Mayotte – overseas department of France located in the Comoros Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. The department comprises the main island of Grande-Terre (or Mahoré), a smaller island, Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi), and several islets at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel, between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique. The territory is geographically part of the Comoro Islands, but has been politically separate since the 1970s. The territory is also known as Mahoré, the native name of its main island, especially by advocates of its inclusion in the Union of Comoros.