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Compare Reunion (2003) - European Union (2007)

Compare Reunion (2003) z European Union (2007)

 Reunion (2003)European Union (2007)
 ReunionEuropean Union
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: 31.3% (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: 15.72% (male 37,208,905/female 35,254,445)


15-64 years: 67.16% (male 155,807,769/female 153,690,235)


65 years and over: 17.11% (male 32,592,595/female 46,273,197) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn wheat, barley, oilseeds, sugar beets, wine, grapes; dairy products, cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry; fish
Airports 2 (2002) 3,393 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)
2,020 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways - 1,373 (2006)
Area total: 2,517 sq km


land: 2,507 sq km


water: 10 sq km
total: 4,324,782 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Rhode Island less than one-half the size of the US
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. Following the two devastating World Wars of the first half of the 20th century, a number of European leaders in the late 1940s became convinced that the only way to establish a lasting peace was to unite the two chief belligerent nations - France and Germany - both economically and politically. In 1950, the French Foreign Minister Robert SCHUMAN proposed an eventual union of all Europe, the first step of which would be the integration of the coal and steel industries of Western Europe. The following year the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was set up when six members, Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, signed the Treaty of Paris.

The ECSC was so successful that within a few years the decision was made to integrate other parts of the countries' economies. In 1957, the Treaties of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), and the six member states undertook to eliminate trade barriers among themselves by forming a common market. In 1967, the institutions of all three communities were formally merged into the European Community (EC), creating a single Commission, a single Council of Ministers, and the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament were initially selected by national parliaments, but in 1979 the first direct elections were undertaken and they have been held every five years since.

In 1973, the first enlargement of the EC took place with the addition of Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The 1980s saw further membership expansion with Greece joining in 1981 and Spain and Portugal in 1986. The 1992 Treaty of Maastricht laid the basis for further forms of cooperation in foreign and defense policy, in judicial and internal affairs, and in the creation of an economic and monetary union - including a common currency. This further integration created the European Union (EU). In 1995, Austria, Finland, and Sweden joined the EU, raising the membership total to 15.

A new currency, the euro, was launched in world money markets on 1 January 1999; it became the unit of exchange for all of the EU states except the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Denmark. In 2002, citizens of the 12 euro-area countries began using the euro banknotes and coins. Ten new countries joined the EU in 2004 - Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia - and in 2007 Bulgaria and Romania joined, bringing the current membership to 27. In order to ensure that the EU can continue to function efficiently with an expanded membership, the Treaty of Nice (in force as of 1 February 2003) set forth rules streamlining the size and procedures of EU institutions. An effort to establish an EU constitution, begun in October 2004, failed to attain unanimous ratification. A new effort, undertaken in June 2007, calls for the creation of an Intergovernmental Conference to form a political agreement, known as the Reform Treaty, which is to serve as a constitution. Unlike the constitution, however, the Reform Treaty would amend existing treaties rather than replace them.
Birth rate 20.17 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) 10 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $1.26 billion


expenditures: $2.62 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998)
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Capital Saint-Denis name: Brussels (Belgium), Strasbourg (France), Luxembourg


geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 20 E


time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October


note: the Council of the European Union meets in Brussels, Belgium, the European Parliament meets in Brussels and Strasbourg, France, and the Court of Justice of the European Communities meets in Luxembourg
Climate tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April cold temperate; potentially subarctic in the north to temperate; mild wet winters; hot dry summers in the south
Coastline 207 km 65,992.9 km
Constitution 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) based on a series of treaties: the Treaty of Paris, which set up the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951; the Treaties of Rome, which set up the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) in 1957; the Single European Act in 1986; the Treaty on European Union (Maastricht) in 1992; the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997; and the Treaty of Nice in 2003; note - a new draft Constitutional Treaty, signed on 29 October 2004 in Rome, gave member states two years for ratification either by parliamentary vote or national referendum before it was scheduled to take effect on 1 November 2006; defeat in French and Dutch referenda in May-June 2005 dealt a severe setback to the ratification process; in June 2007, the European Council agreed on a clear and concise mandate for an Intergovernmental Conference to form a political agreement and put it into legal form; this agreement, known as the Reform Treaty, is to serve as a constitution and will be presented to the European Council in October 2007, in order to begin the ratification process
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 euro (EUR) -
Death rate 5.49 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) 10 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $NA -
Dependency status overseas department of France -
Diplomatic representation from the US none (overseas department of France) chief of mission: Ambassador C. Boyden GRAY


embassy: 13 Zinnerstraat/Rue Zinner, B-1000 Brussels


mailing address: same as above


telephone: [32] (2) 508-2222


FAX: [32] (2) 512-5720
Diplomatic representation in the US none (overseas department of France) chief of mission: Ambassador John BRUTON


chancery: 2300 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037


telephone: [1] (202) 862-9500


FAX: [1] (202) 429-1766
Disputes - international none as a political union, the EU has no border disputes with neighboring countries, but Estonia and Latvia have no land boundary agreements with Russia, Slovenia disputes its land and maritime boundaries with Croatia, and Spain has territorial and maritime disputes with Morocco and with the UK over Gibraltar; the EU has set up a Schengen area - consisting of 13 EU member states that have signed the convention implementing the Schengen agreements or "acquis" (1985 and 1990) on the free movement of persons and the harmonization of border controls in Europe; these agreements became incorporated into EU law with the implementation of the 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam on 1 May 1999; in addition, non-EU states Iceland and Norway (as part of the Nordic Union) have been included in the Schengen area since 1996 (full members in 2001), bringing the total current membership to 15; the UK (since 2000) and Ireland (since 2002) take part in only some aspects of the Schengen area, especially with respect to police and criminal matters; the 12 new member states that joined the EU in 2004 and 2007 eventually are expected to participate fully in Schengen, following a transition period to upgrade their border controls and procedures
Economic aid - recipient $NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France -
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. Internally, the EU is attempting to lower trade barriers, adopt a common currency, and move toward convergence of living standards. Internationally, the EU aims to bolster Europe's trade position and its political and economic power. Because of the great differences in per capita income among member states (from $7,000 to $69,000) and historic national animosities, the EU faces difficulties in devising and enforcing common policies. For example, since 2003 Germany and France have flouted the member states' treaty obligation to prevent their national budgets from running more than a 3% deficit. In 2004 and 2007, the EU admitted 10 and two countries, respectively, that are, in general, less advanced technologically and economically than the other 15. Twelve established EU member states introduced the euro as their common currency on 1 January 1999, but the UK, Sweden, and Denmark chose not to participate. Of the 12 most recent member states, only Slovenia has adopted the euro (1 January 2007); the remaining 11 are legally required to adopt the currency upon meeting EU's fiscal and monetary convergence criteria.
Electricity - consumption 1.005 billion kWh (2001) 2.81 trillion kWh (2004 est.)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) NA
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) NA
Electricity - production 1.08 billion kWh (2001) 3.007 trillion kWh (2004 est.)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 55.5%


hydro: 44.5%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
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Elevation extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 m
lowest point: Lammefjord, Denmark -7 m; Zuidplaspolder, Netherlands -7 m


highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m; note - situated on the border between France and Italy
Environment - current issues NA NA
Environment - international agreements - party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 82, Tropical Timber 94


signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds
Ethnic groups French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian -
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) euros per US dollar - 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002)
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 union: President of the European Commission Jose Manuel DURAO BARROSO (since 22 November 2004)


cabinet: European Commission (composed of 27 members, one from each member country; each commissioner responsible for one or more policy areas)


elections: the president of the European Commission is designated by member governments and is confirmed by the European Parliament; working from member state recommendations, the Commission president then assembles a "college" of Commission members; the European Parliament confirms the entire Commission for a five-year term; the last confirmation process was held 18 November 2004 (next to be held in 2009)


election results: European Parliament approved the European Commission by an approval vote of 449 to 149 with 82 abstentions


note: the European Council brings together heads of state and government and the president of the European Commission and meets at least four times a year; its aim is to provide the impetus for the major political issues relating to European integration and to issue general policy guidelines
Exports NA (2001) NA
Exports - commodities sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%, (1993) machinery, motor vehicles, aircraft, plastics, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals, fuels, iron and steel, nonferrous metals, wood pulp and paper products, textiles, meat, dairy products, fish, alcoholic beverages.
Exports - partners France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (2000) US 23.3%, Switzerland 7.6%, Russia 5.2%, China 4.8% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year NA
Flag description the flag of France is used on a blue field, 12 five-pointed gold stars arranged in a circle, representing the union of the peoples of Europe; the number of stars is fixed
GDP purchasing power parity - $4.174 billion (1999 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 8%


industry: 19%


services: 73% (2000 est.)
agriculture: 2.1%


industry: 27.3%


services: 70.5% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $5,600 (2002 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 2.5% (2002 est.) 3.2% (2006 est.)
Geographic coordinates 21 06 S, 55 36 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 -
Heliports - 100 (2007)
Highways total: 2,724 km


paved: 1,300 km (including 73 km of four-lane road)


unpaved: 1,424 km (1994)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 2.8%


highest 10%: 25.1% (2001 est.)
Imports NA (2001) NA
Imports - commodities manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products machinery, vehicles, aircraft, plastics, crude oil, chemicals, textiles, metals, foodstuffs, clothing
Imports - partners France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3% (2000) US 13.8%, China 13.4%, Russia 8.2%, Japan 6.2% (2006)
Independence none (overseas department of France) 7 February 1992 (Maastricht Treaty signed establishing the EU); 1 November 1993 (Maastricht Treaty entered into force)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 2.6% (2006 est.)
Industries sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction among the world's largest and most technologically advanced, the European Union industrial base includes: ferrous and non-ferrous metal production and processing, metal products, petroleum, coal, cement, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, rail transportation equipment, passenger and commercial vehicles, construction equipment, industrial equipment, shipbuilding, electrical power equipment, machine tools and automated manufacturing systems, electronics and telecommunications equipment, fishing, food and beverage processing, furniture, paper, textiles, tourism
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: 4.8 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 5.3 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 4.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA% 1.8% (2006 est.)
International organization participation FZ, InOC, WFTU European Union: ARF (dialogue member), ASEAN (dialogue member), IDA, OAS (observer), UN (observer)


European Community: Australian Group, CBSS, CERN, FAO, EBRD, G-10, NAM (observer), NSG (observer), OECD, UNRWA, WTO, ZC (observer)


European Central Bank: BIS


European Investment Bank: EBRD, WADB (nonregional member)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) -
Irrigated land 120 sq km (1998 est.) 168,050 sq km (2003 est.)
Judicial branch Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel Court of Justice of the European Communities (ensures that the treaties are interpreted and applied uniformly throughout the EU; resolve constitutional issues among the EU institutions) - 27 justices (one from each member state) appointed for a six-year term; note - for the sake of efficiency, the court can sit with 13 justices known as the "Grand Chamber"; Court of First Instance - 27 justices appointed for a six-year term
Labor force 309,900 (2000) 220.9 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 13%, industry 12%, services 75% (2000) agriculture: 4.4%


industry: 27.2%


services: 67.1%


note: the remainder is in miscellaneous public and private sector industries and services (2002 est.)
Land boundaries 0 km total: 12,440.8 km


border countries: Albania 282 km, Andorra 120.3 km, Belarus 1,050 km, Croatia 999 km, Holy See 3.2 km, Liechtenstein 34.9 km, Macedonia 394 km, Moldova 450 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Norway 2,348 km, Russia 2,257 km, San Marino 39 km, Serbia 945 km, Switzerland 1,811 km, Turkey 446 km, Ukraine 1,257 km


note: data for European Continent only
Land use arable land: 13.2%


permanent crops: 2%


other: 84.8% (1998 est.)
arable land: NA%


permanent crops: NA%


other: NA%
Languages French (official), Creole widely used Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Gaelic, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish; note - only official languages are listed
Legal system French law comparable to the legal systems of member states; first supranational law system
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
two legislative bodies consists of the Council of the European Union (27 member-state ministers having 345 votes; the number of votes is roughly proportional to member-states' population; note - the Council is the main decision-making body of the EU) and the European Parliament (785 seats, as of 1 January 2007; seats allocated among member states by proportion to population; members elected by direct universal suffrage for a five-year term)


elections: last held 10-13 June 2004 (next to be held June 2009)


election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - EPP-ED 268, PES 202, ALDE 88, Greens/EFA 42, EUL/NGL 41, IND/DEM 36, UEN 27, independents 28; note - seats by party as of 1 December 2007 - EPP-ED 275, PES 217, ALDE 104, UEN 44, Greens/EFA 42, EUL/NGL 41, IND/DEM 24, independents 34, 4 unaccounted for
Life expectancy at birth total population: 73.43 years


male: 70.03 years


female: 77 years (2003 est.)
total population: 78.7 years


male: 75.6 years


female: 82 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 88.9%


male: 87%


female: 90.8% (2003 est.)
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Location Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar Europe between the North Atlantic Ocean in the west and Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine to the east
Map references World Europe
Maritime claims exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
NA
Military - note defense is the responsibility of France In November 2004, the EU heads of government signed a "Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe" that offers possibilities for increased defense and security cooperation. If ratified, this treaty will give operational effect to the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP), approved in the 2000 Nice Treaty. Despite limits of cooperation for some EU members, development of a EU military planning unit is likely to continue. The planning unit will support the EU Rapid Reaction Force, which EU ministers have said will deploy 2 "battle groups" in January 2007. France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Italy continue to press for wider coordination. The 5-nation Eurocorps - created in 1992 by France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Luxembourg - has already deployed troops and police on peacekeeping missions to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and assumed command of the ISAF in Afghanistan in August 2004. Eurocorps directly commands the 5,000-man Franco-German Brigade, the Multinational Command Support Brigade, and EUFOR, which took over from SFOR in Bosnia in December 2004. Individual EU nations made commitments to provide 67,100 troops following the December 1999 EU summit in Helsinki. Some 56,000 troops from EU member states were actually deployed on various international operations in 2003. In August 2004, the new European Defense Agency, tasked with promoting cooperative European defense capabilities, began operations. In November 2004, the EU Council of Ministers formally committed to creating 13 1,500-man battle groups by the end of 2007, to respond to international crises on a rotating basis. Twenty-two of the EU's 25 nations have agreed to supply troops. France, Italy, and the UK formed the first of 3 battle groups in 2005. In May 2005, Norway, Sweden and Finland agreed to establish one of the battle groups, possibly to include Estonia forces. The remaining 9 groups are to be formed in 2007. A rapid-reaction naval EU Maritime Task Group was stood up in March 2007. (2005)
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) Europe Day 9 May (1950); note - a Union-wide holiday, the day that Robert SCHUMAN proposed the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community to achieve an organized Europe
Nationality noun: Reunionese (singular and plural)


adjective: Reunionese
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Natural hazards periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano flooding along coasts; avalanches in mountainous area; earthquakes in the south; volcanic eruptions in Italy; periodic droughts in Spain; ice floes in the Baltic
Natural resources fish, arable land, hydropower iron ore, natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, lead, zinc, bauxite, uranium, potash, salt, hydropower, arable land, timber, fish
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) 1.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 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] Confederal Group of the European United Left-Nordic Green Left or EUL/NGL [Francis WURTZ]; European People's Party-European Democrats or EPP-ED [Joseph DAUL]; Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe or ALDE [Graham R. WATSON]; Group of Greens/European Free Alliance or Greens/EFA [Monica FRASSONI and Daniel Marc COHN-BENDIT]; Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty Group or ITS [Bruno GOLLNISCH]; Independence/Democracy Group or IND/DEM [Jens-Peter BONDE and Nigel FARAGE]; Socialist Group in the European Parliament or PES [Martin SCHULZ]; Union for Europe of the Nations Group or UEN [Brian CROWLEY and Cristiana MUSCARDINI]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA -
Population 755,171 (July 2003 est.) 490,426,060 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% see individual country listings
Population growth rate 1.47% (2003 est.) 0.16% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Le Port, Pointe des Galets -
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (2001) AM 930, FM 13,655, shortwave 71 (1998); note - sum of individual country radio broadcast stations; there is also a European-wide station (Euroradio)
Railways 0 km total: 236,656 km


broad gauge: 28,240 km


standard gauge: 200,532 km


narrow gauge: 7,861 km


other: 23 km (2006)
Religions Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995) Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish
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.)
at birth: NA


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 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)
note - see individual country entries of member states
Telephones - main lines in use 268,500 (1999) 238 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 197,000 (September 2000) 466 million (2005)
Television broadcast stations 35 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (2001) 2,700 (1995); note - sum of individual country television broadcast stations excluding repeaters; there is also a European-wide station (Eurovision)
Terrain mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast fairly flat along the Baltic and Atlantic coast; mountainous in the central and southern areas
Total fertility rate 2.53 children born/woman (2003 est.) 1.5 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 36% (1999 est.) 8.5% (2006 est.)
Waterways none 52,332 km (2006)
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