Grande-Terre (Mayotte)

Grande-Terre (Maore or Nyambo Bole in Shimaore) is the main island of the French overseas region of Mayotte.[2] The island is located in the northern Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean, namely between northwestern Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique.

This article is about the main island of Mayotte. For other uses of the toponym "Grande-Terre", see Grande Terre.
Grande-Terre
Native name:
Maore, Mahori
Grande-Terre administrative
Geography
LocationAfrica
Coordinates12.831887°S 45.149474°E / -12.831887; 45.149474
ArchipelagoComoros Island
Area368 km2 (142 sq mi)
Area rank~11th
Highest elevation660 m (2170 ft)
Highest pointMount Benara
Administration
Mayotte, claimed by Comoros
Largest settlementMamoudzou (pop. 53,022 (2009) 186,452[1])
Demographics
Population(2010)
Pop. density499/km2 (1292/sq mi)
Ethnic groupsShimaore, Bushi, Arabs, Swahilis, French

Its biggest city and prefecture is Mamoudzou. The territory is geographically part of the Comoro Islands, but the people of Mayotte chose to remain politically a part of France in the 1975 referendum. 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. In a 2009 referendum, 95.2% of the electorate approved accession to status of department. Mayotte became an overseas department on 31 March 2011 and an Outermost region of the European Union on 1 January 2014.

  • Mayotte, Grande Terre
  • The outskirts of Mayotte

References
  1. INSEE, Government of France. "INSEE Infos No 32" (PDF) (in French). Retrieved 2007-12-02.
  2. "Mayotte devient le 101e département français", Portail du Gouvernement, 4 April 2011, archived from the original on 25 July 2011, C'est pourquoi Mayotte devient le 101e département français et le 5e département d'Outre-Mer et région d'Outre-Mer.


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