Mayotte

 

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Reunion

 

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Seychelles

 

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Sri Lanka

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