"Ra Hachiri" (Shimaore) ("We are vigilant") | |||||||
Anthem | "La Marseillaise" | ||||||
Capital | Mamoudzou | ||||||
Largest city | Mamoudzou | ||||||
Language official |
French | ||||||
others | Shimaore Kibushi Kiantalaotsi Arabic | ||||||
Demonym | Mahoran
Maorais | ||||||
President | Soibahadine Ibrahim Ramadani |
Mayotte (French: Mayotte, pronounced: [majɔt]; Shimaore: Maore, IPA: [maˈore]; Malagasy: Mahori) is a former overseas territory and region of France consisting of a main island, Grande-Terre (or Maore), a smaller island, Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi), and various islets around these two. Several years after Doomsday, the islands would become the second French-speaking territory of the Indian Ocean, after the island of Réunion, to join the Republic of the French Southern Territories, greatly aiding the islands' defense and economic position.
Mayotte's capital and largest city is the city of Mamoudzou, located on the northeast coast of the island. The territory is also known as Maore, the native name of its main island, especially by advocates of its inclusion in the Union of Comoros. The archipelago is located in the northern Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean, between the regions of northwestern Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique. Mayotte has an area of 374 sq km (144 sq mi) and is very densely populated for its size. The territory of Mayotte is geographically part of the Comoro Islands, but the people of Mayotte chose to remain politically a part of France after a referendum in 1975.
History[]
Pre-Doomsday[]
The first settlement on the islands was the Maore or Mawuti (contraction of the Arabic جزيرة الموت Jazīrat al-Mawt -meaning island of the dead/of death and corrupted to Mayotte in French) sultanate, which was established on the islands in 1500, and later was observed by Portuguese explorers in the area.
Andriantsoly, former king of Iboina on the nearby island of Madagascar, conquered the Maore Sultanate in 1832, although was later taken in 1833 by the neighboring sultanate of Mwali (Mohéli island in French). This was followed by the Ndzuwani Sultanate (Anjouan sultanate in French), who installed a governor with the unusual Islamic style of Qadi (from the Arabic قاض which means judge), acting as a 'Resident Magistrate' (in British terms), but in 1836, regained its independence under a last local Sultan.
Mayotte was ceded to France in 1841, and in 1974 and 1976 voted to retain its link to France and forgo independence. Until doomsday the islands would continue to be claimed by the Comoros, resulting in a draft 1976 United Nations Security Council resolution recognizing Comorian sovereignty over Mayotte, supported by 11 of the 15 members of the Council, but was vetoed by France.
Post-Doomsday[]
In the midst of the nuclear exchange, the countries of eastern Africa were left essentially untouched by nuclear strikes, although many states were left vulnerable to radiation sickness; mass hysteria and looting; ongoing conflicts prior to Doomsday; and food insecurity, leaving only the islands of Mayotte which had rapidly lost contact with their mother nation of France in just a matter of days. Left without power, limited resources, riots within its small cities, and almost no news of what had happened, the government of Mayotte was forced to enforce a temporary curfew and deploy soldiers in larger cities to quell looting. As the weeks went by, the population was plagued by the frequent power outages and lack of running water, which only increased once refugees began to arrive by fishing boat in a haste to escape the civil war-torn country of Mozambique and the crumbling state of Tanzania, along with its successor state, Tanganyika. The government, left with no other choice, declared a state of emergency and instated policies that would force fishermen to distribute their gains as evenly as possible within their communities, as food continued to run out or expired due to lack of refrigeration, along with policies that compelled local ranchers to do the same and distribute milk, eggs, and meat to their community. Meanwhile remaining necessary commodities, which included food and clean drinking water, were distributed by Mahoran masjids and churches, which also took in Mozambican and Tanzanian refugees and provided food and bedding, in spite of shortages of both. Influenced by their respective houses of worship, smaller religious households began to provide shelter to refugees as well in a domino effect of sorts.
As the government of Mayotte began to get a grip on the issues that every day Mahorais faced in this new harsh world, a committee known as the Comité de restauration des communications (lit. "Communications restoration committee") was established in the hopes of reigniting contact with surrounding states and non-Mahoran islands, utilizing the islands' telegraphs, radios, and other communication devices, along with capable boats that were able to make relatively long journeys. The committee focused mainly on surrounding territories but attempted to instigate contact with whatever remained of the French Republic as well which proved unsuccessful. In early spring of 1984, just a couple of months following the committee's founding, contact was achieved between Mayotte and the Pacific territories of the Republic of the French Southern Territories, a collection of former French-administered territories outside of the European continent. Following their neighbor, Réunion, Mayotte would begin negotiations with the Republic to join the nation as a territory. Since then the Republic invested largely in relief efforts and policing within the islands of Mayotte.
Geography[]
Mayotte is located west of Madagascar and southeast of Anjouan. The main island, Grande-Terre (or Maore), the oldest of the Comoro Islands, is 39 kilometres (24 mi) long and 22 kilometres (14 mi) wide. The islands' highest point is Mount Benara.
Culture[]
The culture of Mayotte is a mix of several unique cultures, as a result of many populations crossing throughout its history. This mixture is reflected in the music, song and dance. The island has a great musical tradition linked to Arab-Muslim culture. The culture of Mayotte is also close to the Sakalava culture of Madagascar.
Language[]
Kibushi, a language of Malagasy origin, is the language spoken by approximately 30% of the native population on Mayotte. French is the official and sole language of Mayotte. Arabic, Kibushi, and Shimaore are just some of various other languages usually spoken on the islands of Mayotte.
Politics & Government[]
Contact was made between Mayotte and the Pacific territories of the Republic of the French Southern Territories in 1984. Mayotte would vote to join the nation as a territory thus making Mayotte one of the founding members of the Republic along with Réunion. Mayotte has an assembly style goverment. The president of Mayotte was Soibahadine Ibrahim Ramadani.
Economy[]
Agriculture[]
The agriculture of Mayotte is vulnerable to insecurity. And due to its more expensive workforce, it is unable to compete on the export ground with Comoros or Madagascar.
Military[]
After the islands' ascension into the Republic of the French Southern Territories the island's military was incorporated into the Republic's. Defense of the island has since fallen into the hands of the Republic.
International Relations[]
Due to Mayotte's joining of the RTA along with several other nations across the world, it has fairly strong relations with it's neighbors such as Réunion, Mayotte also boasts a trading relation with the larger island territory.
As the Republic of the French Southern Territories is the representative of France in the Oceanic Regional Grouping of the League of Nations, Mayotte is subsequently somewhat a member state of the LoN.
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