Ashmore and Cartier Islands (2001) | Reunion (2006) | |
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: 29.8% (male 120,147/female 114,589)
15-64 years: 64% (male 248,895/female 255,156) 65 years and over: 6.2% (male 19,847/female 28,950) (2006 est.) |
Agriculture - products | - | sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn |
Airports | - | 2 (2006) |
Airports - with paved runways | - | total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) |
Area | total:
5 sq km land: 5 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and Cartier Island |
total: 2,517 sq km
land: 2,507 sq km water: 10 sq km |
Area - comparative | about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Rhode Island |
Background | These uninhabited islands came under Australian authority in 1931; formal administration began two years later. Ashmore Reef supports a rich and diverse avian and marine habitat; in 1983 it became a National Nature Reserve. Recent geological explorations have indicated promising petroleum formations. | 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. |
Birth rate | - | 18.9 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Budget | - | revenues: $554.7 million
expenditures: $554.7 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1998) |
Capital | - | name: Saint-Denis
geographic coordinates: 20 52 S, 55 28 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | tropical | tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry (May to November), hot and rainy (November to April) |
Coastline | 74.1 km | 207 km |
Constitution | - | 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) |
Country name | conventional long form:
Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands conventional short form: Ashmore and Cartier Islands |
conventional long form: Department of Reunion
conventional short form: Reunion local long form: none local short form: Ile de la Reunion former: Bourbon Island |
Death rate | - | 5.49 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Debt - external | - | $NA |
Dependency status | territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Department of the Environment, Sport, and Territories | overseas department of France |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territory of Australia) | none (overseas department of France) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of Australia) | none (overseas department of France) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France (2001 est.) |
Economy - overview | no economic activity | 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 illustrated the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from France. |
Electricity - consumption | - | 1.107 billion kWh (2003) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2003) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (2003) |
Electricity - production | - | 1.19 billion kWh (2003) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 3 m |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | NA |
Ethnic groups | - | French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian |
Exchange rates | - | euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) |
Executive branch | - | chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Pierre-Henry MACCIONI (since 28 August 2006)
head of government: President of the General Council Nassimah DINDAR (since NA March 2004) and President of the Regional Council Paul VERGES (since NA March 1993) cabinet: 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 |
Exports | - | NA bbl/day |
Exports - commodities | - | sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3% |
Exports - partners | - | France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (2004) |
Fiscal year | - | calendar year |
Flag description | the flag of Australia is used | unofficial, local flag designed to emphasize solidarity among the people of Reunion; the field is divided vertically with three narrow stripes of blue, white, and red along the hoist edge representing the French national flag; the remainder of the field is divided diagonally into four triangles colored (clockwise from the hoist side) blue, golden yellow, red, and green; in the center, the apexes of the triangles are surmounted by a white disk; the only official flag is the national flag of France |
GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture: 8%
industry: 19% services: 73% (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | - | 2.5% (2005 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 12 14 S, 123 05 E | 21 06 S, 55 36 E |
Geography - note | Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve established in August 1983 | 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 |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | - | NA bbl/day |
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% (2004) |
Independence | - | none (overseas department of France) |
Industrial production growth rate | - | NA% |
Industries | - | sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction |
Infant mortality rate | - | total: 7.63 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8.37 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | NA% |
International organization participation | - | InOC, UPU, WFTU |
Irrigated land | 0 sq km (1993) | 120 sq km (2003) |
Judicial branch | - | Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel |
Labor force | - | 299,000 (2002) |
Labor force - by occupation | - | agriculture: 13%
industry: 12% services: 75% (2000) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100% (all grass and sand) |
arable land: 13.94%
permanent crops: 1.59% other: 84.47% (2005) |
Languages | - | French (official), Creole widely used |
Legal system | the laws of the Northern Territory of Australia, where applicable, apply | 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)
elections: General Council - last held 15 and 22 March 1998 (next to be held NA); Regional Council - last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held in 2010) 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 (second round) - percent of vote by party - PCR 44.9%, UMP 32.8%, PS-Greens 22.3%; seats by party - PCR 27, UMP 11, PS-Greens 7 note: Reunion elects three representatives to the French Senate; elections last held in 2001 (next to be held in 2006); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRC 1, UDF 1, UMP 1; Reunion also elects five deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 3, PS 1, independent 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | - | total population: 74.18 years
male: 70.78 years female: 77.75 years (2006 est.) |
Literacy | - | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 88.9% male: 87% female: 90.8% (2003 est.) |
Location | Southeastern Asia, islands in the Indian Ocean, northwest of Australia | Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar |
Map references | Southeast Asia | World |
Maritime claims | contiguous zone:
12 NM continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | - | registered in other countries: 1 (Bahamas 1) (2006) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force | defense is the responsibility of France |
Military branches | - | no regular indigenous military forces; French forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie) (2005) |
National holiday | - | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) |
Nationality | - | noun: Reunionese (singular and plural)
adjective: Reunionese |
Natural hazards | surrounded by shoals and reefs that can pose maritime hazards | periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano |
Natural resources | fish | fish, arable land, hydropower |
Net migration rate | - | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | - | Communist Party of Reunion or PCR [Elie HOARAU]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Andre Maurice PIHOUEE]; Socialist Party or PS [Michel VERGOZ]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Gilbert GERARD]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP |
Political pressure groups and leaders | - | NA |
Population | no indigenous inhabitants
note: there are only seasonal caretakers (July 2001 est.) |
787,584 (July 2006 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | NA% |
Population growth rate | - | 1.34% (2006 est.) |
Ports and harbors | none; offshore anchorage only | - |
Radio broadcast stations | - | AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (2001) |
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: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
Suffrage | - | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | - | general assessment: adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis
domestic: modern open-wire and microwave radio relay network international: country code - 262; radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia |
Telephones - main lines in use | - | 300,000 (2001) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | - | 579,200 (2004) |
Television broadcast stations | - | 35 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (2001) |
Terrain | low with sand and coral | mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast |
Total fertility rate | - | 2.45 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
Unemployment rate | - | 31% (2002) |
Waterways | none | - |