Reunion (2002) | Qatar (2001) | |
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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 | 9 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ad Dawhah, Al Ghuwayriyah, Al Jumayliyah, Al Khawr, Al Wakrah, Ar Rayyan, Jarayan al Batinah, Madinat ash Shamal, Umm Salal |
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.) |
0-14 years:
25.77% (male 101,155; female 97,086) 15-64 years: 71.75% (male 391,178; female 160,665) 65 years and over: 2.48% (male 13,625; female 5,443) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn | fruits, vegetables; poultry, dairy products, beef; fish |
Airports | 2 (2001) | 4 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
total:
2 over 3,047 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total:
2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 2,517 sq km
land: 2,507 sq km water: 10 sq km |
total:
11,437 sq km land: 11,437 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Rhode Island | slightly smaller than Connecticut |
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. | Ruled by the Al Thani family since the mid-1800s, Qatar transformed itself from a poor British protectorate noted mainly for pearling into an independent state with significant oil and natural gas revenues. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Qatari economy was crippled by a continuous siphoning off of petroleum revenues by the amir who had ruled the country since 1972. He was overthrown by his son, the current Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani, in a bloodless coup in 1995. In 2001, Qatar resolved its longstanding border disputes with both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Oil and natural gas revenues enable Qatar to have a per capita income not far below the leading industrial countries of Western Europe. |
Birth rate | 20.7 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 15.91 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: NA
expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of $NA |
revenues:
$3.9 billion expenditures: $4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) |
Capital | Saint-Denis | Doha |
Climate | tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April | desert; hot, dry; humid and sultry in summer |
Coastline | 207 km | 563 km |
Constitution | 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) | provisional constitution enacted 19 April 1972; in July 1999 Amir HAMAD issued a decree forming a committee to draft a permanent 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 |
conventional long form:
State of Qatar conventional short form: Qatar local long form: Dawlat Qatar local short form: Qatar note: closest approximation of the native pronunciation falls between cutter and gutter, but not like guitar |
Currency | euro (EUR); French franc (FRF) | Qatari rial (QAR) |
Death rate | 5.51 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 4.26 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $NA | $13.1 billion (2000 est.) |
Dependency status | overseas department of France | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas department of France) | chief of mission:
Ambassador Elizabeth Davenport MCKUNE embassy: 22 February Road, Doha mailing address: P. O. Box 2399, Doha telephone: [974] 488 4101 FAX: [974] 488 4298 note: workweek is Saturday-Wednesday |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas department of France) | chief of mission:
Ambassador Badr Umar al-DAFA chancery: 4200 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 274-1600 FAX: [1] (202) 237-0061 consulate(s) general: Houston |
Disputes - international | none | in March of 2001, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) awarded the Hawar Islands to Bahrain and adjusted its maritime boundary with Qatar; a final border resolution was agreed to with Saudi Arabia in March of 2001 |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France | $NA |
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. | Oil accounts for more than 30% of GDP, roughly 80% of export earnings, and 66% of government revenues. Proved oil reserves of 3.7 billion barrels should ensure continued output at current levels for 23 years. Oil has given Qatar a per capita GDP comparable to that of the leading West European industrial countries. Qatar's proved reserves of natural gas exceed 7 trillion cubic meters, more than 5% of the world total, third largest in the world. Production and export of natural gas are becoming increasingly important. Long-term goals feature the development of offshore petroleum and the diversification of the economy. In 2000, Qatar posted its highest ever trade surplus of $6 billion, due mainly to high oil prices and increased natural gas exports. |
Electricity - consumption | 1.014 billion kWh (2000) | 8.37 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2000) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2000) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | 1.09 billion kWh (2000) | 9 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 55%
hydro: 45% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 m |
lowest point:
Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Qurayn Abu al Bawl 103 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | limited natural fresh water resources are increasing dependence on large-scale desalination facilities |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
Ethnic groups | French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian | Arab 40%, Pakistani 18%, Indian 18%, Iranian 10%, other 14% |
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) | Qatari rials per US dollar - 3.6400 (fixed rate) |
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 |
chief of state:
Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani (since 27 June 1995 when, as crown prince, he ousted his father, Amir KHALIFA bin Hamad Al Thani, in a bloodless coup); Crown Prince JASSIM bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, third son of the monarch (selected crown prince by the monarch 22 October 1996); note - Amir HAMAD also holds the positions of minister of defense and commander-in-chief of the armed forces head of government: Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Khalifa Al Thani, brother of the monarch (since 30 October 1996); Deputy Prime Minister MUHAMMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani, brother of the monarch (since 20 January 1998) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary note: in March 1999 Qatar held nationwide elections for a 29-member Central Municipal Council, which has consultative powers aimed at improving the provision of municipal services |
Exports | $214 million f.o.b. (1997) | $9.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
Exports - commodities | sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%, (1993) | petroleum products 80%, fertilizers, steel |
Exports - partners | France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (1994) | Japan 52%, Singapore 9%, South Korea 8%, US, UAE (1998) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | the flag of France is used | maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white points) on the hoist side |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $3.4 billion (1998 est.) | purchasing power parity - $15.1 billion (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture:
1% industry: 49% services: 50% (1996 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $4,800 (1998 est.) | purchasing power parity - $20,300 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 3.8% (1998 est.) | 4% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 21 06 S, 55 36 E | 25 30 N, 51 15 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 | strategic location in central Persian Gulf near major petroleum deposits |
Heliports | - | 1 (2000 est.) |
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) |
total:
1,230 km paved: 1,107 km unpaved: 123 km (1996) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $2.5 billion c.i.f. (1997) | $3.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
Imports - commodities | manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products | machinery and transport equipment, food, chemicals |
Imports - partners | France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3% (1994) | UK 10%, Japan 8%, Germany 6%, US 6%, Italy 6% (1998) |
Independence | none (overseas department of France) | 3 September 1971 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction | crude oil production and refining, fertilizers, petrochemicals, steel reinforcing bars, cement |
Infant mortality rate | 8.31 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | 21.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA% | 2.5% (2000) |
International organization participation | FZ, InOC, WFTU | ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2000) | 1 (2000) |
Irrigated land | 120 sq km (1998 est.) | 80 sq km (1993 est.) |
Judicial branch | Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel | Court of Appeal |
Labor force | 261,000 (1995) (1995) | 233,000 (1993 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 8%, industry 19%, services 73% (1990) (1990) | - |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total:
60 km border countries: Saudi Arabia 60 km |
Land use | arable land: 13.2%
permanent crops: 2% other: 84.8% (1998 est.) |
arable land:
1% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 5% forests and woodland: 0% other: 94% (1993 est.) |
Languages | French (official), Creole widely used | Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second language |
Legal system | French law | discretionary system of law controlled by the amir, although civil codes are being implemented; Islamic law is significant in personal matters |
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 |
unicameral Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura (35 seats; members appointed)
note: the constitution calls for elections for part of this consultative body, but no elections have been held since 1970, when there were partial elections to the body; Council members have their terms extended every four years since |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 73.18 years
male: 69.78 years female: 76.74 years (2002 est.) |
total population:
72.62 years male: 70.16 years female: 75.21 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 79% male: 76% female: 80% (1982 est.) |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 79% male: 79% female: 80% (1995 est.) |
Location | Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar | Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia |
Map references | World | Middle East |
Maritime claims | exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
contiguous zone:
24 NM exclusive economic zone: as determined by bilateral agreements or the median line 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.) |
total:
25 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 677,992 GRT/1,049,447 DWT ships by type: cargo 10, combination ore/oil 2, container 7, petroleum tanker 6 (2000 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France | - |
Military branches | no regular indigenous military forces; French forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie) | Army, Navy, Air Force, Public Security |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $723 million (FY00/01) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 10% (FY00/01) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 194,485 (2002 est.) | males age 15-49:
312,116 note: includes non-nationals (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 99,251 (2002 est.) | males age 15-49:
163,642 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age (2002 est.) | 18 years of age |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males: 6,243 (2002 est.) | males:
6,797 (2001 est.) |
National holiday | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) | Independence Day, 3 September (1971) |
Nationality | noun: Reunionese (singular and plural)
adjective: Reunionese |
noun:
Qatari(s) adjective: Qatari |
Natural hazards | periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano | haze, dust storms, sandstorms common |
Natural resources | fish, arable land, hydropower | petroleum, natural gas, fish |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 20.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Pipelines | - | crude oil 235 km; natural gas 400 km |
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] | none |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | none |
Population | 743,981 (July 2002 est.) | 769,152 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 1.52% (2002 est.) | 3.18% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Le Port, Pointe des Galets | Doha, Halul Island, Umm Sa'id (Musay'id) |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (2001) | AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1998) |
Radios | 173,000 (1997) | 256,000 (1997) |
Railways | 0 km | 0 km |
Religions | Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995) | Muslim 95% |
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.) |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 2.43 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 2.5 male(s)/female total population: 1.92 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | suffrage is limited to municipal elections |
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) |
general assessment:
modern system centered in Doha domestic: NA international: tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and UAE; submarine cable to Bahrain and UAE; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat |
Telephones - main lines in use | 268,500 (1999) | 142,000 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 197,000 (September 2000) | 43,476 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | 35 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (2001) | 2 (plus three repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast | mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and gravel |
Total fertility rate | 2.55 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 3.17 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 42.8% (1998) (1998) | NA% |
Waterways | none | none |