Reunion (2003) | Jersey (2004) | |
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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 | none (British crown dependency) |
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: 17.7% (male 8,268; female 7,716)
15-64 years: 67.1% (male 30,237; female 30,490) 65 years and over: 15.2% (male 6,016; female 7,775) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn | potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products |
Airports | 2 (2002) | 1 (2003 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: 116 sq km
land: 116 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Rhode Island | about two-thirds 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. | The island of Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. |
Birth rate | 20.17 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 10.04 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $1.26 billion
expenditures: $2.62 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998) |
revenues: $601 million
expenditures: $588 million, including capital expenditures of $98 million (2000 est.) |
Capital | Saint-Denis | Saint Helier |
Climate | tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April | temperate; mild winters and cool summers |
Coastline | 207 km | 70 km |
Constitution | 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice |
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: Bailiwick of Jersey
conventional short form: Jersey |
Currency | euro (EUR) | British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Jersey pound |
Death rate | 5.49 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 9.17 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $NA | none |
Dependency status | overseas department of France | British crown dependency |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas department of France) | none (British crown dependency) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas department of France) | none (British crown dependency) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France | none |
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. | The economy is based largely on international financial services, agriculture, and tourism. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export income earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. In 1996 the finance sector accounted for about 60% of the island's output. Tourism, another mainstay of the economy, accounts for 24% of GDP. In recent years, the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax haven. |
Electricity - consumption | 1.005 billion kWh (2001) | - |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | - |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France |
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: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 143 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | NA |
Ethnic groups | French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian | UK and Norman-French descent |
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) | Jersey pounds per US dollar - 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999); the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound |
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)
head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief Air Chief Marshall Sir John CHESHIRE (since 24 January 2001) and Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since NA February 1995) cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch |
Exports | NA (2001) | NA |
Exports - commodities | sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%, (1993) | light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles |
Exports - partners | France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (2000) | UK |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | the flag of France is used | white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag; in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red shield with the three lions of England in yellow |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $4.174 billion (1999 est.) | purchasing power parity - $2.2 billion (1999 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 8%
industry: 19% services: 73% (2000 est.) |
agriculture: 5%
industry: 2% services: 93% (1996) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $5,600 (2002 est.) | purchasing power parity - $24,800 (1999 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 2.5% (2002 est.) | NA |
Geographic coordinates | 21 06 S, 55 36 E | 49 15 N, 2 10 W |
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 | largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier |
Highways | total: 2,724 km
paved: 1,300 km (including 73 km of four-lane road) unpaved: 1,424 km (1994) |
total: 577 km
paved: NA km unpaved: NA km |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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 | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals |
Imports - partners | France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3% (2000) | UK |
Independence | none (overseas department of France) | none (British crown dependency) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA |
Industries | sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction | tourism, banking and finance, dairy |
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: 5.33 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.7 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA% | 4.7% (1998) |
International organization participation | FZ, InOC, WFTU | - |
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 | Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff) |
Labor force | 309,900 (2000) | 57,050 (1996) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 13%, industry 12%, services 75% (2000) | - |
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% (2001) |
Languages | French (official), Creole widely used | English (official), French (official), Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts |
Legal system | French law | English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court |
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 Assembly of the States (55 voting members - 12 senators (elected for 6-year terms), 12 constables or heads of parishes (elected for 3-year terms), 29 deputies (elected for 3-year terms); the bailiff and the deputy bailiff; and 3 non-voting members - the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General, and the Solicitor General all appointed by the monarch)
elections: last held NA (next to be held NA) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 52 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 73.43 years
male: 70.03 years female: 77 years (2003 est.) |
total population: 79.09 years
male: 76.63 years female: 81.74 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 88.9% male: 87% female: 90.8% (2003 est.) |
definition: NA
total population: NA male: NA female: NA |
Location | Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar | Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France |
Map references | World | Europe |
Maritime claims | exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
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) | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) |
Nationality | noun: Reunionese (singular and plural)
adjective: Reunionese |
noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander |
Natural hazards | periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano | NA |
Natural resources | fish, arable land, hydropower | arable land |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 2.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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] | none; all independents |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | none |
Population | 755,171 (July 2003 est.) | 90,502 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA |
Population growth rate | 1.47% (2003 est.) | 0.36% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Le Port, Pointe des Galets | Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (2001) | AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Railways | 0 km | - |
Religions | Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995) | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian |
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: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | NA years of age; universal adult |
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: NA
domestic: NA international: 3 submarine cables |
Telephones - main lines in use | 268,500 (1999) | 73,900 (2001) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 197,000 (September 2000) | 61,400 (2001) |
Television broadcast stations | 35 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (2001) | 2 (1997) |
Terrain | mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast | gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast |
Total fertility rate | 2.53 children born/woman (2003 est.) | 1.57 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 36% (1999 est.) | 0.7% (1998 est.) |
Waterways | none | - |