Glorioso Islands (2004) | Reunion (2002) | |
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: 31.7% (male 120,864; female 115,251)
15-64 years: 62.5% (male 228,864; female 235,991) 65 years and over: 5.8% (male 17,459; female 25,552) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | - | sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn |
Airports | 1 (2003 est.) | 2 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | - | total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
- |
Area | total: 5 sq km
land: 5 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ile Glorieuse, Ile du Lys, Verte Rocks, Wreck Rock, and South Rock |
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 | A French possession since 1892, the Glorioso Islands are composed of two lushly vegetated coral islands (Ile Glorieuse and Ile du Lys) and three rock islets. A military garrison operates a weather and radio station on Ile Glorieuse. | 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 | - | 20.7 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | - | revenues: NA
expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of $NA |
Capital | - | Saint-Denis |
Climate | tropical | tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April |
Coastline | 35.2 km | 207 km |
Constitution | - | 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Glorioso Islands local long form: none local short form: Iles Glorieuses |
conventional long form: Department of Reunion
conventional short form: Reunion local long form: none local short form: Ile de la Reunion former: Bourbon Island |
Currency | - | euro (EUR); French franc (FRF) |
Death rate | - | 5.51 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | - | $NA |
Dependency status | possession of France; administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Reunion | overseas department of France |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (possession of France) | none (overseas department of France) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (possession of France) | none (overseas department of France) |
Disputes - international | claimed by Madagascar | none |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France |
Economy - overview | no economic activity | 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 | - | 1.014 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production | - | 1.09 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 55%
hydro: 45% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 12 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 - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997) |
Executive branch | - | chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Gonthier FRIEDERICI (since NA)
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) 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 | - | $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% (1994) |
Fiscal year | - | calendar year |
Flag description | the flag of France is used | the flag of France is used |
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.) |
Geographic coordinates | 11 30 S, 47 20 E | 21 06 S, 55 36 E |
Geography - note | the islands and rocks are surrounded by an extensive reef system | 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 |
Highways | - | total: 2,724 km
paved: 1,300 km (including 73 km of four-lane road) unpaved: 1,424 km note: 370 km of road are maintained by national authorities, 754 km by departmental authorities and 1,600 km by local authorities (1994) |
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) |
Independence | - | none (overseas department of France) |
Industrial production growth rate | - | NA% |
Industries | - | sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction |
Infant mortality rate | - | 8.31 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | NA% |
International organization participation | - | FZ, InOC, WFTU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2000) |
Irrigated land | 0 sq km (1998 est.) | 120 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | - | Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel |
Labor force | - | 261,000 (1995) (1995) |
Labor force - by occupation | - | agriculture 8%, industry 19%, services 73% (1990) (1990) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (all lush vegetation and coconut palms) (2001) |
arable land: 13.2%
permanent crops: 2% other: 84.8% (1998 est.) |
Languages | - | French (official), Creole widely used |
Legal system | the laws of France, 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 2004); Regional Council - last held 15 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004) 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 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 | - | total population: 73.18 years
male: 69.78 years female: 76.74 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | - | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 79% male: 76% female: 80% (1982 est.) |
Location | Southern Africa, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, northwest of Madagascar | Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar |
Map references | Africa | World |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | - | total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 28,264 GRT/44,885 DWT
ships by type: chemical tanker 1 note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: France 1 (2002 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France | defense is the responsibility of France |
Military branches | - | no regular indigenous military forces; French forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 194,485 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 99,251 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 18 years of age (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 6,243 (2002 est.) |
National holiday | - | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) |
Nationality | - | noun: Reunionese (singular and plural)
adjective: Reunionese |
Natural hazards | periodic cyclones | periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano |
Natural resources | guano, coconuts | fish, arable land, hydropower |
Net migration rate | - | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 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 | no indigenous inhabitants
note: there is a small French military garrison along with a few meteorologists; visited by scientists (July 2004 est.) |
743,981 (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | NA% |
Population growth rate | - | 1.52% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | none; offshore anchorage only | 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
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: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 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: 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) |
Terrain | low and flat | mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast |
Total fertility rate | - | 2.55 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | - | 42.8% (1998) (1998) |
Waterways | - | none |