2000 Edition

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.

Area

land

2,502 sq km

total

2,512 sq km

water

10 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Rhode Island

Climate

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

Coastline

207 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Piton des Neiges 3,069 m

lowest point

Indian Ocean 0 m

Environment - current issues

NA

Geographic coordinates

21 06 S, 55 36 E

Irrigated land

60 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land

17%

forests and woodland

35%

other

41% (1993 est.)

permanent crops

2%

permanent pastures

5%

Location

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

Map references

World

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

fish, arable land, hydropower

Terrain

mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast

Age structure

0-14 years: 32% (male 119,291; female 113,741) 15-64 years: 62% (male 220,066; female 227,632) 65 years and over: 6% (male 16,336; female 23,868) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

21.84 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

5.55 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian

Infant mortality rate

8.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

French (official), Creole widely used

Life expectancy at birth

female

76.24 years (2000 est.)

male

69.28 years

total population

72.68 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

80% (1982 est.)

male

76%

total population

79%

Nationality

adjective

Reunionese

noun

Reunionese (singular and plural)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

720,934 (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

1.63% (2000 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995)

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: 0.68 male(s)/female

total population

0.97 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.61 children born/woman (2000 est.)

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

Capital

Saint-Denis

Constitution

28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Country name

conventional long form

Department of Reunion

conventional short form

Reunion

local long form

none

local short form

Ile de la Reunion

Data code

RE

Dependency status

overseas department of France

Diplomatic representation from the US

none (overseas department of France)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas department of France)

Executive branch

cabinet

NA

chief of state

President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Robert POMMIES (since NA 1996)

elections

French president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; prefect appointed by the French president 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

head of government

President of the General Council Jean-Luc POUDROUX (since NA March 1998) and President of the Regional Council Paul VERGES (since NA March 1993)

Flag description

the flag of France is used

Government type

NA

Independence

none (overseas department of France)

International organization participation

FZ, InOC, WFTU

Judicial branch

Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel

Legal system

French law

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)

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 - PCR 7, UDF 8, PS 6, RPR 4, various right-wing candidates 15, various left-wing candidates 5

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)

note

Reunion elects three representatives to the French Senate; elections last held 14 April 1996 (next to be held NA 2001); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR 1, PCR 2; Reunion also elects five deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last held 25 May and 1 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PCR 3, PS 1, and RPR-UDF 1

National holiday

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

Political parties and leaders

Communist Party of Reunion or PCR [Paul VERGES]; France-Reunion Future or FRA ; Mouvement des Radicaux de Gauche or MRG ; National Front or FN ; Rally for the Republic or RPR ; Socialist Party or PS ; Union for France or UPF (includes RPR and UDF) ; Union for French Democracy or UDF

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn

Budget

expenditures

$2.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $260 million (1995)

revenues

$1.2 billion

Currency

1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes

Debt - external

$NA

Economic aid - recipient

$NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France

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 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.

Electricity - consumption

1.032 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

1.11 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

54.05%

hydro

45.95%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (1998)

Exchange rates

euros per US$1 - 0.9867 (January 2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.65 (January 1999), 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996), 4.9915 (1995)

Exports

$214.162 million (f.o.b., 1997)

Exports - commodities

sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%, (1993)

Exports - partners

France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (1994)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $3.4 billion (1998 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

NA%

industry

NA%

services

NA%

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $4,800 (1998 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3.8% (1998 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$2.5 billion (c.i.f., 1997)

Imports - commodities

manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products

Imports - partners

France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3% (1994)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

NA%

Labor force

261,000 (1995)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 8%, industry 19%, services 73% (1990)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Unemployment rate

42.8% (1998)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

NA

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios

173,000 (1997)

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)

Telephones - main lines in use

236,500 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular

42,000 (1998)

Television broadcast stations

22 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions

127,000 (1997)

Airports

2 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1999 est.)

Highways

paved

2,187 km

total

2,784 km

unpaved

597 km (1987 est.)

Merchant marine

ships by type

chemical tanker 1 (1999 est.)

total

1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 28,264 GRT/44,885 DWT

Ports and harbors

Le Port, Pointe des Galets

Railways

0 km

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of France

Military branches

French forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 187,423 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 95,854 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

6,037 (2000 est.)

Disputes - international

none

ROMANIA