evidence: Mayotte , Island and French overseas department, in the Indian Ocean off the coast of East Africa. The southeasternmost island of the Comoros archipelago, it is located northwest of Madagascar. Area: 144 sq mi (375 sq km). Population: (2024 est.) 326,700. Capital: Mamoudzou. Most of its people are of Malagasy origin. Originally inhabited by descendants of Bantu and Malayo-Indonesian peoples, it was converted to Islam by Arab invaders in the 15th century. Taken by Malagasy people from Madagascar at the end of the 18th century, it came under French control in 1843. Together with the other Comoros islands and Madagascar, it became part of a single French overseas territory in the early 20th century. It has been administered separately since 1975, when the three northernmost islands of the Comoros declared independence. Mayotte’s status was changed to departmental collectivity in 2001. A local referendum in 2009 approved the change of Mayotte’s status to an overseas department, effective in 2011.