Mayotte

Mayotte is an overseas department and region and single territorial collectivity of France. Located in the northern part of the Mozambique Channel in the western Indian Ocean off the coast of Southeastern Africa, the territory lies between the northwestern part of the island of Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique on the continent.

The total land area of Mayotte covers 374 square kilometres, featuring a main island named Grande-Terre, a smaller island called Petite-Terre, and several surrounding islets. Official estimates place the population at 320,901 inhabitants, creating a very high density of 858 inhabitants per square kilometre. Mamoudzou serves as the biggest city and prefecture on Grande-Terre, while Dzaoudzi–Pamandzi International Airport is situated on Petite-Terre.

Geographically, the islands feature steep slopes that historically hosted large agricultural developments. During the nineteenth century, French administration attempted to transform the territory into a sugar island, constructing seventeen sugar factories and clearing land for large plantations. Due to mediocre production and a subsequent sugar crisis from 1883 to 1885, the crop ended, leaving behind historical ruins such as the preserved Soulou plant in the west of the island.

The landscape and climate of Mayotte reflect its position in the western Indian Ocean, marked by rugged terrain and historical land use changes where nature reclaimed old plantations after decades of war and shifting populations. Following the closure of the final sugar plant at Dzoumogné in 1955, the physical environment retains remnants of its colonial agricultural era alongside dense settlements and shanty towns driven by regional migration challenges.