Key facts about Mayotte, hit by Cyclone Chido

FRANCE 24 English

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00:00Even before this week's devastating cyclone,

00:03a plethora of problems plagued Mayotte,

00:06located in the Indian Ocean 8,000 km from mainland France.

00:10Mayotte is poorer than any other part of France

00:13as 77% of its 320,000 inhabitants live in poverty,

00:18five times the national average.

00:21The islands are thus heavily dependent on financial assistance

00:24from the French government.

00:26Crime is also a major issue,

00:28with gun violence twice as frequent

00:30and a murder rate five times larger than in mainland France.

00:34At the same time, Mayotte has the fastest growing population in France,

00:38increasing nearly 4% a year,

00:41the result of a high birth rate and immigration.

00:44Even though Mayotte is much poorer than the rest of France,

00:47its GDP per capita is still eight times that of its neighbor, the Comoros,

00:52and as much as 20 times those of countries on mainland Africa.

00:56This has caused a major influx in immigration,

00:59as each year thousands of migrants try to reach Mayotte by sea

01:03and now make up nearly half of Mayotte's population.

01:06The influx of migrants has put pressure on schools,

01:09housing and the health care system.

01:12This has caused major tension and sometimes violent unrest,

01:15as Mayotte's inhabitants have grown frustrated

01:18with the strain on already scarce resources.

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