About Mayotte > History

Traces of civilization can be found as far back as the 8 th century and the first to arrive were supposedly the Bantus from Northern Africa , followed by the Swahilis. The 9 th century saw the arrival of Arabian and Persian merchants, bringing with them Islam. Pieces of pottery found in the south of the island indicate that there was some form of commerce with the Big Island Madagascar .

However, it's only between the 15 th and 18 th century that one can really talk about true migration and the setting-up of Malagasy villages in the south of Mayotte . In the 16 th century the first Europeans arrive, first the Portuguese and the Dutch, followed by the English and the French in the 17 th century. The 18th century is marked by the wars between the "quarrelling Sultans" from the different islands of the Comoro. The Sultan Andriantsouly, at war with the Sultan Andriani, wanting to end the war, seeked the protection of France by giving up Mayotte for an annual rent of 1000 piastres on the 25 th April 1841 .

Captain Passot was sent as the French representative by the governor of Bourbon Island ( Reunion ) and he saw there an opportunity to compensate the loss of Mauritius to the British.

Mayotte occupied a strategic position in the Canal of Mozambique for the military navy in the region. At that time the first French settlers who arrived in Mayotte tried to cultivate sugar cane following the example of Mauritius and Reunion . Unfortunately, the endeavour did not develop as expected and the fields were abandoned at the beginning of the 20 th century. Numerous varieties of spices were also introduced and are still grown today but they still remain on a small- production basis and the industry is slowly being abandoned.

n 1886, the three other islands of the Comoro - the Big Comoro, Anjouan and Mohely were united by a protectorate under the authority of the Governor of Mayotte. In 1912, the Comoro Archipelago became a province of the Malagasy colony, of which Mayotte formed part; the status of an overseas territory was reached in1946 and. in 1976 Mayotte became independent. Mayotte 's inhabitants were the only ones to choose to stay under French rule, becoming in 1976 a French territorial community. On the 2 nd of July 2000 , the population voted in favour of becoming a departmental community but this status of overseas department will only be confirmed in 2010.