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Réunion

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: African Countries;
Countries

   Région Réunion

   Flag of Réunion Logo of Réunion
        (flag)      (Région logo)
   Location

   Map of France highlighting the Region of Réunion
   Administration
   Capital Saint-Denis
   Regional President Paul Vergès
   ( PCR) (since 1998)
   Départements Réunion
   Arrondissements 4
   Cantons 49
   Communes 24
   Statistics
   Land area^1 2,512 km²
   Population (Ranked 21st)
    - January 1, 2005 est. 775,000
    - March 8, 1999 est. 706,300
    - Density (2005) 309/km²
   ^1 French Land Register data, which exclude lakes, ponds, and glaciers
   larger than 1 km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) as well as the estuaries
   of rivers
   France
   Map of Réunion
   Enlarge
   Map of Réunion

   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, the nearest
   island. 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 Vergès bought a bag of
   lychees at a Saint-Denis market)..

History

   Arab sailors used to call this island Adna Al Maghribain ("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 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 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.

   In 2005 and 2006 Réunion was hit by a crippling epidemic of
   chikungunya, a disease spread by mosquitos. According to the BBC News ,
   255,000 people on Réunion had contracted the disease as of 26 April,
   2006. The disease also spread to Madagascar 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. dollars) and deployed approximately five hundred French troops in
   an effort 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 in some cases
   can be fatal. There is no known cure.

Administrative divisions

   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.

Geography

   View from satellite.
   Enlarge
   View from satellite.

   The island is 39 miles (63 kilometers) long; 28 miles (45 kilometers)
   wide; and covers 970 square miles (2512 square kilometres). It is
   similar to the island Hawaii insofar as 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.

Economy

   Sugar is the chief agricultural product and export. 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.

   there is also many minerals in the mountains of the island, zinc,
   uranium, copper, silicon, are a few that can be found.

Demographics

   Réunion contains most of the same ethnic populations as Mauritius:
   Malabars or Tamil, Vietnamese, African, Malagasy, Chinese and ethnic
   French - but in different proportions. Creoles, of mixed origins, make
   up the majority, about 90% of the population. 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.

   Reunion has a very similar culture, ethnic makeup, language and
   traditions to those of Mauritius and the Seychelles.

Public health

   Reunion is currently experiencing an epidemic of Chikungunya virus. As
   of April 6, 2006, 230,000 people have been infected (29% of the
   population).

Culture

   Reunionese culture is a blend of European, African, Indian, 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.

A flag for Réunion?

   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
   Enlarge
   Proposed flag for Réunion

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A9union"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
