evidence: The oldest and easternmost islands in the archipelago comprise a territory known as Mayotte. Mayotte consists of two principal islands, the main island (known as Grande Terre) and a smaller island to the east, known as Pamandzi or Petite Terre. This image, captured by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8, shows the main island in the center of an outer ring of barrier reefs and small islets, which form a lagoon rich in marine biodiversity. Corals and mangroves also fringe the coasts of the main island. Mayotte’s lagoon is home to a diversity of marine life, including corals, clownfish, and green sea turtles. But overfishing and coral bleaching threaten the health of the ecosystem. A 2022 study of corals in the western Indian Ocean found that the Comoros islands corals were at risk of collapse in response to warming water temperatures. A marine park, which covers all of Mayotte and surrounding waters, was established in 2010 to protect its aquatic life. [...] The capital of Mayotte, Mamoudzou, is located on the eastern coast of the main island and looks across a 2 km channel to Pamandzi. Most of Mayotte’s population lives on the main island, but the airport is located on southern tip of Pamandzi, shown in the image below.