City Africa
Mamoudzou
Mamoudzou is a town on an island called Mayotte, in the Indian Ocean. It looks out over a big blue lagoon!
Mamoudzou is the main town of Mayotte, on the island of Grande-Terre in the Indian Ocean. It faces a huge lagoon ringed by a coral reef, where humpback whales come to have their babies. The census of 2025–2026 counted about 94,600 people in Mamoudzou.
Mamoudzou, on Grande-Terre (Larousse), is Mayotte's main town ('chef-lieu', INSEE). INSEE's census of November 2025 to January 2026 put it at about 94,600 inhabitants, 23,170 more than in 2017. It faces a lagoon of about 1,100 km² enclosed by a coral barrier reef (Universalis), a calving ground for humpback whales (Parc naturel marin de Mayotte).
Photo: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Mamoudzou
Mamoudzou is a town on Grande-Terre, one of the islands of Mayotte.
Mayotte is in the Indian Ocean, near Africa.
Larousse places Mamoudzou on Grande-Terre, one of Mayotte's two main islands. INSEE, France's statistics office, calls it Mayotte's main town.
INSEE's census, carried out from November 2025 to January 2026, counted about 94,600 people in Mamoudzou, 23,170 more than in 2017. That is growth of about 3.4 percent a year.
Larousse: a locality of Mayotte on Grande-Terre (Comoros archipelago); 58,197 inhabitants (2012 census). INSEE press release (7 July 2026): first results of the full census carried out from November 2025 to January 2026; Mayotte 323,153 inhabitants on 1 January 2026, +26 percent (66,600 more) since the previous full census of September 2017, 2.8 percent a year; the population has doubled since 2002; in Mamoudzou, the main town, +23,170 inhabitants since 2017, +2,780 a year on average (+3.4 percent a year), now 94,600.
- Where
- on Grande-Terre, Mayotte, in the Comoros archipelago (Larousse)
- People in Mamoudzou (census 2025–2026, first results)
- about 94,600
- Growth since 2017
- 23,170 more people, about 3.4 percent a year (INSEE)
- People on all of Mayotte (1 January 2026)
- 323,153 (INSEE)
A harbor on a blue lagoon
Look at the blue water and all the little boats!
Green trees fill the front, and green hills rise across the water.
Jean-Pierre Dalbéra took this photo on 18 May 2017 and called it 'Le port de Mamoudzou', the port of Mamoudzou. Looking down past leafy trees, it shows a pier with many small boats, a wide blue bay, small green islands and green hills on the far shore.
On Wikidata, the Mbouzi islet, a national nature reserve, is about 3 kilometers south of the town's point, and the Stade Cavani sports ground about 1 kilometer west-southwest.
Commons: File:Le port de Mamoudzou (Mayotte) (34747921455).jpg, Jean-Pierre Dalbéra (Flickr, CC BY 2.0, FlickreviewR passed 18 June 2017), taken 18 May 2017 13:03; title and description 'Le port de Mamoudzou (Mayotte)'; Flickr location 12.7703° S, 45.2294° E, 1.26 km N of the town's Wikidata point; category 'Harbour in Mamoudzou'. Wikidata, from the town point (Q132676): the hospital of Mayotte (Q110529999), inception 1960, 0.58 km NW; Stade Cavani (Q7596096), 1981, 1.04 km WSW; national nature reserve of the Mbouzi islet (Q15401949), 2007, 2.97 km S. The small islands in the photo are not named by any source.
- In the photo
- 'Le port de Mamoudzou' (the port of Mamoudzou), 18 May 2017 (the photographer's title)
- Mbouzi islet
- a national nature reserve, about 3 km south of the town's point (Wikidata)
- Stade Cavani
- a sports stadium about 1 km west-southwest of the town's point (Wikidata)
A young, fast-growing town
Mayotte was made by volcanoes a very long time ago.
More and more people live in Mamoudzou every year.
Universalis says Mayotte is volcanic: its oldest rocks formed about 8 million years ago. Its people come from Arab, Bantu and Malagasy language families, and around 1600 people from Africa arrived by way of Madagascar.
Mamoudzou has grown very fast. Larousse gives 58,197 people at the 2012 census, and INSEE's 2025–2026 census about 94,600.
Universalis 'MAYOTTE': volcanic in origin (8 million years for the oldest formations); Mahoran society formed by three language families, Arab, Bantu and Malagasy; around 1600 the arrival of African populations by way of Madagascar was a further step in shaping it. Larousse: 58,197 inhabitants (2012 census). INSEE: +23,170 between September 2017 and the 2025-2026 census, now about 94,600; Mayotte's population doubled between 2002 and 2026. No opened source gives a founding date for Mamoudzou.
- Oldest rocks of Mayotte
- volcanic, about 8 million years old (Universalis)
- Around 1600
- people from Africa arrived by way of Madagascar (Universalis)
- Mamoudzou's people
- 58,197 in 2012 (Larousse); about 94,600 in 2025–2026 (INSEE)
Barges across the water
Big flat boats called barges carry people across the water to the smaller island.
Mayotte has two main islands.
Mayotte has two main islands, says Universalis: Grande-Terre, where Mamoudzou stands, and Petite-Terre. A stretch of sea 2.8 kilometers wide lies between them, and it can be crossed only by barges.
Universalis calls Mayotte the 'seahorse island' for its shape, about 40 kilometers long and 20 kilometers wide, with hilly land rising to Mount Bénara, 660 meters high.
Universalis: two main islands; Petite-Terre (the islet of Pamandzi, joined to the rock of Dzaoudzi) is separated from Grande-Terre by an arm of the sea 2.8 km wide that can be crossed only by barges; 'seahorse island' by its shape, 40 km long and about 20 km wide, with very rugged ground; modest heights (Mount Bénara, 660 m); ridges run out as headlands into the lagoon, with bays filled by river sediment where mangroves grow.
- Two islands
- Grande-Terre and Petite-Terre, 2.8 km apart, crossed only by barges (Universalis)
- Mayotte's size
- about 40 km long and 20 km wide (Universalis)
- Highest point
- Mount Bénara, 660 m (Universalis)
A wet season and a drier season
Mayotte is warm and wet.
From October to March it rains a lot, and from April to September it is drier.
Universalis calls Mayotte's climate humid tropical, with two seasons. From October to March the northeast monsoon brings heavy rain. From April to September it is drier, when the trade winds blow.
Between 1,500 and 2,000 millimeters of rain fall in a year, and Universalis says cyclones are rare. The rain and damp air help many tropical plants grow.
Universalis: a humid tropical climate with two seasons: a wet season from October to March, with the northeast monsoon and abundant rain that speeds up erosion of steep soils, and a drier season from April to September, when the trade winds dominate; heavy rainfall (1,500 to 2,000 mm a year), relative humidity and rare cyclones make Mayotte a good land for many tropical species (ylang-ylang, sugar cane, vanilla, rice, cassava, mangrove trees, coconut palms).
- Wet season
- October to March, with the northeast monsoon and heavy rain (Universalis)
- Drier season
- April to September, when the trade winds blow (Universalis)
- Rain in a year
- 1,500 to 2,000 mm (Universalis)
Whales, reefs and ylang-ylang
Big humpback whales visit the lagoon to have their babies!
People come to dive and watch the whales.
Universalis says the lagoon is about 1,100 square kilometers of clear water inside a coral barrier reef, one of the largest in the world. People enjoy water sports and diving there, and more recently whale watching.
The marine park says humpback whales pass Mayotte from July to November. The wide, shallow lagoon is a good place for mothers to give birth and raise their calves.
Universalis: the lagoon, called a jewel, is a body of clear water of 1,100 km², surrounded by a coral barrier reef (one of the largest in the world), popular for water sports, diving and, more recently, whale watching; ylang-ylang, sugar cane, vanilla, rice, cassava, mangroves and coconut palms grow well. Parc naturel marin de Mayotte ('La baleine à bosse'): humpbacks pass from July to November; mating groups use the open sea, while the wide, shallow lagoon offers mothers ideal conditions to give birth and raise newborns; 60 percent of whale groups seen at Mayotte are mothers with calves, against 20 percent worldwide; disturbing marine mammals on purpose is strictly forbidden.
- The lagoon
- about 1,100 km² of clear water inside a coral barrier reef (Universalis)
- Humpback whales
- pass by from July to November; mothers give birth and raise calves in the lagoon (Parc naturel marin de Mayotte)
- Plants grown
- ylang-ylang, sugar cane, vanilla, rice and cassava (Universalis)
Mamoudzou on the map
Find Africa on the globe, then look at the ocean to its east. Mayotte is a small island there, near Madagascar.
Mamoudzou lies at about 12.78° south and 45.23° east, on Grande-Terre, one of the islands of the Comoros archipelago in the Indian Ocean.
Petite-Terre lies across 2.8 kilometers of sea, says Universalis. On Wikidata, the Mbouzi islet nature reserve is about 3 kilometers south of the town's point.
Mamoudzou lies at about 12.78° S, 45.23° E (Wikidata point of Mamoudzou, Q132676; the sheet point is the same, 0.00 km apart). Larousse: Grande-Terre, Comoros archipelago. Universalis: Petite-Terre 2.8 km away across an arm of the sea. Wikidata: Mbouzi islet reserve 2.97 km S.
- Latitude
- about 12.78° south
- Longitude
- about 45.23° east
- Archipelago
- the Comoros archipelago (Larousse)
Amazing facts
-
Humpback whale moms raise their babies in Mayotte's lagoon!
Mayotte's marine park says 60 percent of the whale groups seen at Mayotte are mothers with calves, compared with 20 percent worldwide.
Parc naturel marin de Mayotte: 60 percent of humpback groups encountered at Mayotte are mothers and calves, against 20 percent worldwide.
-
Mayotte is shaped a bit like a seahorse!
Universalis says Mayotte is called the 'seahorse island' because of its shape, about 40 kilometers long and 20 kilometers wide.
Universalis: 'Île hippocampe' by its shape, 40 km long and about 20 km wide.
-
The water around Mayotte is wrapped by one of the world's biggest coral reefs!
Universalis says Mayotte's lagoon is surrounded by a coral barrier reef that is one of the largest in the world.
Universalis: a lagoon of 1,100 km² of clear water surrounded by a coral barrier reef, one of the largest in the world.
Words to know
- lagoon
- a body of calm sea water closed off by a reef or a strip of land
- barrier reef
- a long wall of coral in the sea, away from the shore
- barge
- a flat boat that carries people, cars or goods across water
- monsoon
- a seasonal wind that brings a rainy season
- calf
- a baby whale
- census
- an official count of all the people living in a place
Discovery challenge
-
Mamoudzou is on which island?
On which island of Mayotte is Mamoudzou?
Larousse places Mamoudzou on which island of the Comoros archipelago?
- Grande-Terre
- Petite-Terre
- Madagascar
Show the answer
Grande-Terre
Grande-Terre!
Grande-Terre.
Grande-Terre.
-
Which big sea animals have their babies in Mayotte's lagoon?
Which whales come to Mayotte's lagoon from July to November to raise their calves?
Which whale species uses Mayotte's lagoon as a calving ground, says the marine park?
- Humpback whales
- Blue whales
- Narwhals
Show the answer
Humpback whales
Humpback whales!
Humpback whales.
The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae).
-
How do people cross the water to Petite-Terre?
How is the 2.8-kilometer stretch of sea to Petite-Terre crossed, says Universalis?
By what means only, says Universalis, can the arm of sea between Grande-Terre and Petite-Terre be crossed?
- By barge
- By train
- On foot
Show the answer
By barge
By barge!
By barge.
Only by barges.
-
When is the rainy season on Mayotte?
Which months make up Mayotte's wet season?
When does the northeast monsoon bring Mayotte's wet season, says Universalis?
- October to March
- April to September
- Only in August
Show the answer
October to March
October to March!
October to March.
October to March.
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Mamoudzou on Grande-Terre, Mayotte, in the Indian Ocean.
- Explain what a lagoon and a barrier reef are.
- Describe why a calm, shallow lagoon suits whale mothers and calves.
- Compare census counts to see how fast a town grows.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Why do whales need quiet places to raise their young?
- How would daily life change if you needed a barge to reach the airport island?
- What might a town need to build when it grows by thousands of people each year?
Try at home or in class
- Whale size: measure 16 meters, the length of a humpback whale, along a hallway or playground.
- Two seasons: make a chart with a rainy half (October to March) and a drier half (April to September).
- Island model: shape a seahorse-like island from clay and add a reef around it with string.
Key vocabulary: lagoon, barrier reef, barge, monsoon, calf, census
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Mamoudzou , Larousse encyclopédie
- MAYOTTE , Encyclopædia Universalis
- Au 1er janvier 2026 la population à Mayotte est de 323 153 habitants (press release, 7 July 2026) , INSEE
- La baleine à bosse , Parc naturel marin de Mayotte
- File:Le port de Mamoudzou (Mayotte) (34747921455).jpg (Jean-Pierre Dalbéra) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.