Main page Compare countries Index countries Index fields

Query:
##ciekawa_strona##

Compare Reunion (2001) - Pacific Ocean (2003)

Compare Reunion (2001) z Pacific Ocean (2003)

 Reunion (2001)Pacific Ocean (2003)
 ReunionPacific Ocean
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:
32.07% (male 120,259; female 114,669)

15-64 years:
62.25% (male 224,347; female 231,698)

65 years and over:
5.68% (male 16,892; female 24,705) (2001 est.)
-
Agriculture - products sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn -
Airports 2 (2000 est.) -
Airports - with paved runways total:
2

2,438 to 3,047 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
1 (2000 est.)
-
Area total:
2,512 sq km

land:
2,502 sq km

water:
10 sq km
total: 155.557 million sq km


note: includes Bali Sea, Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Coral Sea, East China Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Tonkin, Philippine Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, South China Sea, Tasman Sea, and other tributary water bodies
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Rhode Island about 15 times the size of the US; covers about 28% of the global surface; larger than the total land area of the world
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. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world's five oceans (followed by the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). Strategically important access waterways include the La Perouse, Tsugaru, Tsushima, Taiwan, Singapore, and Torres Straits. The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Pacific Ocean south of 60 degrees south.
Birth rate 21.26 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) -
Budget revenues:
NA

expenditures:
NA
-
Capital Saint-Denis -
Climate tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April planetary air pressure systems and resultant wind patterns exhibit remarkable uniformity in the south and east; trade winds and westerly winds are well-developed patterns, modified by seasonal fluctuations; tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico from June to October and affect Mexico and Central America; continental influences cause climatic uniformity to be much less pronounced in the eastern and western regions at the same latitude in the North Pacific Ocean; the western Pacific is monsoonal - a rainy season occurs during the summer months, when moisture-laden winds blow from the ocean over the land, and a dry season during the winter months, when dry winds blow from the Asian landmass back to the ocean; tropical cyclones (typhoons) may strike southeast and east Asia from May to December
Coastline 207 km 135,663 km
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

former:
Bourbon Island
-
Currency French franc (FRF); euro (EUR) -
Death rate 5.52 deaths/1,000 population (2001 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 some maritime disputes (see littoral states)
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. The Pacific Ocean is a major contributor to the world economy and particularly to those nations its waters directly touch. It provides low-cost sea transportation between East and West, extensive fishing grounds, offshore oil and gas fields, minerals, and sand and gravel for the construction industry. In 1996, over 60% of the world's fish catch came from the Pacific Ocean. Exploitation of offshore oil and gas reserves is playing an ever-increasing role in the energy supplies of US, Australia, NZ, China, and Peru. The high cost of recovering offshore oil and gas, combined with the wide swings in world prices for oil since 1985, has slowed but not stopped new drillings.
Electricity - consumption 1.023 billion kWh (1999) -
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) -
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (1999) -
Electricity - production 1.1 billion kWh (1999) -
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
54.55%

hydro:
45.45%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point:
Piton des Neiges 3,069 m
lowest point: Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench -10,924 m


highest point: sea level 0 m
Environment - current issues NA endangered marine species include the dugong, sea lion, sea otter, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in Philippine Sea and South China Sea
Ethnic groups French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian -
Exchange rates euros per US dollar - 1.06594 (January 2001), 1.08540 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996) -
Executive branch chief of state:
President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Robert POMMIES (since NA 1996)

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 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
-
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 -
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 21 06 S, 55 36 E 0 00 N, 160 00 W
Geography - note - the major chokepoints are the Bering Strait, Panama Canal, Luzon Strait, and the Singapore Strait; the Equator divides the Pacific Ocean into the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean; dotted with low coral islands and rugged volcanic islands in the southwestern Pacific 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 1600 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 8.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) -
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA% -
International organization participation FZ, InOC, WFTU -
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) -
Irrigated land 60 sq km (1993 est.) -
Judicial branch Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel -
Labor force 261,000 (1995) -
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 8%, industry 19%, services 73% (1990) -
Land boundaries 0 km -
Land use arable land:
17%

permanent crops:
2%

permanent pastures:
5%

forests and woodland:
35%

other:
41% (1993 est.)
-
Languages French (official), Creole widely used -
Legal system French law -
Legislative branch 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)

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

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
-
Life expectancy at birth total population:
72.93 years

male:
69.53 years

female:
76.49 years (2001 est.)
-
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
79%

male:
76%

female:
80% (1982 est.)
-
Location Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar body of water between the Southern Ocean, Asia, Australia, and the Western Hemisphere
Map references World Political Map of the World
Maritime claims exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
-
Merchant marine total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 28,264 GRT/44,885 DWT

ships by type:
chemical tanker 1 (2000 est.)
-
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:
190,846 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
97,497 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
6,243 (2001 est.)
-
National holiday Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) -
Nationality noun:
Reunionese (singular and plural)

adjective:
Reunionese
-
Natural hazards periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano surrounded by a zone of violent volcanic and earthquake activity sometimes referred to as the "Pacific Ring of Fire"; subject to tropical cyclones (typhoons) in southeast and east Asia from May to December (most frequent from July to October); tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico and strike Central America and Mexico from June to October (most common in August and September); cyclical El Nino/La Nina phenomenon occurs in the equatorial Pacific, influencing weather in the Western Hemisphere and the western Pacific; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north from October to May; persistent fog in the northern Pacific can be a maritime hazard from June to December
Natural resources fish, arable land, hydropower oil and gas fields, polymetallic nodules, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, fish
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (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 732,570 (July 2001 est.) -
Population below poverty line NA% -
Population growth rate 1.57% (2001 est.) -
Ports and harbors Le Port, Pointe des Galets Bangkok (Thailand), Hong Kong, Kao-hsiung (Taiwan), Los Angeles (US), Manila (Philippines), Pusan (South Korea), San Francisco (US), Seattle (US), Shanghai (China), Singapore, Sydney (Australia), Vladivostok (Russia), Wellington (NZ), Yokohama (Japan)
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (1998) -
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:
0.97 male(s)/female (2001 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 236,500 (1997) -
Telephones - mobile cellular 85,000 (1999) -
Television broadcast stations 22 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (1997) -
Terrain mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated by a clockwise, warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents) and in the southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre; in the northern Pacific, sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk in winter; in the southern Pacific, sea ice from Antarctica reaches its northernmost extent in October; the ocean floor in the eastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the western Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the Mariana Trench, which is the world's deepest
Total fertility rate 2.58 children born/woman (2001 est.) -
Transportation - note - Inside Passage offers protected waters from southeast Alaska to Puget Sound (Washington state)
Unemployment rate 42.8% (1998) -
Waterways none -
Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.