RÉUNION
An overseas department of France in the Indian Ocean, on the island of Réunion, located 800 km east of Madagascar. Area - 2,500 km². The administrative center is Saint-Denis (approx. 132,000). Main seaport - Le Port.
Administrative division - 4 districts. Population - 766,000 (2004); the majority are Creoles - descendants of French, Malagasy, Indian, Arab, and African settlers. The official language is French. Religion - Christianity, with the majority of believers being Catholics (94%), and there are also Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists. The currency is the euro.
The Portuguese landed on Réunion in the early 16th century. In the second half of the 17th century (in 1665), the island became a French colony (until 1848 it was called Bourbon Island). In administrative and political terms, it is an overseas department (since 1946) and simultaneously a region (since 1982) of France. The local government bodies are the General and Regional Councils, elected by universal direct suffrage for 6 years (the last elections were in 2004). According to the French law on administrative decentralization of 1982, the Regional Council has broader powers than the General Council in addressing socio-economic, cultural, and administrative issues. The center of power is represented by a prefect appointed by the president (R. Pommi). In the French Parliament, Réunion is represented by 5 deputies and 3 senators.
On Réunion, there are sections of several leading political parties of France as well as local political organizations (right-wing; Union for a Popular Movement, Union for French Democracy - together they garnered 26% in the regional elections in March 2004; left-wing: Réunion Communist Party (35% - in March 2004), French Socialist Party (16%), Réunion Socialist Priority, "Freedom," "Greens," Movement of Republicans and Citizens, etc.).
The trade union association is the General Confederation of Workers of Réunion (15,000 members). Local branches of major French trade unions operate here.
The GDP of Réunion in 2001 was approximately 8.9 billion euros. GDP per capita - 12,160 USD. The economically active population is 299,000 people (5% - agriculture, 7.7% - industry, 6.3% - construction, 80.4% - administration, trade, education, services). The expenditure and income parts of the island's budget in 2003 amounted to 492 million euros each.
Réunion traditionally specializes in the cultivation of sugarcane (half of agricultural land). Among other agricultural crops - tropical fruits, vegetables, vanilla, flowers, tobacco. Animal husbandry and fishing are well developed. In 2002, the fish catch amounted to 5,327 tons.
Industry is mainly represented by the agro-industrial sector (sugar and rum), production of building materials, and metalworking. In 2000, 1,757 million kWh of electricity was generated on the island.
The total length of roads is 3,000 km. The number of cars (2003) - 280,700. There is an international airport in Saint-Denis.
The tourism sector is well developed. Approximately 430,000 tourists visit Réunion annually, mainly from the metropolis.
Exports (2002) - 220 million euros (mainly agricultural products), imports - 2.9 billion euros (food, automotive, and chemical industry goods). Main trading partners - the metropolis, other EU countries.
Newspapers published: "Journal de l'île" (35,000 copies), "Le Quotidien de la Réunion" (32,500), "Temuanaj" (6,000).
Radio and television broadcasts are carried out by the company "Réseau France Outre-Mer" and the channel "France Ô."
