Réunion
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2008-07-08T14:48:52Z
Aaker
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/* Language */
{{otheruses|Reunion}}
{{Infobox French region
| native_name = Région Réunion
| common_name = Reunion
| image_flag = ReunionFlag.gif
| image_flag_size = 125px
| image_logo = ReunionLogo2.PNG
| image_logo_size = 140px
| capital = [[Saint-Denis, Réunion|Saint-Denis]]
| official_languages = [[French language|French]]
| area = 2,512
| area_scale = 9
| Regional president = [[Paul Vergès]]<br/>([[Communist Party of Réunion|PCR]]) (since 1998)
| population_rank = 21st
| population_census = 706,300
| population_census_year = 1999
| population_estimate = 793,000
| population_estimate_year = 2007
| population_density = 316
| population_density_year = 2007
| arrondissements = [[Arrondissements of the Réunion department|4]]
| cantons = [[Cantons of the Réunion department|49]]
| communes = [[Communes of the Réunion department|24]]
| departments = Réunion
| image_map = Location-Reunion-France.png
| image_map_size = 200px
| cctld = [[.re]]
| footnotes =
}}
'''Réunion''' ([[French language|French]]: ''Réunion'' or formally ''La Réunion''; previously ''Île Bourbon'') is an island located in the [[Indian Ocean]], east of [[Madagascar]], about 200 km (130 miles) south west of [[Mauritius]], the nearest island.
Administratively, Réunion is one of the [[overseas département|overseas ''départements'']] of [[France]]. Like the other overseas departments, Réunion is also one of the twenty-six [[regions of France]] (being an [[overseas regions of France|overseas region]]) and an integral part of the Republic with the same status as those situated on the [[Metropolitan France|European mainland]].
Réunion is an [[Special member state territories and their relations with the European Union|outermost region]] of the [[European Union]], and thus the currency used is the [[euro]]. In fact, due to its location in a [[time zone]] to the east of Europe, 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 the former mayor of [[Saint-Denis, Réunion|Saint-Denis]] [[René-Paul Victoria]] bought a bag of [[lychees]] at a market.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/01/01/euro.wrap/index.html |title=Euro facing post-holiday test |date=1 January 2002 |publisher=CNN.com |accessdate=2007-08-18}}</ref><ref>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 denomination.</ref>
== History ==
Arab sailors formerly called the island ''Adna Al Maghribain'' (“Western Island”). The [[Portugal|Portuguese]] were the first Europeans to visit, finding it uninhabited in 1513, and naming it ''Santa Apollonia'', after [[Saint Apollonia]].
The island was then occupied by France 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 [[Mutiny|mutineer]]s to the island from [[Madagascar]]. The convicts were returned to France several years later, and in 1649, the island was named ''Île Bourbon'' after [[House of Bourbon|the 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 [[French National Guard|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 [[United Kingdom|British]] navy led by [[Commodore (rank)|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 of 1848 in France|the revolutions during that year]] meant that the island became “Réunion” once again.
[[Image:Re-map.png|thumb|Map of Réunion]]
[[Image:Ppalmistes2.jpg|right|thumb|280px|Plaine-des-Palmistes]]
From the 17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration supplemented by influxes of Africans, Chinese, [[Malays (ethnic group)|Malays]], and 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 a ''[[overseas department|département d'outre-mer]]'' (overseas [[Departments of France|department]]) of [[France]] on [[March 19]], [[1946]]. Its département [[INSEE code|code]] is 974.
Between 15 and [[16 March]] [[1952]], Cilaos at the centre of Réunion received 1,869.9 mm (73.6 in) of rainfall. This is the greatest 24-hour precipitation total ever recorded on earth. The island also holds the record for most rainfall in 72 hours, 3,929 mm (154.7 in) at Commerson's Crater in March, 2007.
In 2005 and 2006 Réunion was hit by a crippling epidemic of [[chikungunya]], a disease spread by mosquitoes. According to the BBC News, 255,000 people on Réunion had contracted the disease as of [[26 April]] [[2006]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4674376.stm |title=Island disease hits 50,000 people |publisher=BBC News |date=2 February 2006 |accessdate=2007-08-18}}</ref> The disease also spread to Madagascar<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4777530.stm |title=Madagascar hit by mosquito virus |publisher=BBC News |date=6 March 2006 |accessdate=2007-08-18}}</ref> 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 euros ($42.8M [[U.S. dollar]]s) and deployed approximately five hundred French troops in an effort to eradicate mosquitoes. [[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 in some rare cases can be fatal. There is no known cure.
==Politics==
{{main|Politics of Réunion}}
Réunion sends five [[Member of Parliament|deputies]] to the [[National Assembly of France|French National Assembly]] and three senators to the [[Senate of France|French Senate]].
== Arrondissements, cantons, and communes ==
{{main|Arrondissements of the Réunion department}}
Administratively, Réunion is divided into 4 [[arrondissements of France|arrondissements]], 24 [[cantons of France|cantons]], and 24 [[communes of France|communes]]<ref>[http://www.insee.fr/fr/nom_def_met/nomenclatures/cog/CarteD.asp?numreg=04&numdep=974#res Insee - Code Officiel Géographique<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. It is a French overseas ''département'' as well as a French region. The low number of communes, compared to French metropolitan departments of similar size and population, is unique; most Réunionnaises communes encompass several localities, sometimes separated by significant distances. Réunion is part of the [[Indian Ocean Commission]].
==Major communities==
*[[Saint-Benoît]]
*[[Le Port, Réunion|Le Port]]
*[[Le Tampon]]
*[[Saint-André, Réunion|Saint-André]]
*[[Saint-Denis, Réunion|Saint-Denis]]
*[[Saint-Louis, Réunion|Saint-Louis]]
*[[Saint-Paul, Réunion|Saint-Paul]]
*[[Saint-Pierre, Réunion|Saint-Pierre]]
== Geography ==
[[Image:Reunion 21.12S 55.51E.jpg|thumb|250px|View from satellite.]]
{{main|Geography of Réunion}}
The island is 63 kilometres (39 miles) long; 45 kilometres (28 miles) wide; and covers 2512 [[square kilometre]]s (970 square miles). It is similar to the island [[Hawaii (island)|Hawaii]] insofar as both are located above [[hotspot (geology)|hotspot]]s in the Earth's crust.
The [[Piton de la Fournaise]], a [[shield volcano]] on the eastern end of Réunion Island, rises more than 2631 metres (8632 ft) above sea level and is sometimes called a sister to Hawaiian volcanoes because of the similarity of climate and volcanic nature. It has erupted more than 100 times since 1640 and is under constant monitoring. It most recently erupted on [[4 April]] [[2007]]. The lava flow from this eruption has been estimated at 3 million [[cubic metre|m<sup>3</sup>]] (about 4 million [[cubic yards]]) per day.<ref>{{cite news |author=Thomas Staudacher |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20070409021223/http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070407/wl_afp/francereunionvolcano |title=Reunion sees 'colossal' volcano eruption, but population safe |publisher=[[Agence France Presse|AFP]] |date=7 April 2007 |accessdate=2007-08-18}} (Web archive)</ref> The Piton de la Fournaise is created by a hotspot volcano, which also created the [[Piton des Neiges]] and the islands of [[Mauritius]] and [[Rodrigues (island)|Rodrigues]].
The [[Piton des Neiges]] volcano, the highest point on the island at 3070 metres (10,069 ft) above sea level, is north west of the Piton de la Fournaise. Collapsed calderas and canyons are south west of the mountain. Like [[Kohala (mountain)|Kohala]] on the [[Big Island of Hawaii]], the Piton des Neiges is extinct. Despite its name, [[snow]] ([[French language|French]]: ''neige'') 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, Réunion|Saint-Denis]] are concentrated on the surrounding coastal lowlands.
Réunion also has three [[caldera]]s: the [[Cirque de Salazie]], the [[Cilaos|Cirque de Cilaos]] and the [[Cirque de Mafate]]. The last is accessible only by foot or helicopter.
== Economy ==
{{main|Economy of Réunion}}
[[Sugar]] was traditionally the chief agricultural product and export. [[Tourism]] is now an important source of income. In 2006 the [[GDP per capita]] of Réunion at market exchange rates, not at [[Purchasing power parity|PPP]], was 16,244 [[euro]]s (US$20,406).<ref>{{fr_icon}} {{cite web|url=http://www.insee.fr/fr/insee_regions/reunion/rfc/docs/ter2007_11_1_resultats_economiques.pdf|title=11.1 - RÉSULTATS ÉCONOMIQUES|author=[[INSEE]] Réunion|accessdate=2008-01-13}}</ref>
== Demographics ==
[[Image:Manapany.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Manapany]]
{{main|Demographics of Réunion}}
{{seealso|Franco-Réunionnaise|Réunionnaise Creole People|Sino-Réunionnaise|Indo-Réunionnaise}}
Réunion contains most of the same ethnic populations as [[Mauritius]]: [[Desi|Indian]], [[African]], [[Malagasy]], [[Chinese people|Chinese]] and ethnic [[French people|French]] - but in different proportions. [[Creole peoples#Indian Ocean Creoles|Creoles]] (a name given to those born on the island, of various ethnic origins), make up the vast majority of the population. [[Whites]] make up approximately one-quarter of the population, Indians make up 21%, and people of Chinese ancestry form most of the remainder. There are also some people of Vietnamese ancestry on the island, though they are very few in number.
While Gujarati, followed closely by Tamil people make up the majority of the Indo-Réunionnaise people, people of Hindi, Urdu and other origins form the remainder of the population.
Réunion is very similar in culture, ethnic makeup, language and traditions to [[Mauritius]] and [[Seychelles]].
===Historical population===
{| align="center" rules="all" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4" style="border: 1px solid #999; border-right: 2px solid #999; border-bottom:2px solid #999; background: #f3fff3"
|+ style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 1.1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em"| Historical population
! 1671<br>estimate !! 1696<br>estimate !! 1704<br>estimate !! 1713<br>estimate !! 1717<br>estimate !! 1724<br>estimate !! 1764<br>estimate !! 1777<br>estimate !! 1789<br>estimate
|-
| align=center| 90 || align=center| 269 || align=center| 734 || align=center| 1,171|| align=center| 2,000 || align=center| 12,550 || align=center| 25,000 || align=center| 35,100 || align=center| 61,300
|-
! 1826<br>estimate !! 1830<br>estimate !! 1848<br>estimate !! 1849<br>estimate !! 1860<br>estimate !! 1870<br>estimate !! 1887<br>census !! 1897<br>census !! 1926<br>census
|-
| align=center| 87,100 || align=center| 101,300 || align=center| 110,300 || align=center| 120,900 ||align=center| 200,000 ||align=center| 212,000 ||align=center| 163,881 ||align=center| 173,192 || align=center| 182,637
|-
! 1946<br>census !! 1954<br>census !! 1961<br>census !! 1967<br>census !! 1974<br>census !! 1982<br>census !! 1990<br>census !! 1999<br>census !! 2007<br>estimate
|-
| align=center| 241,708 || align=center| 274,370 || align=center| 349,282 || align=center| 416,525 || align=center| 476,675 || align=center| 515,814 || align=center| 597,823 || align=center| 706,300 || align=center| 793,000
|-
| colspan=9 align=center| <small>Official figures from past censuses and [[INSEE]] estimates.
|}
===Religion===
[[Image:Mosquée-Moufia-2512.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Moufia Mosque in [[Saint-Denis, Réunion|Saint-Denis]]]]
The predominant religion is [[Roman Catholicism]] (86% of the population in 1995), with [[Hinduism in Réunion|Hinduism]], [[Islam]] and [[Buddhism]] also represented amongst others. [[Rastafarism]] is very present, too, but is not officially recognized.
===Language===
[[French language|French]] is the official language of the [[departments of France|department]], though [[Réunion Creole|Réunionnaise Creole]] is also commonly spoken. Mandarin, Hakka and Cantonese are spoken by the Chinese community, but their numbers are dropping as younger generations start to converse in French. The number of speakers of Indian languages is also dropping sharply. Arabic is taught in mosques and spoken by a small community of Arabs. The island's community of Muslims from North Western India and elsewhere are also commonly referred to as Arabs.
===Public health===
Réunion experienced in 2005/2006 an epidemic of [[Chikungunya]], a viral disease that infected almost a third of the population. See the [[#History|History]] section for more details.
== Culture ==
{{main|Culture of Réunion}}
{{seealso|Music of Réunion}}
Réunionese culture is a blend (''métissage'') of [[Europe]]an, [[African]], [[India]]n, [[Overseas Chinese|Chinese]] and insular traditions.
The most widely spoken language, [[Réunion Creole]], derives from French, with many idiosyncrasies. 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.
==Wildlife==
[[Image:FurciferPardalisMale.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Furcifer Pardalis]]
{{main|Wildlife of Réunion}}
{{seealso|List of extinct animals of Réunion}}
Réunion is home to a variety of birds such as the paille en queue. Its largest native land animal is the [[tenrec]]. Much of the West coast is ringed by coral reef which harbours, amongst others, sea urchins, conga eels and parrot fish. Sea turtles also visit the coastal waters.
==Transport==
[[Image:Aéroport-Roland-Garros.jpg|thumb|[[Roland Garros Airport]]]]
{{main|Transport in Réunion}}
[[Roland Garros Airport]], handling flights to Africa and Europe serves the island. [[Pierrefonds Airport]], a smaller airport, has some flights to Africa and Madagascar.
== See also ==
[[Image:Flotte-Reunion.jpg|thumb|A flotilla of the [[French Navy]] based in Réunion.]]
* [[French overseas departments and territories]]
* [[Administrative divisions of France]]
* [[Islands controlled by France in the Indian and Pacific oceans]]
* [[Didier Agathe]]
* [[Culture of the Indian Ocean Islands]]
* [[Scouting on Réunion]]
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
{{commonscat|Réunion}}
{{commonscat|Animals of Réunion}}
[[Image:La Réunion from space.jpg|thumbnail|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===
*[http://www.cg974.fr/ General Council web site]
*[http://www.region-reunion.com Régional council web site]
===Overviews===
*[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/re.html CIA World Factbook - ''Reunion'']
*[http://dmoz.org/RegionalAfrica/Reunion Open Directory Project - ''Reunion''] directory category
*[http://www.historyofnations.net/africa/reunion.html History of Reunion]
===Fauna and flora===
* [http://etic.univ-reunion.fr/theresien Scientific research application on the nature reserve of Mare-Longue (THERESIEN project)]
* [http://www.tropic-island.net/gallery/album.php?id_album=16&stat=ok Flora - Botanic garden - Rain forest (Photogallery)]
===Other===
*[http://reunion.runweb.com/?lang=EN Your Travel Guide: Reunion Island]
*[http://vacances.les.iles.online.fr/carte.htm Map of Reunion island]
*[http://www.yannarthusbertrand.com/yann2/affichage.php Aerial photo of the Gorges of the Bras de Caverne]
*[http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=51.576045,73.037109&q=&ie=UTF8&ll=-21.151115,55.49881&spn=0.95801,1.141205&t=k&om=1 Google Maps Imagery of Reunion]
*[http://www.greenehighway.com Foreign perspective on Réunion from a British resident]
{{Réunion topics}}
{{French overseas departments and territories}}
{{Africa}}
{{Regions of France}}
{{Outlying territories of European countries}}
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