Mayotte Votes to Become Overseas Department of France

The French territory of Mayotte, which is part of the archipelago of Comoros and thus claimed by Comoros, voted 95% in favor of becoming an Overseas Department of France. The transition to an Overseas Department is expected to occur in 2011 and will make the predominantly Muslim island of Mayotte, which is located in the Indian Ocean, part of France and the European Union. Mayotte would join the likes of Guadeloupe and Martinique in the Caribbean, French Guiana in South America, and Reunion in the Indian Ocean as an integral part of France. The unstable state of Comoros, however, sees the vote as a "declaration of war."