Réunion
French Région|native_name = Région Réunion|common_name = Réunion|image_flag = ReunionFlag.gif|image_flag_size = 125px|image_logo = ReunionLogo2.gif|image_logo_size = 140px|flag = (Région flag)|capital =
Saint-Denis |area = 2,512 | area_scale = 9 |Regional president =
Paul Vergès(
PCR) (since
1998)|population_rank = 21st|population_census = 706,300|population_census_year = 1999 |population_estimate = 775,000|population_estimate_year = 2005 |population_density = 309 |population_density_year = 2005 |arrondissements = 4 |cantons = 49 |communes = 24 |départements = Réunion| image_map = Location-Reunion-France.png |image_map_size = 200px|footnotes=|}}
Réunion (
French:
La Réunion) is an island and overseas
département (
département d'outre-mer, or
DOM) of
France, located in the
Indian Ocean east of
Madagascar, about 200
km southwest of
Mauritius. Like the other DOMs, Réunion is also one of the 26
régions of France with the same status as those situated on the
European mainland. As part of France, Réunion is part of the
European Union, and thus the currency used is the
euro (in fact, due to varying time zones in the European Union, Réunion was the first region in the world to use the euro, and the first ever purchase using the euro occurred at 12.01 a.m., when regional council president Paul Vergés bought a bag of lychees at a Saint-Denis market).
[Réunion is pictured on all Euro banknotes, on the backside at the bottom of each note, right of the Greek ΕΥΡΩ (EURO) next to the denomiation.].
Arab sailors used to call this island
Dina Morgabin ("Western Island"). The
Portuguese were the first Europeans to visit the island, finding it uninhabited in
1513, and naming it
Santa Apollonia.
The island was then occupied by the
French and administered from Port-Louis, Mauritius. Although the French flag was hoisted by François Cauche in
1638, Santa Apollonia was officially claimed by Jacques Pronis of France in
1642, when he deported a dozen French mutineers to the island from
Madagascar. The convicts were returned to
France several years later, and in
1649, the King of France
Louis XIII named the island
Île Bourbon after his royal house.
"Réunion" was the name given to the island in
1793 by a decree of the Convention with the fall of the
House of Bourbon in France, and the name commemorates the union of revolutionaries from
Marseille with the
National Guard in
Paris, which took place on
August 10,
1792. In
1801, the island was renamed "Île Bonaparte," after
Napoleon Bonaparte. The island was taken by the
British navy led by
Commodore Josias Rowley in
1810, who used the old name of "Bourbon." When it was restored to France by the
Congress of Vienna in
1815, the island retained the name of "Bourbon" until
1848, when the fall of the restored Bourbons during
the revolutions during that year meant that the island became "Réunion" once again.
From the 17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration supplemented by influxes of Africans, Chinese,
Malays, and
Tamil (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.
Réunion became an overseas
département of
France on
March 19,
1946.
Between 15 and
16 March 1952, Cilaos at the center of Réunion received 1,869.9 mm (73.6 in) of rainfall. This is the greatest 24-hour precipitation total ever recorded on Earth.
In 2005 and 2006 Réunion was hit by a crippling epidemic of
chikungunya, a disease spread by mosquitos. According to the BBC News[
1], 255,000 people on Réunion had contracted the disease as of 26 April, 2006. The disease also spread to Madagascar[
2] and to mainland France through airline travel. The disease led to more than 200 deaths on Réunion. The French government, under Prime Minister
Dominique de Villepin sent an emergency aid package worth 36 million euro ($42.8 U.S. dollars) and deployed approximately 500 French troops to eradicate mosquitos.
Chikungunya means "that which bends" in the Makonde language of the Tanzania/ Mozambique border region where it was first identified. It can cause dehydration, extreme pain and high fevers and can be fatal in some cases. There is no known cure for the illness.
Main article: Politics of Réunion
Administratively, Réunion is divided into 4
arrondissements, 24
communes, and 47 cantons. It is a French overseas department as well as a French region. The low number of communes, compared to French metropolitan department of similar size and population, is an originality; most Réunionnese communes encompass several localities, sometimes separated by significant distances. Réunion is part of the
Indian Ocean Commission.
Main article: Geography of Réunion
The
island is 39
miles (63
kilometers) long, is 28 miles (45 kilometers) wide, and covers 970
square miles (2512
square kilometres). The island is similar to the big island of
Hawaii because both are located above
hotspots in the Earth's crust.
Piton de la Fournaise, a
shield volcano on the eastern end of Réunion Island, rises more than 8565 feet (2611 meters) above sea level and is sometimes called a sister to Hawaiian volcanoes because of the similarity of climate and volcanic nature, has erupted more than 100 times since 1640 and is under constant monitoring. It most recently erupted on
July 20,
2006. La Fournaise is created by a hot spot volcano, which also created the
Piton des Neiges and the islands of
Mauritius and
Rodrigues.
Piton des Neiges volcano, the highest point on the island at 10069 feet (3070 meters) above sea level, is northwest of
Piton de la Fournaise volcano. Collapsed calderas and canyons are southwest of the mountain. Like
Mauna Kea on the
big island of Hawaii,
Piton des Neiges is extinct. Despite its name,
snow practically never falls on the summit.
The slopes of both volcanoes are heavily forested. Cultivated land and cities like the capital city of
Saint-Denis are concentrated on the surrounding coastal lowlands.
Réunion also has three
calderas: the
Cirque de Salazie, the
Cirque de Cilaos and the
Cirque de Mafate. The latter is accessible only by foot or helicopter.
Main article: Economy of Réunion
Sugar is the chief agricultural product and export, and
tourism is also an important source of income.
The territory traditionally had a large gap in income and standard of living between the wealthier communities of European and Indian descent, and the poorer African and other communities. This gap is closing with time. Metropolitan France provides substantial financial support to Réunion.
Some fishermen of Réunion also derive a certain amount of revenue from
shark fishing.
Main article: Demographics of Réunion
Reunion contains most of the same ethnic populations as
Mauritius -
Malabars or
Tamil,
Indians,
Vietnamese,
African,
Malagasy,
Chinese and ethnic
French - but in different proportions. Creoles, of mixed origin, make up the majority.
Whites make up approximately one-quarter of the population, Indians make up 21% and people of Chinese or Vietnamese ancestry most of the remainder.
The predominant religion is
Roman Catholicism (86% of the population in 1995), with
Hinduism,
Islam and
Buddhism also represented.
*
Franco-Réunionnaise*
Réunionnaise Creole People*
Sino-Réunionnaise*
Indo-RéunionnaiseReunion is currently experiencing an epidemic of
Chikungunya virus. As of
April 6 2006, 230,000 people have been infected, which amounts to 29% of the population.
Main article: Culture of Réunion
See also: Music of RéunionReunionese culture is a blend of
European,
African,
Indian,
Chinese and insular traditions.
The most widely spoken language,
Réunion Creole, derives from French, with many idiosyncracies. Réunion Creole is now taught in some schools. However, an official orthography has yet to be agreed upon.
Local food and music blend influences from Africa, India, China and Europe.
Although the federal period installed a number of flags of metropolitan France, Réunion does not have a separate official flag.
One flag was selected by the French association of
vexillologists in
2003. It depicts the
volcano of
Fournaise, bedecked by gold sunbeams. It symbolises the appearance of populations who converged on the island at the turn of the century.
Another flag is
Proposed flag for Réunion |
Proposed flag for Réunion |
*
Communications in Réunion*
Communes of the Réunion département*
Military of Réunion*
Transportation in Réunion*
Scouting on Réunion*
French overseas departments and territories*
Administrative divisions of France*
Islands controlled by France in the Indian and Pacific oceans*
Didier Agathe - Greatest footballer from
Indian Ocean ever
|
Réunion from space (NASA image). The three cirques, forming a kind of 3-leafed clover shape, are visible in the central north of the image. Piton de la Fournaise, in the south east, is covered by cloud |
Government*
General Council web site*
Régional council web siteOverviews*
CIA World Factbook - Reunion*
Open Directory Project - Reunion directory category
Tourism*
Official Tourism web site*
Portal about the reunion island (french - english)*
Images of Reunion *
WillGoTo - Réunion Travel Guide and Directory*
Lonely Planet - World Guide: Reunion*
Pearl Island probably the only English website from the island about the island
Fauna - Flora*
Scientific research application on the nature reserve of Mare-Longue (THERESIEN project)Other*
Weather forecast*
Daniel Lacouture's site*
Snopes.com shark bait*
LSZ Blog*
blog in English*
Tamil Accommodation in Reunion*
Aerial photo of the Gorges of the Bras de Caverne*
Google Maps Imagery of Reunion
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