Map of Réunion | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: The Portuguese discovered the uninhabited island in 1513. From the 17th to the 19th centuries French immigration supplemented by influxes of Africans Chinese Malays and Malabar Indians gave the island its ethnic mix. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 cost the island its importance as a stopover on the East Indies trade route.


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Location: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar

Geographic coordinates: 21 06 S, 55 36 E

Map reference: World

Area
Total: total:2,510 km²; land:2,500 km²; water:10 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Rhode Island

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 201 km

Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone:200 nm; territorial sea:12 nm

Climate: tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April

Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast

Elevation
Extremes: lowest point:Indian Ocean 0 m; highest point:Piton des Neiges 3,069 m

Natural resources: fish, arable land

Land use: arable land:17%; permanent crops:2%; permanent pastures:5%; forests and woodland:35%; other:41% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 60 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano

Geography


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Population: 692,204 (July 1997 est.)
Growth rate: 1.87% (1997 est.)

Nationality: noun:Reunionese (singular and plural); adjective:Reunionese

Ethnic groups: French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian

Languages: French (official), Creole widely used

Religions: Roman Catholic 94%, Hindu, Islam, Buddhist

Demographic profile

Age structure: 0-14 years:32% (male 114,655; female 109,301); 15-64 years:62% (male 211,112; female 217,897); 65 years and over:6% (male 16,211; female 23,028) (July 1997 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.87% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 23.4 births/1000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 4.71 deaths/1000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1997 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA

Air pollutants

Sex ratio: at birth:1.05 male(s)/female; under 15 years:1.05 male(s)/female; 15-64 years:0.97 male(s)/female; 65 years and over:0.7 male(s)/female; total population:0.98 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 7.3 deaths/1000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population:75.08 years; male:72.03 years; female:78.29 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.69 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: definition:age 15 and over can read and write; total population:79%; male:76%; female:80% (1982 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name: conventional long form: Department of Reunion; conventional short form: Reunion; local long form: none; local short form: Ile de la Reunion

Government type: NA

Capital: Saint-Denis

Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US government, but there are four arrondissements, 24 communes, and 47 cantons

Dependent areas

Independence: none (overseas department of France)

National holiday: National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)

Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system: French law

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state:President of France Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Robert POMMIES (since NA 1996); head of government:President of the General Council Christophe PAYET (since 4 April 1994) and President of the Regional Council Margarite SUDRE (since 25 June 1993); cabinet:NA; elections:prefect appointed by the president of France on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils, who vote on party lines

Legislative branch: unicameral General Council (47 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve six-year terms) and unicameral Regional Council (45 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve six-year terms); elections:General Council - last held NA March 1994 (next to be held NA 2000); Regional Council - last held 25 June 1993 (next to be held NA 1999); election results:General Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PCR 12, PS 12, UDF 11, RPR 5, others 7; Regional Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UPF 17, Free-Dom Movement 13, PCR 9, PS 6; note:Reunion elects 3 representatives to the French Senate; elections last held 24 September 1992 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR 1, FRA 1, independent 1; Reunion also elects 5 deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last held 21 and 28 March 1993 (next to be held as a special election on 25 May - 1 June 1997); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PS 1, PCR 1, UPF 1, RPR 1, UDF-CDS 1

Judicial branch: Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: FZ, WFTU

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (overseas department of France)
From the us: none (overseas department of France)

Flag description: the flag of France is used

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports. The government has been pushing the development of a tourist industry to relieve high unemployment, which recently amounted to one-third of the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the poor is extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social tensions. The white and Indian communities are substantially better off than other segments of the population, often approaching European standards, whereas indigenous groups suffer the poverty and unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the African continent. The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991 illustrates the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from France.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 2.7% (1995 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn

Industries: sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: total:242,169 (1993); by occupation:agriculture 30%, industry 21%, services 49% (1981)

Unemployment rate: 35% (1994)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues:$N/A; expenditures:$N/A

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: total value:$171.776 million (f.o.b., 1994); commodities:sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%, (1993); partners:France, Mauritius, Bahrain, South Africa, Italy, Madagascar

Imports: total value:$2.354 billion (c.i.f., 1994); commodities:manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products; partners:France, Mauritius, Bahrain, South Africa, Italy, Madagascar

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $N/A

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.4169 (January 1997), 5.1155 (1996), 4.9915 (1995), 5.5520 (1994), 5.6632 (1993), 5.2938 (1992)


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 1.09 billion kWh (1994)

Electricity consumption
Per capita: 1,670 kWh (1994)

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system: adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis; domestic:modern open wire and microwave radio relay network; international:radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 2 (1996)
With paved runways: total:2; 2,438 to 3,047 m:1; 914 to 1,523 m:1 (1996 est.)

Airports with paved runways: total:2; 2,438 to 3,047 m:1; 914 to 1,523 m:1 (1996 est.)

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways: 0 km

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine: none

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs