2003 Edition

Administrative divisions

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 31.3% (male 121,119; female 115,501) 15-64 years: 62.8% (male 233,607; female 240,502) 65 years and over: 5.9% (male 18,036; female 26,406) (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Airports

2 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways

total

2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) Military Reunion

Area

land

2,507 sq km

total

2,517 sq km

water

10 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Rhode Island

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. Geography Reunion

Birth rate

20.17 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$2.62 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998)

revenues

$1.26 billion

Capital

Saint-Denis

Climate

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

Coastline

207 km

Constitution

28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Country name

conventional long form

Department of Reunion

conventional short form

Reunion

former

Bourbon Island

local long form

none

local short form

Ile de la Reunion

Currency

euro (EUR)

Currency code

EUR

Death rate

5.49 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Debt - external

$NA

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)

Disputes - international

none This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

Economic aid - recipient

$NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France

Economy - overview

The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture, but services now dominate. 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 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 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

1.005 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

1.08 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

55.5%

hydro

44.5%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Piton des Neiges 3,069 m

lowest point

Indian Ocean 0 m

Environment - current issues

NA

Ethnic groups

French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian

Exchange rates

euros per US dollar - 1.06 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998)

Executive branch

cabinet

NA

chief of state

President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Gonthier FRIEDERICI (since NA)

elections

French president elected by popular vote for a five-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)

Exports

$214 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% (2000)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Reunion

Flag description

the flag of France is used Economy Reunion

GDP

purchasing power parity - $4.174 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

8%

industry

19%

services

73% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $5,600 (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

2.5% (2002 est.)

Geographic coordinates

21 06 S, 55 36 E

Geography - note

this mountainous, volcanic island has an active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise; there is a tropical cyclone center at Saint-Denis, which is the monitoring station for the whole of the Indian Ocean People Reunion

Government type

NA

Highways

paved

1,300 km (including 73 km of four-lane road)

total

2,724 km

unpaved

1,424 km (1994)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA%

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

NA%

lowest 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% (2000)

Independence

none (overseas department of France)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

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

Infant mortality rate

female

7.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)

male

8.89 deaths/1,000 live births

total

8.13 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

NA%

International organization participation

FZ, InOC, WFTU

Internet country code

.re

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (2000)

Internet users

10,000 (2000) Transportation Reunion

Irrigated land

120 sq km (1998 est.)

Judicial branch

Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel

Labor force

309,900 (2000)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 13%, industry 12%, services 75% (2000)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land

13.2%

other

84.8% (1998 est.)

permanent crops

2%

Languages

French (official), Creole widely used

Legal system

French law

Legislative branch

unicameral General Council (49 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)

election results

General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - various right-wing candidates 13, PCR 10, PS 10, UDF 8, RPR 6, other left-wing candidates 2; Regional Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PCR 19, UDF 9, RPR 8, various right-wing candidates 4, various left-wing candidates 5

elections

General Council - last held 15 and 22 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004); 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 NA 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Reunion also elects five deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1, UMP 1, PCR 1

Life expectancy at birth

female

77 years (2003 est.)

male

70.03 years

total population

73.43 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

90.8% (2003 est.) Government Reunion

male

87%

total population

88.9%

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

Median age

female

27.5 years (2002)

male

25.2 years

total

26.4 years

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of France Transnational Issues Reunion

Military branches

no regular indigenous military forces; French forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49

198,341 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49

101,116 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

6,795 (2003 est.)

National holiday

Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

Nationality

adjective

Reunionese

noun

Reunionese (singular and plural)

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

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

18,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Political parties and leaders

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]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Population

755,171 (July 2003 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Population growth rate

1.47% (2003 est.)

Ports and harbors

Le Port, Pointe des Galets

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (2001)

Radios

173,000 (1997)

Railways

0 km

Religions

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

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telephone system

domestic

modern open-wire and microwave radio relay network

general assessment

adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis

international

radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

268,500 (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular

197,000 (September 2000)

Television broadcast stations

35 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (2001)

Televisions

127,000 (1997)

Terrain

mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast

Total fertility rate

2.53 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate

36% (1999 est.)

Waterways

none