Réunion, overseas department and administrative region of France, largest of the Mascarene island group in the Indian Ocean, southeast of Madagascar. The island is volcanic in origin and is mountainous. The highest peak, Piton des Neiges, rises 3,069 m (10,069 ft) above sea level. The climate is tropical, with a rainy season lasting from November to April; the island is subject to destructive tropical storms. The island's economy is dominated by the cultivation of sugarcane. The principal exports are sugar, lobsters, rum, vanilla, and perfume essences. The capital of Réunion is Saint-Denis, a port on the northern coast. The island is densely populated. The inhabitants are mainly of mixed African, Asian, and French descent, and about 90 percent are Roman Catholic.
none (overseas department of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 4 arrondissements, 24 communes, and 47 cantons.
Réunion was first settled in the 17th century by colonists from France. Slave labourers were brought in from East Africa to work on plantations, and later Malays, Annamites, Chinese, and Malabar Indians were imported as indentured labourers. Today most of the population is of mixed descent (Creole), with African descent predominant. The limited amount of land has induced substantial emigration, largely to France but also to Madagascar. The island's population density is high, even in areas that typically would be considered too mountainous to support a dense population. Saint-Denis, the capital and largest urban area on the island, contains almost one-fifth of the total population. The language in common use on the island is Creole; French, however, is the official language. About 90 percent of the population is Roman Catholic.
Uninhabited when first visited by Portuguese navigators in the early 1500s, Réunion was settled in the mid-1600s, when the French East India Company established a layover station for ships rounding the Cape of Good Hope en route to India. African slaves were imported first to work coffee and then sugar plantations; with the abolition of slavery in 1848, indentured labourers from Indochina, India, and East Africa were brought in. Réunion was ruled by France as a colony until 1946, when it became an overseas département of France. The headquarters of the French military forces in the Indian Ocean was established on Réunion in 1973, with the arrival of personnel withdrawn from Madagascar. Pop. (1992 est.) 623,000.
The island was uninhabited when it was discovered by the Portuguese navigator Pedro de Mascarenhas during the early 16th century. In 1643 it was claimed by the French, who named it Bourbon and established the first colony here in 1662; slaves were brought from Africa to work the sugar plantations. The island was renamed Réunion in 1793. It remained a French colony, except for a brief British occupation from 1810 to 1815. After slavery was abolished in 1848, indentured servants were brought to the island from India and southeastern Asia. Réunion became an overseas department of France in 1946 and an administrative region in 1974. It sends five directly elected deputies to the French National Assembly and three indirectly elected representatives to the Senate. Local government is maintained by the 47-member General Council and the 45-member Regional Council, each elected by the voters. Area, 2,511 sq km (970 sq mi); population (2001 estimate) 732,570.
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Of volcanic origin, Réunion consists mostly of rugged mountains in an advanced state of dissection by short torrential rivers. The west-central area contains a mountain massif with three summits exceeding 9,000 feet (2,740 m), including the Piton des Neiges (10,069 feet). This massif is encircled by several wide basins and a series of smaller plateaus. In the eastern part of the island is an area of more recent volcanism, and in the extreme east is the mountain Le Volcan, one of whose craters, Piton de la Fournaise, has been active several times since 1925. Réunion's coast has no good natural harbours.
Moisture-laden southeast trade winds, which dominate the weather from April to October, bring abundant annual rainfall (160–315 inches [4,000–8,000 mm]) to the south and east of the island; the north and west sides, however, have as little as 25 inches (635 mm) of rain a year. Temperatures tend to be cool for the tropics, especially at higher elevations, but in summer the lowlands are uncomfortably humid. Tropical cyclones occur frequently
Réunion's economy has been based almost entirely on sugar for more than a century. Cane is grown on most cultivable land, though vanilla bean and some fruits and vegetables, tobacco, and geraniums (for perfume) are also produced. About a dozen big estates with milling facilities produce the bulk of the cane crop. Sugar represents about 75 percent of Réunion's exports, and such sugar by-products as rum and molasses account for much of the rest. Much of Réunion's trade is with France. Unemployment continues to be a problem. A few paved roads connect the main towns on the island. Le Port can handle large ships through artificial port facilities. An international airport is located near Saint-Denis.
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 amounts to more than 40% 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 minority 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.
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.
French is officially language.
Communist Party of Reunion or PCR [Paul VERGES]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Andre Maurice PIHOUEE]; Socialist Party or PS [Jean-Claude FRUTEAU]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Gilbert GERARD]
unicameral General Council (47 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a 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 15 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004)
International organization Member
FZ, InOC, WFTU.
As an overseas département of France, Réunion elects five deputies to the French National Assembly and three to the Senate. The département is administered by an appointed prefect and a general council composed of 44 elected members. There is also a regional council (created 1974) for Réunion that coordinates social and economic development policies. The Réunionese are full citizens of France, and classes in the département's schools are conducted in French.
Military branches: French forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 190,846 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 97,497 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 6,243 (2001 est.)
Military: defense is the responsibility of France
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