overseas department of France in March 2011 in consequence of a 29 March 2009 referendum.[9] The outcome was a 95.5 per cent vote in favour of changing the island's status from a French "overseas community" to become France's 101st département.[10] Its non-official traditional Islamic law, applied in some aspects of the day-to-day life, will be gradually abolished and replaced by the uniform French civil code.[11] Additionally, French social welfare and taxes apply in Mayotte, though some of each will be brought in gradually.[12] Sea near Mamoudzou Politics Main article: Politics of Mayotte Politics of Mayotte takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic French overseas community, whereby the President of the General Council is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Mayotte also sends one deputy to the French National Assembly and two senators to the French Senate. The situation of Mayotte proved to be awkward for France: while the local population very largely did not want to be independent from France and join the Comoros, some international criticism from post-colonial leftist regimes was heard about Mayotte's ongoing ties to France. Furthermore, the peculiar local administration of Mayotte, largely ruled by customary Muslim law, would be difficult to integrate into the legal structures of France, not to mention the costs of bringing the standards of living to levels close to those of Metropolitan France. For these reasons, the laws passed by the national parliament had to state specifically that they applied to Mayotte for them to be applicable on Mayotte. The status of Mayotte was changed in 2001 towards one very close to the status of the departments of France, with the particular designation of departmental collectivity. This change was approved by 73% of voters in a referendum. After the constitutional reform of 2003 it became an overseas collectivity while retaining the title "departmental collectivity" of Mayotte. Mayotte became an overseas department of France (or DOM, département d'outre-mer) on 31 March 2011 following the result of the March 2009 Mahoran status referendum, which was overwhelmingly approved by around 95% of voters.[13][14] Becoming an overseas department will mean it will adopt the same legal and social system as used in the rest of France. This will require abandoning some customary laws, adopting the standard French civil code, and reforming the judiciary, educational, social and fiscal systems, and will take place over a period of about 20 years.[15] Despite its domestic constitutional evolution from the status of an overseas collectivity to that of an overseas department, Mayotte will remain an 'Overseas country and territory' (OCT) in association with the Union and will only become an outermost region of the European Union on the request of the French government, and through the process outlined in Declaration 43 annexed to the Treaty of Lisbon. Administrative divisions Main article: Communes of Mayotte Mayotte is divided into 17 communes. There are also 19 cantons (not shown here) each of which corresponds to one of the communes, except for the commune of Mamoudzou which is divided into three cantons. There are no arrondissements. Dzaoudzi Pamandzi Mamoudzou Dembeni Bandrélé Kani-Kéli Bouéni Chirongui Sada Ouangani Chiconi Tsingoni M'Tsangamouji Acoua Mtsamboro Bandraboua Koungou Transport No railways or waterways. Highways: total: 93 kilometres (58 mi) paved : 72 kilometres (45 mi) unpaved : 21 kilometres (13 mi) Ports and harbours: Dzaoudzi "Longoni" (Koungou) Airports: Dzaoudzi Pamandzi International Airport - the only airport in Mayotte with paved runways: 1 (2002) Economy Main article: Economy of Mayotte The official currency of Mayotte is the euro.[16] In 2005 the GDP of Mayotte at market exchange rates was US$1.13 billion (€0.91 billion).[4] In that same year the GDP per capita of Mayotte at market exchange rates, not at PPP, was US$6,500 (€5,200),[4] which was 10 times higher than the GDP per capita of the Comoros that year, but only a third of the GDP per capita of Réunion and 19% of the GDP per capita of Metropolitan France.[4] Demographics Main article: Demographics of Mayotte 1958 1966 1978 1985 1991 1997 2002 2007 23,364 32,607 47,246 67,205 94,410 131,320 160,265 186,452 Official population figures from past censuses. As of the July 2007 census there were 186,452 people living in Mayotte.[3] According to the 2002 census, 64.7% of the people living in Mayotte were born in Mayotte, 3.9% were born in the rest of the French Republic (either metropolitan France or overseas France except Mayotte), 28.1% were immigrants from the Comoros, 2.8% were immigrants from Madagascar, and the remaining 0.5% came from other countries.[17] A view of Sada with a mosque in the background. The main religion in Mayotte is Islam,[18] with 97% of the population Muslim and 3% Christian.[6] 85,000 of the total 90,000 inhabitants of the island are Comorians. The Comorians are a blend of settlers from many areas: Iranian traders, mainland Africans, Arabs and Malagasy. Comorian communities can also be found in other parts of the Comoros chain as well as in Madagascar. Languages This section may contain inappropriate or misinterpreted citations that do not verify the text. Please help improve this article by checking for inaccuracies. (help, talk, get involved!) (March 2009) French is the only official language of Mayotte. It is the language used for administration and the school system. It is the language most used on television and radio as well as in commercial announcements and billboards. In spite of this, Mayotte is one of the French overseas territories where the knowledge of French is the least developed. At the 2002 census, only 55% of people older than 15 declared they could read and write French, although this figure is higher than those who can read and write Shimaore (41%) or Arabic (33%). With the mandatory schooling of children and the economic development both implemented by the French central state, the French language has progressed significantly on Mayotte in recent years. The survey conducted by the Ministry of National Education showed that while first and second language speakers of French represented 56.9% of the population in general, this figure was only 37.7% for the parents of CM2 (5th year of primary school) pupils, but reached 97.0% for the CM2 pupils themselves (whose age is between 10 and 14 in general). Nowadays there are instances of families speaking only French to their children in the hope of helping their social advancement. With French schooling and French-language television, many young people turn to French or use many French words when speaking Shimaore and Kibushi, leading some to fear that these native languages of Mayotte could either disappear or become some sort of French-based creole.[19] The native languages of Mayotte are: Shimaore, a Swahili dialect heavily influenced by French and Malagasy Kibushi, a western dialect of the Malagasy language (the language of Madagascar) heavily influenced by Shimaore and Arabic Kiantalaotsi, another western dialect of the Malagasy language also heavily influenced by Shimaore and Arabic Kibushi is spoken in the south and north-west of Mayotte, while Shimaore is spoken elsewhere. Arabic is taught in the Quranic schools. Various dialects of the Comorian language essentially imported by immigrants who have arrived in Mayotte since 1974: Shindzwani (the dialect of Anjouan, or Nzwani), Shingazidja (the dialect of Grande Comore, or Ngazidja), and Shimwali (the dialect of Mohéli, or Mwali). A survey was conducted by the French Ministry of National Education in 2006 among pupils registered in CM2 (equivalent to fifth grade in the US and Year 6 in England and Wales). Questions were asked regarding the languages spoken by the pupils as well as the languages spoken by their parents. According to the survey, the ranking of mother tongues is the following (ranked by number of first language speakers in the total population; note that percentages add up to more than 100% because some people are natively bilingual):[20] Shimaore: 55.1% Shindzwani: 22.3% Kibushi: 13.6% Shingazidja: 7.9% French: 1.4% Shimwali: 0.8% Arabic: 0.4% Kiantalaotsi: 0.2% Other: 0.4% However, when also counting second language speakers (e.g. someone whose mother tongue is Shimaore but who also speaks French as a second language) then the ranking becomes: Shimaore: 88.3% French: 56.9% Shindzwani: 35.2% Kibushi: 28.8% Shingazidja: 13.9% Arabic: 10.8% Shimwali: 2.6% Kiantalaotsi: 0.9% Other: 1.2% Culture Approximately 25% of the adult population, and five times as many women as men, enter trance states in which they are possessed by certain identifiable spirits who maintain stable and coherent identities from one possession to the next. [21] See also Geography portal Africa portal France portal Outline of Mayotte 2008 invasion of Anjouan Administrative divisions of France Colonial and Departmental Heads of Mayotte Communications in Mayotte French overseas departments and territories Islands administered by France in the Indian and Pacific oceans Music of the Comoro Islands References ^ ben cahoon. "Information on Mayotte". Worldstatesmen.org. http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Mayotte.htm. Retrieved 1 April 2011.  ^ Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division (2009) (PDF). World Population Prospects, Table A.1. 2008 revision. United Nations. http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wpp2008/wpp2008_text_tables.pdf. Retrieved 12 March 2009.  ^ a b (French) INSEE, Government of France. "INSEE Infos No 32" (PDF). http://www.insee.fr/fr/insee_regions/reunion/zoom/mayotte/publications/inseeinfos/pdf/insee%20infos%20n32.pdf. Retrieved 2 December 2007.  ^ a b c d e (French) INSEE. "8.1 Produit intérieur brut" (PDF). http://www.insee.fr/fr/insee_regions/mayotte/themes/dossiers/tem/tem_8-1-pib.pdf. Retrieved 21 August 2010.  ^ Mayotte devient le 101e département français, 2011-04-04, http://www.gouvernement.gouv.fr/gouvernement/mayotte-devient-le-101e-departement-francais, "C'est pourquoi Mayotte devient le 101e département français et le 5e département d'Outre-Mer et région d'Outre-Mer."  ^ a b "Africa :: Mayotte". CIA. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mf.html. Retrieved 1 April 2011.  ^ "France Cast UN Veto". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Feb 7, 1976. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8O0NAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hG0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6434,579759&dq=france+mayotte+veto&hl=en. Retrieved 13 April 2011. "The vote was 11-1 with three abstentions -- the United States, Britain and Italy."  ^ Celine Nahory, Giji Gya, Misaki Watanabe. "Subjects of UN Security Council Vetoes". Global Policy Forum. http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/membship/veto/vetosubj.htm. Retrieved 13 April 2011.  ^ (French) "Enquête sur le Futur 101e Département". http://www.lefigaro.fr/lefigaromagazine/2009/03/14/01006-20090314ARTFIG00183--enquete-sur-le-futur-101-e-departement-.php.  ^ "Mayotte votes to become France's 101st department". Telegraph.co.uk. 29 March 2009. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/comorosandmayotte/5072354/Mayotte-votes-to-become-Frances-101st-dpartement.html. Retrieved 1 April 2011.  ^ (French) Mayotte vote en faveur de la départementalisation, Le Monde, 29 March 2009 ^ "Mayotte becomes 101st department". The Connexion. 31 March 2011. http://www.connexionfrance.com/Mayotte-department-101-France-Outre-Mer-overseas-Indian-Ocean-12618-view-article.html. Retrieved 2 April 2011.  ^ Elise Cannuel (31 March 2011). "EU shores spread to Indian Ocean island". Deutsche Welle. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,14957924,00.html.  ^ "Mayotte accède à son statut de département dans la confusion". Le Monde. http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2011/03/31/mayotte-embrouillamini-autour-de-son-accession-au-statut-de-departement_1501415_823448.html.  ^ Marina Mielczarek (31 March 2011). "Mayotte devient le 101ème département français". Radio France Internationale. http://www.rfi.fr/france/20110331-mayotte-devient-le-101eme-departement-francais.  ^ (French) Minister of the Economy, Industry and Employment (France). "L'évolution du régime monétaire outre-mer". http://www.finances.gouv.fr/notes_bleues/nbb/nbb208/outre.htm. Retrieved 30 November 2008.  ^ (French) INSEE, Government of France. "Population Selon le Lieu de Naissance" (XLS). http://www.insee.fr/fr/insee_regions/reunion/zoom/mayotte/recensements/Tableau02/mig1det.xls. Retrieved 17 May 2007.  ^ "Europe | Mayotte backs French connection". BBC News. 29 March 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7970450.stm. Retrieved 1 April 2011.  ^ (French) Mayotte Hebdo (18 June 2004). "Le shimaoré fout le camp!". http://www.malango-mayotte.com/traditions-le_shimaore_fout_le_camp.htm. Retrieved 17 May 2007.  ^ (French) Daniel Barreteau. "Premiers résultats d'une enquête sociolinguistique auprès des élèves de CM2 de Mayotte" (PDF). http://www.ac-mayotte.fr/IMG/pdf/Interv_BARRETEAU_CM2.pdf. Retrieved 17 May 2007.  ^ Lambek, Michael 1988 Spirit Possession/Spirit Succession: Aspects of Social Continuity among Malagasy Speakers in Mayotte. American Ethnologist: 15 (4): 710-731 External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mayotte IleMayotte.com The Mayotte Portal (French) (English) Mayotte at WorldStatesmen.org Mayotte entry at The World Factbook Mayotte at the Open Directory Project Wikimedia Atlas of Mayotte Mayotte travel guide from Wikitravel Comité du tourisme de Mayotte Official tourism website (French) "Voyages...Visages" - Another way of travelling and seeing (French) Analysis of the linguistic situation on Mayotte v t e Overseas departments and territories of France   Inhabited areas Overseas departments1 French Guiana Guadeloupe Martinique Réunion Mayotte2 Overseas collectivities French Polynesia St. Barthélemy St. Martin St. Pierre and Miquelon Wallis and Futuna Special status New Caledonia   Uninhabited areas Pacific Ocean Clipperton Island French Southern and Antarctic Lands Île Amsterdam Île Saint-Paul Crozet Islands Kerguelen Islands Adélie Land Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean Banc du Geyser4 Bassas da India4 Europa Island4 Glorioso Islands3, 4, 5 Juan de Nova Island4 Tromelin Island4, 5 1 Also known as overseas regions 2 Claimed by Comoros 3 Claimed by Madagascar 4 Claimed by Seychelles 5 Claimed by Mauritius v t e Departments of France 01 Ain 02 Aisne 03 Allier 04 Alpes-de-Haute-Provence 05 Hautes-Alpes 06 Alpes-Maritimes 07 Ardèche 08 Ardennes 09 Ariège 10 Aube 11 Aude 12 Aveyron 13 Bouches-du-Rhône 14 Calvados 15 Cantal 16 Charente 17 Charente-Maritime 18 Cher 19 Corrèze 2A Corse-du-Sud 2B Haute-Corse 21 Côte-d'Or 22 Côtes-d'Armor 23 Creuse 24 Dordogne 25 Doubs 26 Drôme 27 Eure 28 Eure-et-Loir 29 Finistère 30 Gard 31 Haute-Garonne 32 Gers 33 Gironde 34 Hérault 35 Ille-et-Vilaine 36 Indre 37 Indre-et-Loire 38 Isère 39 Jura 40 Landes 41 Loir-et-Cher 42 Loire 43 Haute-Loire 44 Loire-Atlantique 45 Loiret 46 Lot 47 Lot-et-Garonne 48 Lozère 49 Maine-et-Loire 50 Manche 51 Marne 52 Haute-Marne 53 Mayenne 54 Meurthe-et-Moselle 55 Meuse 56 Morbihan 57 Moselle 58 Nièvre 59 Nord 60 Oise 61 Orne 62 Pas-de-Calais 63 Puy-de-Dôme 64 Pyrénées-Atlantiques 65 Hautes-Pyrénées 66 Pyrénées-Orientales 67 Bas-Rhin 68 Haut-Rhin 69 Rhône 70 Haute-Saône 71 Saône-et-Loire 72 Sarthe 73 Savoie 74 Haute-Savoie 75 Paris 76 Seine-Maritime 77 Seine-et-Marne 78 Yvelines 79 Deux-Sèvres 80 Somme 81 Tarn 82 Tarn-et-Garonne 83 Var 84 Vaucluse 85 Vendée 86 Vienne 87 Haute-Vienne 88 Vosges 89 Yonne 90 Territoire de Belfort 91 Essonne 92 Hauts-de-Seine 93 Seine-Saint-Denis 94 Val-de-Marne 95 Val-d'Oise Overseas departments 971 Guadeloupe 972 Martinique 973 French Guiana 974 Réunion 976 Mayotte v t e Countries and territories of Africa Sovereign states Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia France Mayotte Réunion Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Italy Pantelleria Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Portugal Madeira Rwanda São Tomé and Príncipe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa South Sudan Spain Canary Islands Ceuta Melilla Plazas de soberanía Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Yemen Socotra Zambia Zimbabwe States with limited recognition Azawad Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic Somaliland Dependencies Îles Éparses (France) Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (United Kingdom) Unclear sovereignty Western Sahara v t e Outlying territories of European countries Territories under European sovereignty but closer to or on continents other than Europe (see inclusion criteria for further information) Denmark Greenland France Clipperton Island French Guiana French Polynesia Guadeloupe Martinique Mayotte New Caledonia Réunion Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Wallis and Futuna French Southern and Antarctic Lands Île Amsterdam Île Saint-Paul Crozet Islands Kerguelen Islands Adélie Land Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean Italy Pantelleria Pelagie Islands Lampedusa Lampione Linosa Netherlands Aruba Caribbean Netherlands Bonaire Saba Sint Eustatius Curaçao Sint Maarten Norway Bouvet Island Peter I Island Queen Maud Land Portugal Azores Madeira Spain Canary Islands Ceuta Melilla Plazas de soberanía Islas Chafarinas Peñón de Alhucemas Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera United Kingdom Anguilla Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Falkland Islands Montserrat Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Turks and Caicos Islands British Antarctic Territory British Indian Ocean Territory Pitcairn Islands South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands v t e Countries and territories bordering the Indian Ocean Africa Comoros · Djibouti · Egypt · Eritrea · France (Mayotte and Réunion) · Kenya · Madagascar · Mauritius · Mozambique · Rodrigues, Mauritius · Seychelles · Somalia · Somaliland (Unrecognized) · South Africa · Sudan · Tanzania · Zanzibar, Tanzania Asia Bahrain · Bangladesh · British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago), United Kingdom · Burma · Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Australia · India · Indonesia · Iran · Iraq · Israel · Jordan · Kuwait · Malaysia · Maldives · Oman · Pakistan · Qatar · Saudi Arabia · Sri Lanka · Thailand · Timor-Leste · United Arab Emirates · Yemen Other Antarctica · Australia v t e Dependencies of European Union states Denmark Faroe Islands Greenland France Clipperton Island French Polynesia French Southern and Antarctic Lands Adélie Land Île Amsterdam Crozet Islands Îles Éparses Kerguelen Islands Île Saint-Paul New Caledonia Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Wallis and Futuna United