Reunion (2006) | Mayotte (2003) | |
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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 (territorial collectivity of France) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 29.8% (male 120,147/female 114,589)
15-64 years: 64% (male 248,895/female 255,156) 65 years and over: 6.2% (male 19,847/female 28,950) (2006 est.) |
0-14 years: 46.5% (male 41,632; female 41,301)
15-64 years: 51.8% (male 50,373; female 42,118) 65 years and over: 1.7% (male 1,502; female 1,511) (2003 est.) |
Agriculture - products | sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn | vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), coffee, copra |
Airports | 2 (2006) | 1 (2002) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002) |
Area | total: 2,517 sq km
land: 2,507 sq km water: 10 sq km |
total: 374 sq km
land: 374 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Rhode Island | slightly more than twice 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. | Mayotte was ceded to France along with the other islands of the Comoros group in 1843. It was the only island in the archipelago that voted in 1974 to retain its link with France and forego independence. |
Birth rate | 18.9 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 42.86 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $554.7 million
expenditures: $554.7 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1998) |
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $73 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991 est.) |
Capital | name: Saint-Denis
geographic coordinates: 20 52 S, 55 28 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Mamoutzou |
Climate | tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry (May to November), hot and rainy (November to April) | tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November) |
Coastline | 207 km | 185.2 km |
Constitution | 4 October 1958 (French 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 |
conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Mayotte
conventional short form: Mayotte |
Currency | - | euro (EUR) |
Death rate | 5.49 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 8.34 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Debt - external | $NA | $NA |
Dependency status | overseas department of France | territorial collectivity of France |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas department of France) | none (territorial collectivity of France) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas department of France) | none (territorial collectivity of France) |
Disputes - international | none | claimed by Comoros |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France (2001 est.) | $107.7 million; note - extensive French financial assistance (1995) |
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 illustrated the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from France. | Economic activity is based primarily on the agricultural sector, including fishing and livestock raising. Mayotte is not self-sufficient and must import a large portion of its food requirements, mainly from France. The economy and future development of the island are heavily dependent on French financial assistance, an important supplement to GDP. Mayotte's remote location is an obstacle to the development of tourism. |
Electricity - consumption | 1.107 billion kWh (2003) | NA kWh |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2003) | - |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2003) | - |
Electricity - production | 1.19 billion kWh (2003) | NA kWh |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 0%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 m |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Benara 660 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | NA |
Ethnic groups | French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian | NA |
Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) | 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), 5.8367 (1997) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Pierre-Henry MACCIONI (since 28 August 2006)
head of government: President of the General Council Nassimah DINDAR (since NA March 2004) 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: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Jean-Jacques BROT (since 3 July 2002)
head of government: President of the General Council Younoussa BAMANA (since NA 1977) 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; president of the General Council elected by the members of the General Council for a six-year term |
Exports | NA bbl/day | $3.44 million f.o.b. (1997) |
Exports - commodities | sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3% | ylang-ylang (perfume essence), vanilla, copra, coconuts, coffee, cinnamon |
Exports - partners | France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (2004) | France 80%, Comoros 15%, Reunion (2000) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | unofficial, local flag designed to emphasize solidarity among the people of Reunion; the field is divided vertically with three narrow stripes of blue, white, and red along the hoist edge representing the French national flag; the remainder of the field is divided diagonally into four triangles colored (clockwise from the hoist side) blue, golden yellow, red, and green; in the center, the apexes of the triangles are surmounted by a white disk; the only official flag is the national flag of France | the flag of France is used |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $85 million (1998 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 - $600 (1998 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 2.5% (2005 est.) | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 21 06 S, 55 36 E | 12 50 S, 45 10 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 | part of Comoro Archipelago; 18 islands |
Highways | - | total: 93 km
paved: 72 km unpaved: 21 km |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | NA bbl/day | $141.3 million f.o.b. (1997) |
Imports - commodities | manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products | food, machinery and equipment, transportation equipment, metals, chemicals |
Imports - partners | France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3% (2004) | France 66%, Africa 14%, Southeast Asia 11% (2000 est.) |
Independence | none (overseas department of France) | none (territorial collectivity of France) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction | newly created lobster and shrimp industry, construction |
Infant mortality rate | total: 7.63 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8.37 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
total: 65.98 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 72.32 deaths/1,000 live births female: 59.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA% | NA% |
International organization participation | InOC, UPU, WFTU | FZ |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | NA |
Irrigated land | 120 sq km (2003) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel | Supreme Court or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel |
Labor force | 299,000 (2002) | 48,800 (2000) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 13%
industry: 12% services: 75% (2000) |
- |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 13.94%
permanent crops: 1.59% other: 84.47% (2005) |
arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA% other: NA% (1998 est.) |
Languages | French (official), Creole widely used | Mahorian (a Swahili dialect), French (official language) spoken by 35% of the population |
Legal system | French law | French 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); Regional Council - last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held in 2010) 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 (second round) - percent of vote by party - PCR 44.9%, UMP 32.8%, PS-Greens 22.3%; seats by party - PCR 27, UMP 11, PS-Greens 7 note: Reunion elects three representatives to the French Senate; elections last held in 2001 (next to be held in 2006); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRC 1, UDF 1, UMP 1; Reunion also elects five deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 3, PS 1, independent 1 |
unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 7 October 2000 (next to be held NA 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA note: Mayotte elects one member of the French Senate; elections last held 24 September 2001 (next to be held NA September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Mayotte also elects one member to the French National Assembly; elections last held 16 June 2002 (next to be held as a special election on NA June 2005); results - percent of vote by party - UMP-RPR 55.08%, UDF 44.92%; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 74.18 years
male: 70.78 years female: 77.75 years (2006 est.) |
total population: 60.6 years
male: 58.49 years female: 62.78 years (2003 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 | Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-half of the way from northern Madagascar to northern Mozambique |
Map references | World | Africa |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | registered in other countries: 1 (Bahamas 1) (2006) | none (2002 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France | defense is the responsibility of France; small contingent of French forces stationed on the island |
Military branches | no regular indigenous military forces; French forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie) (2005) | - |
National holiday | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) |
Nationality | noun: Reunionese (singular and plural)
adjective: Reunionese |
noun: Mahorais (singular and plural)
adjective: Mahoran |
Natural hazards | periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano | cyclones during rainy season |
Natural resources | fish, arable land, hydropower | NEGL |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 7.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Communist Party of Reunion or PCR [Elie HOARAU]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Andre Maurice PIHOUEE]; Socialist Party or PS [Michel VERGOZ]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Gilbert GERARD]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP | Democratic Front or FD [Youssouf MOUSSA]; Mahoran Popular Movement or MPM [Ahmed MADI]; Federation of Mahorans or RPR [Mansour KAMARDINE]; Movement for Department Status Mayotte or MDM [Mouhoutar SALIM]; Socialist Party or PS (local branch of French Parti Socialiste) [Ibrahim ABUBACAR]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Henri JEAN-BAPTISTE] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 787,584 (July 2006 est.) | 178,437 (July 2003 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 1.34% (2006 est.) | 4.25% (2003 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Dzaoudzi |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (2001) | AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2001) |
Railways | - | 0 km |
Religions | Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995) | Muslim 97%, Christian (mostly Roman Catholic) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.2 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2003 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: country code - 262; radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia |
general assessment: small system administered by French Department of Posts and Telecommunications
domestic: NA international: microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communications to Comoros (2001) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 300,000 (2001) | 12,000 (1998) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 579,200 (2004) | 0 (2000) |
Television broadcast stations | 35 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (2001) | 3 (2001) |
Terrain | mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast | generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks |
Total fertility rate | 2.45 children born/woman (2006 est.) | 6.07 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 31% (2002) | 38% (1999) |
Waterways | - | none |