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Compare Reunion (2003) - Christmas Island (2005)
Compare Reunion (2003) z Christmas Island (2005)
| Reunion (2003) | Christmas Island (2005) | |
 |  | |
| 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 | none (territory of Australia) |
| 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.) |
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA |
| Agriculture - products | sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn | NA |
| Airports | 2 (2002) | 1 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Area | total: 2,517 sq km
land: 2,507 sq km water: 10 sq km |
total: 135 sq km
land: 135 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Rhode Island | about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC |
| 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. | Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed and settlement was begun by the UK in 1888. Phosphate mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1958. Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park. |
| Birth rate | 20.17 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) | NA |
| Budget | revenues: $1.26 billion
expenditures: $2.62 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998) |
revenues: NA
expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA |
| Capital | Saint-Denis | The Settlement |
| Climate | tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April | tropical with a wet and dry season; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds; wet season December to April |
| Coastline | 207 km | 138.9 km |
| Constitution | 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) | Christmas Island Act of 1958-59 (1 October 1958) |
| 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: Territory of Christmas Island
conventional short form: Christmas Island |
| Currency | euro (EUR) | - |
| Death rate | 5.49 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) | NA |
| Debt - external | $NA | - |
| Dependency status | overseas department of France | territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas department of France) | none (territory of Australia) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas department of France) | none (territory of Australia) |
| Disputes - international | none | none |
| Economic aid - recipient | $NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France | NA |
| 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. | Phosphate mining had been the only significant economic activity, but in December 1987 the Australian Government closed the mine. In 1991, the mine was reopened. With the support of the government, a $34 million casino opened in 1993. The casino closed in 1998. The Australian Government in 2001 agreed to support the creation of a commercial space-launching site on the island, projected to begin operations in the near future |
| 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 | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 m |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Murray Hill 361 m |
| Environment - current issues | NA | NA |
| Ethnic groups | French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian | Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10%
note: no indigenous population (2001) |
| 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) | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001), 1.7248 (2000) |
| 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: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general
head of government: Administrator Evan WILLIAMS (since 1 November 2003) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia |
| Exports | NA (2001) | NA |
| Exports - commodities | sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%, (1993) | phosphate |
| Exports - partners | France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (2000) | Australia, NZ |
| Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 July - 30 June |
| Flag description | the flag of France is used | the flag of Australia is used; note - in early 1986, the Christmas Island Assembly held a design competition for an island flag, however, the winning design has never been formally adopted as the official flag of the territory |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $4.174 billion (1999 est.) | - |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 8%
industry: 19% services: 73% (2000 est.) |
agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $5,600 (2002 est.) | - |
| GDP - real growth rate | 2.5% (2002 est.) | NA |
| Geographic coordinates | 21 06 S, 55 36 E | 10 30 S, 105 40 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 | located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean |
| Highways | total: 2,724 km
paved: 1,300 km (including 73 km of four-lane road) unpaved: 1,424 km (1994) |
total: 240 km
paved: 30 km unpaved: 210 km (2000) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
- |
| Imports | NA (2001) | NA |
| Imports - commodities | manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products | consumer goods |
| Imports - partners | France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3% (2000) | principally Australia |
| Independence | none (overseas department of France) | none (territory of Australia) |
| Industrial production growth rate | NA% | - |
| Industries | sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction | tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion) |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 8.13 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8.89 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA% | - |
| International organization participation | FZ, InOC, WFTU | none |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2000) | - |
| Irrigated land | 120 sq km (1998 est.) | NA sq km |
| Judicial branch | Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel | Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court |
| Labor force | 309,900 (2000) | NA |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 13%, industry 12%, services 75% (2000) | NA |
| Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
| Land use | arable land: 13.2%
permanent crops: 2% other: 84.8% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% note: mainly tropical rainforest; 63% of the island is a national park (2001) |
| Languages | French (official), Creole widely used | English (official), Chinese, Malay |
| Legal system | French law | under the authority of the governor general of Australia and Australian 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 |
unicameral Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held 3 May 2003 (next to be held in 2005) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 9 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 73.43 years
male: 70.03 years female: 77 years (2003 est.) |
total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 88.9% male: 87% female: 90.8% (2003 est.) |
NA |
| Location | Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar | Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia |
| Map references | World | Southeast Asia |
| Maritime claims | exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
| Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France | defense is the responsibility of Australia |
| 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) | Australia Day, 26 January (1788) |
| Nationality | noun: Reunionese (singular and plural)
adjective: Reunionese |
noun: Christmas Islander(s)
adjective: Christmas Island |
| Natural hazards | periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano | the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard |
| Natural resources | fish, arable land, hydropower | phosphate, beaches |
| Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) | NA |
| People - note | - | the Australian Bureau of Statistics reports a population of 1,508 as of the 2001 Census |
| 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 | 755,171 (July 2003 est.) | 361 (July 2005 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA% | - |
| Population growth rate | 1.47% (2003 est.) | 0% (2005 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Le Port, Pointe des Galets | Flying Fish Cove |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (2001) | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004) |
| Railways | 0 km | - |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995) | Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21% (1997) |
| 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 (2003 est.) |
NA |
| 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) |
general assessment: service provided by the Australian network
domestic: GSM mobile telephone service replaced older analog system in February 2005 international: country code - 61-891; satellite earth stations - one Intelsat earth station provides telephone and telex service (2000) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 268,500 (1999) | NA |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 197,000 (September 2000) | NA |
| Television broadcast stations | 35 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (2001) | NA |
| Terrain | mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast | steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau |
| Total fertility rate | 2.53 children born/woman (2003 est.) | NA |
| Unemployment rate | 36% (1999 est.) | - |
| Waterways | none | - |
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