Mayotte

Description of Mayotte

Mayotte is the most populous of the four Comoros Islands in the Indian Ocean off Mozambique in Africa. The capital city of Mayotte is Mamoudzou. It consists of a main island, Grande-Terre, a smaller island, Petite-Terre, and several islets around these two. The archipelago is located in the northern Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Southeast Africa, between northwestern Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique.

History

 It was a colony of France as from 1843. It chose to remain French dependency rather than joining the other Comorian islands in declaring independence in 1975. On March 31, 2011, Mayotte became an overseas department despite laid claims from Comoros. It is the outermost region of the European Union since it became part of it on January 1, 2014.

Map and language

Its geographical co-ordinates are 12.8431° S and 45.1383° E.The official language spoken in Mayotte is French.

Culture and holidays

Mayotte follows traditional Comorian practices. Rice, curdled milk and meat are eaten as celebratory meals. Sunni Islam of the Chafeite rite is the major religious affiliation, accompanied for part of the population by a cult of possession of Mahoran spirits known as patros and Malagasy ones known as trumba in Mayotte. The Islam is carried out in mosques while worships of spirits takes place. The intervention by the traditional practitioners and rituals of possession by spirits remain the preferred way of dealing with relationships and personal issues that may result to illness. Theater in native languages that is the Comorian or Mayotte-Malagasy is performed in villages that combine humour and social critics such as marriage and parent-child relationships.

Climate and weather

Mayotte’s climate is friendly for all travelers wishing to plan for their holidays. It has a tropical climate that is characterized by a distinct wet and dry period.Winter months are wet and on average there are more than 200 mm of precipitation during these months. Summer months are drier but averages more than 40 mm of precipitation during these months. Temperatures in Mayotte are rather constant and are about 27 degrees Centigrade throughout the year. In the winter months, this combination sometimes causes a high air humidity.

Travelling and Tourism

Mayotte attracts rather many tourists whose main concern is diving and scuba-diving. The beauty of the coral reefs attract tourists too due to their extreme beauty. This is because Mayotte has a so-called double coral-reef which has caused the formation of a natural aquarium so that a variety of smaller species of fish can live here quietly. Tourists with an interest in aquatic live finds it interesting in Mayotte. In the island itself baobab trees, ylang-ylang and orchids in many species among which the vanilla-orchid can be found. Mayotte’s culture also attracts tourists who come to witness the culture of the natives.The believe in traditional practitioners and rituals interest many who come around.

Vacation and destination

Cheap car hiring is offered in Mayotte which gives the tourists an able time when travelling around. Cheap frights to and from Mayotte are available that helps I meeting the travelers budget. There are numerous hotels that offer food and accommodation to the traveler 's preference and choice.Mamoudzou has a several restaurant for example BudvaVacation, BeciciVacation and PetrovacVacation.

Some facts about Mayotte

Gallery of Mayotte

Mayotte video guide

More information about Mayotte

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