Overseas France - France in the United States / Embassy of France in Washington, D.C. Overseas France Google OVERSEAS FRANCE Thanks to her overseas departments and territories, France extends far beyond the boundaries of Europe and into the four corners of the earth. Outside the borders of metropolitan France, she has coasts washed by the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and land borders from the icy wastes of Antarctica to the great Amazonian rainforest. Clichés apart, the uniqueness of France’s overseas departments and territories lies in their staggering variety. They encompass a wealth not just of natural contrasts in the form of differing climates, landscapes, flora and fauna, but of human contrasts too - different cultures and identities, all of which add to the rich mosaic which is France, a republic of the people, open to the world and holding out a hand of friendship. The abolition of slavery, introduction of universal suffrage, steady progress towards social equality: these are all key steps which have shaped the lives of people in overseas France for more than a century and a half.

From the erstwhile French "possessions" to the present-day departments (DOM), territories (TOM) and territorial collectivities (an intermediate status between DOM and TOM), the history of the Republic’s links with overseas France is one of continuing change. Overseas France is unquestionably the source of the Republic’s diversity. Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana and Réunion are the four French overseas departments (DOM). As such they have equal rights with and the same legislative identity as any other department in metropolitan France, plus a certain amount of freedom which takes account of their specific circumstances. The French Constitution has also opened up the way towards constitutional legislation à la carte, as witness the processes of change currently being followed by, for example, New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Mayotte. In allowing the overseas departments and territories to choose their own individual roads to development, the French Republic is responding to the aspiration of her overseas populations to be responsible for themselves, giving them the means not just to play a part in their own destiny but actively to shape it. Indian Ocean Réunion The island of Réunion is part of the Mascarene Archipelago.

Its tropical forest and volcanic mountains (rising to 3,069 metres) make it a colourful island. In 1638 the "Saint-Alexis", bound for the Indies, claimed this desert island for King Louis XIII. Réunion became a department of France in 1946. It has an area of 2,512 square km and a population of 793,000 who are a remarkable mix of African, Asian, Malagasy and European stock. Réunion has the largest population of all the French overseas departments. The quality of the island’s environment is outstanding and it has a network of biological reserves covering 7,000 hectares. The economy of Réunion is centred on three sectors: agriculture (sugar cane, rum, plant essences), fishing (4th largest export after agricultural produce) and tourism. Réunion is also a centre of scientific research. It is home to the Piton de la Fournaise volcano observatory and the tropical cyclone centre at Saint-Denis, which is the monitoring station for the whole of the Indian Ocean.

Mayotte Mayotte is the most southern of the four islands of the Comoro Archipelago, with an area of 374 square km and a population of 208,000. It comprises two main islands and thirty or so islets. Known as the "perfume island", Mayotte is also famous for its lagoon, one the most beautiful in the world (1,100 square km). In 1841 the Sultan of Mayotte ceded the island to France and it became part of France’s colonial empire. In 1946 the Comoro Archipelago became an overseas territory. In the 1974 referendum three of the islands opted for independence, whilst Mayotte chose to remain French. This loyalty of the population of Mayotte to the Republic has grown ever stronger and since 1998 Mayotte has been engaged in a process of change which will ultimately give it the status of a department. Mayotte’s economy is largely agricultural. The island exports three main agricultural products: ylang-ylang (more than three quarters is exported for use in the perfume industry), vanilla and cinnamon.

The island is well away from established tourist routes, and visitors can still enjoy the full beauty of its unspoiled natural environment and culture. Atlantic Ocean Martinique With an area of 1,100 square km Martinique is the smallest of the overseas departments. It lies in the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. It is volcanic in origin, offering a varied landscape dominated by the volcano of Mount Pelée (1,397 metres), whose eruption in 1902 destroyed the then capital of St Pierre. Its population of 401,000 reflects a history of inter-marrying: black Africans, descendants of Indian immigrants, Syrians, Chinese. The European population is made up of Békés (white Creoles) - descendants of the first colonists - and people from metropolitan France. The first inhabitants of the island were Arawak Indians. The island became a colony of the Kingdom of France in 1674. Slavery was abolished by decree of 27 April 1848 at the initiative of Victor Schoelcher. Martinique has been an overseas department since 1946. The tertiary sector accounts for 75% of all jobs.

Agriculture is the chief source of the island’s export earnings. Bananas are the main crop and principal economic resource, accounting for 49.5% of final agricultural output and generating nearly 40% of export earnings. Tourism is developing fast. It employs over 11,000 people and contributes more than 7% to commercial GDP. Guadeloupe This archipelago in the Lesser Antilles, with a total area of 1,704 square km, is made up of six islands: Guadeloupe proper comprising Basse-Terre, dominated by the volcano of La Soufrière (1,484 metres), and Grande-Terre, with the adjacent islands of La Désirade, Îles des Saintes, Marie-Galante and, further to the north, St Barthélemy and the French part of St Martin. Guadeloupe proper is the largest island in the French West Indies with an area of 1,438 square km and a population of 453,000. The original inhabitants were Arawak Indians. The island became a colony of the Kingdom of France in 1674.

The following century saw the development of an economy based on sugar and slavery; slavery was abolished by decree of 27 April 1848 at the initiative of Victor Schoelcher. Guadeloupe has been an overseas department since 1946. The economy is based on agriculture (bananas are still the principal money crop), tourism and services. Tourism, as the department’s main economic activity, is virtually the only source of income for St Martin and St Barthélemy. French Guiana French Guiana, with an area of 90,000 square km, lies in the north-eastern part of South America between Surinam and Brazil. Equatorial rainforest covers nine tenths of the territory. It is the biggest and most densely forested French department. At the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, France suggested that it be made a center of excellence for the protection of tropical rainforests and ecodevelopment. Guiana has 202,000 inhabitants, over 50,000 of whom live in Cayenne, and a population density of 2 inhabitants per square km.

The people reflect a multiplicity of racial origins, being mainly: Creoles (about 40%), Amerindians, persons from metropolitan France and H’mongs. The first inhabitants of Guiana were Tupi Guarani Indians. In 1852 Napoleon III established convict settlements in Guiana. The French Government ended the banishment of convicts in 1938. Since the Act of 19 March 1946 Guiana has been a French department. The space technology era began in Guiana in 1964 with the opening of the Guiana Space Centre, which had, and continues to have a major impact on the department’s economy. Guiana is a land of exuberance, adventure and discovery par excellence, and green tourism is a prime route for its further development. St Pierre and Miquelon The archipelago of St Pierre and Miquelon lies in the north-west Atlantic, 25 km off the coast of Canada. It has two islands, a population of 6,125 and a total area of 242 square km. It was claimed for the French crown in 1535 by Jacques Cartier.

The first settlers were for the most part French fishermen from Brittany, Normandy and the Basque country. It became a permanent part of France in 1816. St Pierre and Miquelon became a territorial collectivity in 1985. Fishing is the archipelago’s main income earner. Recent test drilling for oil in its waters may herald a new important economic activity for St Pierre and Miquelon. The proximity of St Pierre and Miquelon to Canada is a major bonus to local tourism which publicizes the islands’ image as "France in North America". Pacific Ocean New Caledonia New Caledonia is part of the group of islands which make up Melanesia and covers 18,575 square km. The archipelago comprises Grande Terre (main island), twice the size of Corsica, plus the four islands of Loyalty, the Bélep Archipelago, the Isle of Pines and a few remote islets. The landscape of New Caledonia is rich and varied. The archipelago has 230,800 inhabitants and two main communities: Melanesians (over 44%) and Europeans (more than 34%).

The Melanesians are the original inhabitants of New Caledonia. The first European to set foot there was Captain James Cook, in 1774. It became a French possession in 1853. The 1980s were marked by the rise of the Kanak independence movement. The agreements signed in 1988 took the heat out of the climate of political instability and triggered a new economic equilibrium. Since 1998 New Caledonia has been pursuing an original process of institutional development. In 2014, voters who have lived in the archipelago for at least 20 years will be asked to vote on the question of full independence. New Caledonia has considerable natural resources. It is the third-largest world producer of nickel and has other minerals too: chrome, cobalt, iron, copper, lead, zinc and jasper. Agriculture, mainly cattle-breeding, coffee and copra, employs 28% of the population. Fishery products, of which 80% are tuna, are exported to Japan. Since 1996 Pacific prawns have been the second largest export.

Tourism flourishes in New Caledonia, and its natural riches have earned it the nickname of "the island closest to paradise". French Polynesia With a land area of 4,200 square km, French Polynesia consists of five archipelagos of 118 volcanic or coral islands, covering a total area of 2,500,000 square km: the Society, Marquesas, Austral and Tuamotu-Gambier islands. 43% of the inhabitants of French Polynesia (245,500) are aged under 20. The population is made up of nearly 83% Polynesians, 12% Europeans and 4.7% Asians. The first Europeans arrived in the sixteenth century. Historically, the conquest of the Pacific was a struggle for influence between England and France, until the Polynesian Queen Pomaré IV asked for the islands to be made a protectorate of France. Subsequently, all the archipelagos were brought under the jurisdiction of the French Republic. In 1946 French Polynesia became an overseas territory, with an autonomous status since 1996.

The two traditional activities are fishing and copra cultivation. Other areas of the economy are commerce, craft industries, and more recently tourism, which now accounts for nearly 20% of GDP, and the black pearl industry which in nominal terms is the territory’s most significant export sector. Following the halting of French nuclear tests at the Pacific testing centre in April 1992, the State undertook to help with the economic and social development of French Polynesia for a period of 10 years. Wallis and Futuna This archipelago comprises the three volcanic islands of Wallis, Futuna and Alofi and is part of Polynesian Oceania. The island of Wallis (96 square km), 200 km to the north-east of Futuna was named after Captain Samuel Wallis who found it in 1767. Futuna (64 square km) and the neighbouring islet of Alofi (51 square km) were discovered in 1616 by Dutch explorers. Of the 14,166 people who inhabit this territory, 34% live on Futuna.

A European presence was not established until the nineteenth century, with the foundation of Catholic missions and conclusion of the first treaties between France and the three kingdoms, which gave them protectorate status. In 1959 a large majority of the population (93.5%) voted in a referendum to become an overseas territory. The economy of this territory has remained highly traditional and largely dependent on a barter system. Most production is consumed locally and trade is minimal. The main activities are agriculture, pig-breeding, fishing and craft industries. There has been little development of tourism. French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF - Terres australes et antarctiques françaises) These islands were discovered by the explorers Crozet and Kerguelen in 1772 and became a French territory in 1955. The TAAF consist of the islands of St Paul (7 square km) and Amsterdam (54 square km), the Crozet Islands (115 square km) and Kerguelen Islands (7,215 square km) and Terre Adélie (432,000 square km). They lie in the southern zone of the Indian Ocean and are part of the continent of Antarctica.

The only people living in this remote and inhospitable area are members of the scientific and technical teams based at the various permanent stations. Various scientific programmes are conducted under the aegis of the French Institute for Polar Research and Technology from stations in the Kerguelen islands and Terre Adélie. Research work, of world-wide importance, is being carried out, inter alia, on: the atmosphere, meteorology, pollution, the environment, the Earth’s interior and surface, biology and oceanography. Much of it is the subject of international scientific cooperation. The economy is based on fishing (seaweed, krill, salmon). The Southern Lands add an extra 1,750,000 km to France’s coastline./. Source : Images de la France (SIG) For further information Reunion profile - BBC News BBC News Close share panel The remote Indian Ocean island of Reunion lies between Madagascar and Mauritius. As a French overseas territory, it has the same political status as other departments in mainland France. Densely-populated and ethnically diverse, the island's capital of Saint-Denis is home to one-fifth of the population.

Reunion has traditionally prospered from the cultivation of sugar cane but tourism and financial aid from Paris help underpin the economy. A large wealth gap had fuelled social tensions in more recent times. Unemployment is high, particularly among the young and emigration is common. Reunion has a tropical climate and diverse landscape. It is home to one of the world's most active volcanoes, the Piton de la Fournaise, which is also a World Heritage site. Area 2,507 sq km (968 sq miles) Major languages French (official), Creole Major religion Christianity Life expectancy 74 years (men), 82 years (women) Currency euro LEADER Head of state: French president, represented by an appointed prefect Reunion is one of four French overseas departments. It is also one of France's 18 regions and as such shares the same status as those on mainland France. It has two elected legislative bodies - the General Council and the Regional Council. Members are elected by universal suffrage. The territory sends seven deputies to the French National Assembly and three representatives to the Senate. MEDIA TV and radio services are provided by the French public overseas broadcaster, RFO.

The press RFO Reunion - public, operated by Reseau France Outre-Mer TIMELINE Some key dates in the history or Reunion: 1512 - Portuguese discover the archipelago of Mauritius, Rodrigues and Reunion - they are collectively named the Mascarenes after the explorer Pedro de Mascarenhas. 1600s - French colonialists claim the island, naming it Bourbon. At first a penal colony, slaves from East Africa are brought in to work on coffee plantations. 1794 - Island comes under the French crown and is renamed Reunion. 1810-15 - During the Napoleonic Wars, the island is lost to the British, who introduce sugarcane plantations. 1815 - Territory returns to the French under the Treaty of Paris. 1848 - With the abolition of slavery, indentured labourers are imported from Southeast Asia, India and East Africa. 1946 - Reunion changes from a colony to an overseas department of France. 1974 - The island gains the status of French region. Headquarters of the French military in the Indian Ocean are established.

1990s - Wealth inequality and high unemployment trigger demonstrations and violence as islanders seek more political autonomy and better wages and working conditions. 2000 - French government proposal to split the island into two departments is rejected by the French Senate. Image copyright Getty Images Reunion Island Reunion Island in Africa Reunion is a French island located with a population of about 800,000 in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) southwest of Mauritius, the nearest island. Reunion is one of the overseas department of France. Like the other overseas departments, Réunion is also one of the 27 French regions (as an overseas region) and an integral part of the Republic with the same status as the European in the continent. Réunion is an outermost region of the European Union and in an overseas department of France, is part of the euro zone. Before the arrival of the Portuguese in the sixteenth century, there is little written history of the meeting. Arab traders were familiar with him by the name Dina Morgabin. The island may have on a map of 1153 AD, Al-Sharif al-Idrisi.

The island may have been visited by sailors or Swahili Malay. reunion island beach The first European discovery of the region was made around 1507 by Portuguese sailors, but details are unclear. The uninhabited island was perhaps his first glimpse of the expedition, led by Don Pedro Mascarenhas, who gave his name to the archipelago to the island of Reunion, was even named Santa Apolonia Mascarenes. Santa Apolonia Mascarenes is a popular saint, suggesting that the Date of Portuguese discovery of February 09 would have on his birthday. Diego Lopes de Sequeira States landed on the island in 1509. About a century later, in nominal terms, the Portuguese had left Santa Apolonia virtually intact. The island was occupied by France and administered from Port Louis, Mauritius. Although the first French claims date from 1638, when François Cauche and Goubert Solomon visited in June 1638, the island was officially opened by Jacques Pronis from France in 1642, claimed that rebels abducted as dozens of French on the island of Madagascar.

The convicts were later to France for several years, returned in 1649, the island was called The Bourbon monarchy. Colonization began in 1665 when the French East India Company sent the first 20 settlers. reunion island niagara falls “Reunion” was the name for the island in 1793, recalled by a decree of the Convention in the Fall of the House of Bourbon in France, and the name of the union of revolutionaries from Marseille with the National Guard of Paris, which took place the 10th August 1792. In 1801 the island “Iceland Bonaparte,” was named after Napoleon Bonaparte. The island was led by a squadron of the Royal Navy Commodore Josias Rowley in 1810, which penetrated the old name “Bourbon” is used. When restored to France by the Congress of Vienna in 1815, the island retains the name “Bourbon” until the fall of the Bourbons during the French Revolution of 1848, when the island was once again the name of “Reunion” restored. Officially, Réunion Island is divided into 4 districts.

It is an overseas department of French and French region. The small number of communities (compared to French metropolitan departments of similar size and population) is unique include the communities most Réunionnaises several localities, sometimes separated by great distances from each other. Reunion is part of the Indian Ocean Commission.

reunion island saint paul city reunion island statue Reunion | history - geography - island and department, France | Britannica.com island and department, France Alternative Titles: Département d’Outre-Mer de la Réunion, Department of Réunion, Île de Bourbon, Santa Apollonia Reunion Département d’Outre-Mer de la Réunion (Department of Réunion)1 Political status overseas department/overseas region (France) with two legislative houses (Departmental Council2 [50]; Regional Council3 [45]) Head of state President of France: François Hollande Heads of government Prefect (for France): Dominique Sorain; President of Departmental Council (for Réunion): Nassimah Dindar; President of Regional Council (for Réunion): Didier Robert Capital Literacy: percentage of population age 15 and over literate Male: (2003) 87% 1Réunion is simultaneously administered as an overseas region (région d’outre-mer). 2Assembly for overseas department.

Country Data Overview (PDF) Réunion, officially Department of Réunion, French Département d’Outre-Mer de la Réunion, island of the Mascarene Islands and a French overseas département and overseas region in the western Indian Ocean . It is located about 420 miles (680 km) east of Madagascar and 110 miles (180 km) southwest of Mauritius . Section of the dormant volcanic massif, known as the Plaine des Ramparts, on Réunion Gerald Cubitt Volcano erupting on the island of Réunion, western Indian Ocean. © Beboy/Fotolia Réunion is almost elliptical in shape, about 40 miles (65 km) long and 30 miles (50 km) wide. The capital is Saint-Denis , on the northern coast. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Land Of volcanic origin, Réunion consists mostly of rugged mountains in an advanced state of dissection by short torrential rivers.

The west-central area contains a mountain massif with three summits exceeding 9,000 feet (2,740 metres), including the Piton des Neiges (10,069 feet [3,069 metres]). The massif is encircled by several wide basins and a series of smaller plateaus. In the eastern part of the island is an area of more recent volcanism, and in the extreme east is the mountain Le Volcan, one of whose craters, Piton de la Fournaise, has been active several times since 1925. Réunion’s coast has no good natural harbours. Réunion. Piton de la Fournaise, Réunion, western Indian Ocean. Sylvain Grandadam—The Image Bank/Getty Images Moisture-laden southeast trade winds, which dominate the weather from April to October, bring abundant annual rainfall (160–315 inches [4,000–8,000 mm]) to the south and east of the island; the north and west sides, however, have as little as 25 inches (635 mm) of rain a year.

Temperatures tend to be cool for the tropics, especially at higher elevations, but in summer the lowlands are uncomfortably humid and hot. Tropical cyclones occur frequently. People Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Pinterest Réunion was first settled in the 17th century by colonists from France . Slave labourers were brought in from East Africa to work on plantations, and later Malays , Annamites , Chinese , and Malabar Indians were imported as indentured labourers. Today the greatest proportion of the population is of mixed descent (African, European, and South Asian). The limited amount of land has induced substantial emigration, largely to France but also to Madagascar. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. The old town hall, Saint-Denis, Réunion. Thierry Caro The island’s population density is high, even in areas that typically would be considered too mountainous to support a dense population. Saint-Denis, the capital and largest urban area on the island, contains about one-fifth of the total population. The language in common use on the island is Réunion French Creole , and Tamil is also spoken by some people; French , however, is the official language.

About four-fifths of the population is Roman Catholic . Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Exploring Italy and France: Fact or Fiction? Réunion’s economy has been based almost entirely on sugar for more than a century. Cane is grown on most of the cultivable land, though vanilla bean and some fruits and vegetables, tobacco, and geraniums (for perfume) are also produced. About a dozen big estates with milling facilities produce the bulk of the cane crop. Harbour of Le Port, Réunion. B.Navez Food and food products represent the greatest share of Réunion’s exports, with sugar and such sugar by-products as rum and molasses accounting for much of that total. Much of Réunion’s trade is with France. Unemployment continues to be a problem. A few paved roads connect the main towns on the island. Le Port can handle large ships through artificial port facilities. An international airport is located near Saint-Denis. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean is a French-Styled Paradise - YouTube Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean is a French-Styled Paradise Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist.

Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Feb 10, 2015 Located in an area known as The Vanilla Islands of the Indian Ocean, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France. Like the other overseas departments, Réunion is also one of the 27 regions of France (being an overseas region) and an integral part of the Republic with the same status as those situated on the European mainland. Travel TV producer Bea Broda travels to some of the towns and beaches that help make the island a popular vacation retreat. Category Réunion | Article about Réunion by The Free Dictionary Réunion | Article about Réunion by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Thesaurus , Legal , Wikipedia . Réunion (rāünyôN`), island and overseas department of France (2005 est. pop.

777,000), c.970 sq mi (2,510 sq km), one of the Mascarene Islands Mascarene Islands , in the Indian Ocean, E of Madagascar. They include Mauritius, Réunion, and Rodriguez. Apparently known to the Arabs, they were rediscovered by the Portuguese at the beginning of the 16th cent. The islands are named for Pedro Mascarenhas, who visited them c.1512. ..... Click the link for more information. , in the Indian Ocean c.430 mi (690 km) E of Madagascar. Saint-Denis Saint-Denis, city (1990 pop. 122,875), capital of the French overseas department of Réunion. It is a port on the Indian Ocean at the mouth of the St.-Denis River and exports sugar and rum. St. ..... Click the link for more information. (the capital) and Le Port (the leading port) are the chief cities.

Land, People, and Economy The island is composed mainly of one active and several extinct volcanoes; its highest point is Le Piton des Neiges (10,069 ft/3,069 m). Le Piton de la Fournaise in S Réunion is one of the earth's most active volcanoes. Settlement and cultivation are concentrated in the coastal lowlands. Most of the inhabitants are Roman Catholic and speak a creole patois. Since the 19th cent. sugar has been by far the island's chief product and export. Molasses, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, and rum are also produced. History Réunion was known to the Arabs and was visited by the Portuguese in the early 16th cent. The island was uninhabited until settled by the French c.1642; its present mixed population is descended from the French settlers and their East African, South Asian, and Indochinese slaves (after 1848, when slavery was abolished, indentured laborers). At first a penal colony, Réunion became a post of the French East India Company in 1665. In the 18th cent.

the island was an exporter of coffee. From 1810 to 1814 Réunion was held by Great Britain. After 1815, when coffee no longer could be produced competitively, sugarcane became the main crop. In 1947 the status of Réunion was changed from a colony to an overseas department. In the 1980s and 90s, the citizens of Réunion sought greater political autonomy and better wages and working conditions. Réunion a country in the Indian Ocean, situated on Réunion Island, one of the Mascarene Islands. It is an overseas department of France. Area, 2,500 sq km. Population, 473,000 (1974). The capital is St. Denis. Réunion is governed by a prefect appointed by the French government. An elected General Council has limited jurisdiction. Réunion sends three representatives to the French National Assembly and two to the Senate. Natural features. The island is of volcanic origin; the highest peak is Piton des Neiges (3,069 m).

In the southeast, an area of recent eruptions, is the active volcano Fournaise (2,631 m). Réunion has a tropical trade-wind climate. The windward eastern part, receiving more than 4,000 mm of precipitation annually, was once covered with a tropical forest to elevations of 2,000 m; much of the forest has now been cut down. Coniferous forests and meadows are found at higher elevations. The western part of the island and the interior plateaus are occupied by savannas. Population. The majority of the inhabitants are mestizos, descendants of French settlers who intermarried with Arabs, Bantus, Malagasy, and Indians. Mestizos and French constitute 95 percent of the population. The official language is French, and the predominant religion is Catholicism. Between 1963 and 1972 the population increased at an average rate of 2.6 percent annually. The country has a work force of 114,000, of whom 36 percent are engaged in agriculture. Historical survey. The island was discovered by Portuguese navigators in the early 16th century.

Uninhabited until the mid-nth century, Réunion became a French colonial possession in the 1640’s and was named Bourbon Island in 1649. In 1664 it was given to the French East India Company, which embarked on a systematic colonization of the island. The 18th and 19th centuries saw the development of a plantation economy based on the labor of African slaves. The main crops were coffee, spices, and, from the early 19th century, sugarcane. After the breakup of the East India Company, the island was administered by representatives of the crown from 1767. The island was named Réunion in 1793, but the name did not become official until 1848. It was occupied by the British from 1810 to 1815. Slavery was abolished in Réunion in 1848. During World War II, Réunion joined Fighting France in November 1942. In March 1946 the island was granted the status of an overseas department. The Réunion Communist Party was founded in 1959.

The country’s democratic forces are fighting for radical economic reforms and for self-determination. Economy. Controlled by French monopolies, Réunion specializes in growing sugarcane and producing sugar. Three large monopolies own about 40 percent of the land planted to sugarcane, as well as the sugar mills on the land. One-fourth of the country’s territory is under cultivation (11 percent of this area is irrigated), and meadows and pastures cover less than 10 percent. Roughly 60 percent of the cultivated land is owned by large landowners who constitute about 1 percent of the population. Most of the sugarcane is grown on small peasant farms that sell it to the mills at prices set by the French monopolies. Also produced are vanilla, geranium oil, tobacco, tea, corn, and potatoes. Cattle, sheep, and hogs are raised. The island’s industrial enterprises include sugar mills, producing about 228,000 tons of sugar in 1974; rum distilleries; enterprises processing essential oils, vanilla, and tobacco; and canneries.

The country’s electric power plants have a rated capacity of 27,000 kW (1972); 122 million kW-hr were generated in 1972. Motor vehicles are the main type of transport. There are 1,949 km of highways, of which 1,508 km are paved (1972). The main seaport is Pointe des Galets. Réunion exports sugar (accounting for about 90 percent of the value of exports in 1973), rum, essential oils, and vanilla, and it imports machinery and equipment, cement, food, and fabrics. France purchases almost all of the country’s exports and supplies most of its imports. The monetary unit is the African franc. Education and cultural affairs. The education system is modeled on the French system. Children enter primary school at the age of six. The full cycle of the secondary school (lycée) lasts six or seven years. There are also lower secondary schools, called collèges, offering a four-year general curriculum.

In the 1972–73 school year 108,600 pupils were enrolled in primary schools (10,800 of them in private schools), and 29,500 students were attending the various types of secondary schools. The Institute of Juridical, Economic, and Political Studies, founded in St. Denis in 1950, had an enrollment of about 700 students in the 1972–73 academic year. Also in St. Denis are the Central Library (founded in 1956; 60,000 volumes), the Museum of Natural History (1854), and the Museum of Art (1912). REFERENCES Reunion - Indian Ocean - Travel Photos by Galen R Frysinger, Sheboygan, Wisconsin Our ship being led to the harbor. Rï¿½union , overseas department and administrative region of France, largest of the Mascarene island group in the Indian Ocean, southeast of Madagascar. The island is volcanic in origin and is mountainous.

The highest peak, Piton des Neiges, rises 3,069 m (10,069 ft) above sea level. The climate is tropical, with a rainy season lasting from November to April; the island is subject to destructive tropical storms. The island's economy is dominated by the cultivation of sugarcane. The principal exports are sugar, lobsters, rum, vanilla, and perfume essences. The capital of Rï¿½union is Saint-Denis, a port on the northern coast. The island is densely populated. The inhabitants are mainly of mixed African, Asian, and French descent, and about 90 percent are Roman Catholic. rainbow at harbor The island was uninhabited when it was discovered by the Portuguese navigator Pedro de Mascarenhas during the early 16th century. In 1643 it was claimed by the French, who named it Bourbon and established the first colony here in 1662; slaves were brought from Africa to work the sugar plantations. The island was renamed Rï¿½union in 1793. It remained a French colony, except for a brief British occupation from 1810 to 1815.

After slavery was abolished in 1848, indentured servants were brought to the island from India and southeastern Asia. Rï¿½union became an overseas department of France in 1946 and an administrative region in 1974. It sends five directly elected deputies to the French National Assembly and three indirectly elected representatives to the Senate. Local government is maintained by the 47-member General Council and the 45-member Regional Council, each elected by the voters. Area, 2,507 sq km (968 sq mi); population (2000 estimate) 730,201. Réunion | Define Réunion at Dictionary.com Réunion [ree-yoon-yuh n; French rey-y-nyawn] /riˈyun yən; French reɪ üˈnyɔ̃/ Spell noun 1. an island in the Indian Ocean, E of Madagascar: an overseas department of France. 970 sq. mi. (2512 sq. km). Capital: St. Denis. Examples from the Web for Réunion Expand All About Coffee William H. Ukers British Dictionary definitions for Réunion Expand noun 1.

an island in the Indian Ocean, in the Mascarene Islands: an overseas region of France, having been in French possession since 1642. A number of far-flung and uninhabited islands, some located on the opposite side of Madagascar, were also politically part of Réunion until 2007, when they were transferred to the French Southern and Antarctic Territories. Capital: Saint-Denis. Pop: 767 000 (2004 est). Area: 2510 sq km (970 sq miles) reunion the act or process of coming together again 2. the state or condition of having been brought together again 3. a gathering of relatives, friends, or former associates Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Word Origin and History for Réunion Expand reunion n.

c.1600, "act or fact of coming together again," from re- "back, again" + union ; or from French réunion (1540s). Meaning "meeting of persons of previous connection" is from 1820. The island of Reunion, formerly known as Bourbon, was renamed during the French Revolution (1793) in commemoration of the 1792 union of revolutionaries from Marseille with the National Guard in Paris, renamed back to Bourbon after 1815, then back to the Revolutionary name after 1848. Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper Reunite | Article about reunite by The Free Dictionary Reunite | Article about reunite by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Thesaurus , Legal , Acronyms , Idioms , Wikipedia . Réunion (rāünyôN`), island and overseas department of France (2005 est. pop. 777,000), c.970 sq mi (2,510 sq km), one of the Mascarene Islands Mascarene Islands , in the Indian Ocean, E of Madagascar.

They include Mauritius, Réunion, and Rodriguez. Apparently known to the Arabs, they were rediscovered by the Portuguese at the beginning of the 16th cent. The islands are named for Pedro Mascarenhas, who visited them c.1512. ..... Click the link for more information. , in the Indian Ocean c.430 mi (690 km) E of Madagascar. Saint-Denis Saint-Denis, city (1990 pop. 122,875), capital of the French overseas department of Réunion. It is a port on the Indian Ocean at the mouth of the St.-Denis River and exports sugar and rum. St. ..... Click the link for more information. (the capital) and Le Port (the leading port) are the chief cities. Land, People, and Economy The island is composed mainly of one active and several extinct volcanoes; its highest point is Le Piton des Neiges (10,069 ft/3,069 m). Le Piton de la Fournaise in S Réunion is one of the earth's most active volcanoes. Settlement and cultivation are concentrated in the coastal lowlands.

Most of the inhabitants are Roman Catholic and speak a creole patois. Since the 19th cent. sugar has been by far the island's chief product and export. Molasses, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, and rum are also produced. History Réunion was known to the Arabs and was visited by the Portuguese in the early 16th cent. The island was uninhabited until settled by the French c.1642; its present mixed population is descended from the French settlers and their East African, South Asian, and Indochinese slaves (after 1848, when slavery was abolished, indentured laborers). At first a penal colony, Réunion became a post of the French East India Company in 1665. In the 18th cent. the island was an exporter of coffee. From 1810 to 1814 Réunion was held by Great Britain. After 1815, when coffee no longer could be produced competitively, sugarcane became the main crop. In 1947 the status of Réunion was changed from a colony to an overseas department.

In the 1980s and 90s, the citizens of Réunion sought greater political autonomy and better wages and working conditions. Réunion a country in the Indian Ocean, situated on Réunion Island, one of the Mascarene Islands. It is an overseas department of France. Area, 2,500 sq km. Population, 473,000 (1974). The capital is St. Denis. Réunion is governed by a prefect appointed by the French government. An elected General Council has limited jurisdiction. Réunion sends three representatives to the French National Assembly and two to the Senate. Natural features. The island is of volcanic origin; the highest peak is Piton des Neiges (3,069 m). In the southeast, an area of recent eruptions, is the active volcano Fournaise (2,631 m). Réunion has a tropical trade-wind climate. The windward eastern part, receiving more than 4,000 mm of precipitation annually, was once covered with a tropical forest to elevations of 2,000 m; much of the forest has now been cut down.

Coniferous forests and meadows are found at higher elevations. The western part of the island and the interior plateaus are occupied by savannas. Population. The majority of the inhabitants are mestizos, descendants of French settlers who intermarried with Arabs, Bantus, Malagasy, and Indians. Mestizos and French constitute 95 percent of the population. The official language is French, and the predominant religion is Catholicism. Between 1963 and 1972 the population increased at an average rate of 2.6 percent annually. The country has a work force of 114,000, of whom 36 percent are engaged in agriculture. Historical survey. The island was discovered by Portuguese navigators in the early 16th century. Uninhabited until the mid-nth century, Réunion became a French colonial possession in the 1640’s and was named Bourbon Island in 1649. In 1664 it was given to the French East India Company, which embarked on a systematic colonization of the island.

The 18th and 19th centuries saw the development of a plantation economy based on the labor of African slaves. The main crops were coffee, spices, and, from the early 19th century, sugarcane. After the breakup of the East India Company, the island was administered by representatives of the crown from 1767. The island was named Réunion in 1793, but the name did not become official until 1848. It was occupied by the British from 1810 to 1815. Slavery was abolished in Réunion in 1848. During World War II, Réunion joined Fighting France in November 1942. In March 1946 the island was granted the status of an overseas department. The Réunion Communist Party was founded in 1959. The country’s democratic forces are fighting for radical economic reforms and for self-determination. Economy. Controlled by French monopolies, Réunion specializes in growing sugarcane and producing sugar. Three large monopolies own about 40 percent of the land planted to sugarcane, as well as the sugar mills on the land.

One-fourth of the country’s territory is under cultivation (11 percent of this area is irrigated), and meadows and pastures cover less than 10 percent. Roughly 60 percent of the cultivated land is owned by large landowners who constitute about 1 percent of the population. Most of the sugarcane is grown on small peasant farms that sell it to the mills at prices set by the French monopolies. Also produced are vanilla, geranium oil, tobacco, tea, corn, and potatoes. Cattle, sheep, and hogs are raised. The island’s industrial enterprises include sugar mills, producing about 228,000 tons of sugar in 1974; rum distilleries; enterprises processing essential oils, vanilla, and tobacco; and canneries. The country’s electric power plants have a rated capacity of 27,000 kW (1972); 122 million kW-hr were generated in 1972. Motor vehicles are the main type of transport. There are 1,949 km of highways, of which 1,508 km are paved (1972).

The main seaport is Pointe des Galets. Réunion exports sugar (accounting for about 90 percent of the value of exports in 1973), rum, essential oils, and vanilla, and it imports machinery and equipment, cement, food, and fabrics. France purchases almost all of the country’s exports and supplies most of its imports. The monetary unit is the African franc. Education and cultural affairs. The education system is modeled on the French system. Children enter primary school at the age of six. The full cycle of the secondary school (lycée) lasts six or seven years. There are also lower secondary schools, called collèges, offering a four-year general curriculum. In the 1972–73 school year 108,600 pupils were enrolled in primary schools (10,800 of them in private schools), and 29,500 students were attending the various types of secondary schools. The Institute of Juridical, Economic, and Political Studies, founded in St. Denis in 1950, had an enrollment of about 700 students in the 1972–73 academic year. Also in St.

Denis are the Central Library (founded in 1956; 60,000 volumes), the Museum of Natural History (1854), and the Museum of Art (1912). REFERENCES Reunion (Overseas Department and Region, France) This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website Reunion (Overseas Department and Region, France) Réunion Code: 974 Area: 2,511 km2. The former dependencies of Reunion, known as Outlying Islands (Iles éparses) were placed under the authority of the Ministry of the Overseas (Ministère de l'Outremer) on 1 April 1960. Since the Decree of 19 September 1960, the Outlying Islands were administrated by the Prefet of Reunion. A Decree signed on 3 January 2005 has transfered the administration of the Outlying Islands to the Prefet, Higher Administrator of the Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises (TAAF).

Population (2003): 753,812 inhabitants Around 95,000 natives of the island live in European France. Every year the island is visited by more than 420,000 tourists. Sous-préfectures: Saint-Benoît, Saint-Paul, Saint-Pierre Subdivisions: 4 arrondissements, 39 cantons, 185 municipalities. The ethnical composition of Reunion is very diverse. There is no native population since the island was uninhabited before the French colonization. The Malbars (or Malabars) represent 25% of the population. They are descended from the Indian workers imported to Reunion after the abolition of slavery. Most of these workers came from Calcutta and the Coast of Coromandel, where the former French counters Madras, Pondichéry, Karikal and Mahé are located. About 85,000 Indians were brought to Reunion and 25,000 of them eventually stayed on the island. The Zarabes (a local form of the French les Arabes) represent 2% of the population.

They are descended from the Muslim Indians imported in the XIXth century. The Chinois (Chinese) represent 3% of the population. Most of them came at the end of the 19th century from Canton and specialized in food trade. The Chinese immigration increased in the 1930s with the Chinese-Japanese war and the introduction of Communism in China. The Zoreilles (a local form of the French les oreilles, the ears) represent 6% of the population. They are the people of French European origin. It seems they got the name of Zoreilles because they had to listen very carefully (in French, tendre les oreilles) when the Creoles spoke their own language. The Caffres are descended of the African slaves who were imported for sugarcane cultivation. The Creoles represent 40% of the population. They are defined in reference to the other categories. Ivan Sache, 18 July 2004 History of Reunion Like its neighbour Mauritius , Reunion was probably visited but not colonized by Arab, Malay, Chinese and European sailors in the XIIth century.

The formal discovery of the island (1507-1512) is credited to the Portuguese Admiral Pedro de Mascarenhas. The group of islands made of Mauritius, Reunion and Rodrigues is called Mascarene, after the Admiral's name. Reunion was firstly called Santa Apolónia. In 1638, the ship Saint-Alexis landed on the island and its captain took possession of the island in the name of Louis XIII, King of France. The island was called Mascarin. The King officially claimed his rights on the island in 1649, and the island received the new name of Bourbon. The first settlers were abandoned on the island in 1654; they were 14 mutineers expelled from Fort-Dauphin (today, Faradofay), the French counter in Madagascar . They stayed in a cave located near Saint-Paul for three years and left the island with the ship Thomas-Guillaume on 28 May 1658. The adventurer Louis Payen, from Vitry-le-François (Champagne), was the first voluntary settler on the Bourbon island.

He settled near Saint-Paul in November 1663 with a French friend and ten Madagascan servants, including three women. The Madagascan fled to the mountains where they were the root of the first native population. On 5 August 1665, Étienne Regnault was sent to Bourbon by the Compagnie Française des Indes Orientales, which had a royal monopole on French trade in the Indian Ocean since 1664. Regnault was appointed Governor of Bourbon by Colbert. The twenty men who came with him were the first official colonists in Bourbon. In March 1667, a fleet commanded by de Mondevergues called at Bourbon on its way to Fort-Dauphin. Five women were disembarked and Regnault was given Colbert's instructions for colonisation of the island. A French military squadron, commanded by Lieutenant-General de la Haye, reached the island on 7 April 1671. De la Haye issued on 1 December 1674 a decree prescribing the organisation of the colony.

Hunting was forbidden ("because it would made the colonists lazy") and every colon had to rear two oxen, 400 poultries and twelve pigs and to grow rice, grains and vegetables. In 1685, the Compagnie Française des Indes Orientales took the control of Bourbon, then settled by 260 colonists, and expelled the pirates who overran the coasts of the island. A Provincial Council was created on 7 March 1711. In 1715, six Moka coffee trees were imported from Yemen. Coffee became the main production of the island and each colon had to grow 100 coffee trees. This cultivation was extremely time and labour consuming, which caused the introduction of slavery on Bourbon. The regulation from 29 January 1727 stated that the Governor should stay alternatively six months in Île-de-France (Mauritius) and six months in Bourbon. On 27 December 1730, a decree appointed the first permanent Governor of Bourbon, Dumas.

However, Ile-de-France was favoured, especially during the rule of its governor Mahé de la Bourdonnais (1735-1746). Most maritime activity was located on Île-de-France whereas Bourbon was used for staple food production. In 1764, the King of France bought the Mascarene from the Compagnie Française des Indes Orientales, which was sold off in 1765. The colonists supported the French Revolution and set up a Colonial Assembly to administrate the island. In 1793, the island was renamed Reunion, to remember the union of the Marseillais volunteers and the National Guards during the seizure of the palace of Tuileries in Paris on 10 August 1792. In 1806, the island was renamed Bonaparte and became a hot spot in the struggle against England for the control of the Indian Ocean. England seized the island in 1810 and introduced the cultivation of sugar cane. Not really interested in the island, England retroceded it to France in 1815. The island was renamed Bourbon during the Restauration.

The name of Reunion was reestablished in 1848. On 20 December 1848, General Commissioner of the Republic Sarda-Garriga proclaimed the abolition of slavery, freeing 62,000. Several Indian workers were imported to replace the former slaves and avoid an economical crisis. The end of the 19th century was marked by the sugar crisis (1865), a slaughter on 2 December 1868 and a severe economical crisis caused by the opening of the canal of Suez in 1869. The railway was inaugurated in 1882. The port of Pointe-des-Galets, whose building required 15,000 workers, was inaugurated in 1886. On 26 November 1929, a Farman piloted by Marcel Goulette, René Marchesseau and Jean-Michel Bourgeois was the first plane to land on the island. In June 1940, governor Pierre-Émile Aubert rallied the French State , the puppet state under German control.

A commando of the Free French Forces took the control of the island in 1942. Reunion became a DOM (Département d'Outre-Mer) in 1946, a Region in 1982, and a European Region in 1993. Several famous people were born in Reunion or spent a significant part of their life of the islands. Among them are: the politician Henri Hubert-Delisle (1811-1881), who was appointed Governor of the island in 1862. He was the first native of the island to be appointed Governor and promoted the economical development of the island. the poet Charles Marie René Leconte de Lisle (1818-1894), who was a member of the Parnassian group and succeded Victor Hugo in 1886 in the Académie Française. the slave Edmond Albius (1828-1880), who found in 1841 a convenient method for pollinisation of vanilla.

Vanilla is an orchid native from the Antilles, where it is pollinated by a specific insect not present in Reunion. Vanilla was introduced in Reunion in 1819, and Albius' finding allowed the industrial development of the cultivation of vanille Bourbon. the physician Félix Guyon (1831-1920), who is considered as the founder of modern urology. the poet Léon Dierx (1838-1912), who was another member of the Parnassian group. He was elected "prince of the poets" after the death of Stéphane Mallarmé and was among the poets allowed to watch Victor Hugo's coffin under the Arc de Triomphe on 22 May 1885. the actress Blanche Pierson (1842-1919), who was selected by Alexandre Dumas Jr. to play Marguerite Gauthier in the first night of La Dame aux Camélias and was appointed member of the Comédie-Française in 1886.

the politician and writer Jules Hermann (1845-1924), who founded the first syndicates of coffee and geranium growers. Admiral Lucien Lacaze (1860-1955), who was Minister of War in 1915-1917 and reorganized the French Navy after the First World War. the art merchant Ambroise Vollard (1866-1939), who organized in 1895 the first exhibition of Paul Cézanne's paintings and was one of the first customer of Renoir, Gauguin and Picasso. His personal collection of paintings, engravings and prints was given by his brother to the Léon Dierx museum in Saint-Denis in 1947. the musician and writer Georges Fourcade (1884-1962), who wrote the song P'tite fleur aimée. The song was popularized by Graëme Allwright in 1978 and is a kind of unofficial anthem of Reunion.

the airman Roland Garros (1888-1918), who was the first to cross the Mediterranean Sea on 23 September 1913. He invented a device allowing to shoot through the propeller of an airplane and died on 30 October 1918 during an airplane fight. He was also a great sportsman and his name was given in 1927 by Émile Lesieur to a stadium located porte d'Auteuil in Paris. Due to the fame of the tennis championship played there and nicknamed "Roland-Garros", several people believe that Roland Garros was a famous tennisman. the poet and painter Jean Albany (1917-1984), who founded the Creolist Movement in Reunion. the economist and politician Raymond Barre (1924-2007), Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finances in 1976-1981. the novelist, essayist, poet and translator Jean-François Samlong (1949-), who founded in 1978 the Union pour la Défense de l'Identité Réunionaise.

Ivan Sache, 18 July 2004 Status of the flag The only official flag on the Reunion island is the French national flag. Ivan Sache, 18 February 2005 Coat of arms Coat of arms of Reunion - Image by Ivan Sache, modified after the Mi-aime-a-ou website , 18 July 2004 The coat of arms of Reunion was designed in 1925 by former Governor Merwart for the Colonial Exhibition, which took place in Petite-Île the same year. Merwart attempted to give a global image of the history of the island on the coat of arms, with the following symbolics: on first quarter, the mountain stands for the virgin islands.

The Roman number MMM (3,000) recalls the elevation of the highest peaks of the island (Piton des Neiges, 3,069 m; Gros Morne, 2,992 m; on second quarter, the ship is the Saint-Alexis, which landed on the island in 1638; on third quarter, the three yellow fleurs-de-lis on a blue background recalls the island was a royal possession and its former name of Bourbon; on fourth quarter, the yellow bees on a red background recall the First Empire; the escutcheon shows the French Tricolore flag with the white stripe charged with a "RF" (for République Française) cypher; the yellow scroll placed above the shield bears the island's Latin motto: Florebo quocumque ferar (I shall flower wherever I am planted), which was the motto of the Compagnie Française des Indes Orientales. A vanilla liana "grows" around the scroll. When the coat of arms was designed, vanilla was the main source of income for the island.

Ivan Sache, 18 July 2004 Regional Council of Reunion Flag of the Regional Council of Reunion - logotype from the Regional Council website Left, current version - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 11 January 2009; Right, former version - Image by Ivan Sache, 13 March 2008 The building of the Regional Council displays a white flag with the logo of the institution. The website of the Regional Council shows the logo of the Region as white with a blue (island) and yellow (sun) emblem surmonting "REGION REUNION (in black) / VALORISONS NOUS ATOUTS" (in light blue; lit., "let us develop our trumps"). Two photographies, taken on 30 July 2004 and 27 August 2005 inside meeting rooms, show, however, the flag hanging on the wall, without the "VALORISONS NOS ATOUTS" motto.

Olivier Touzeau & Ivan Sache, 11 January 2009 General Council of Reunion Flag of the General Council of Reunion - Images by Olivier Touzeau, 11 January 2009; Left, current version; Right, possible former version. The building of the General Council displays a white flag with the logo of the institution, including its Internet address. It is quite likely that an earlier version of the flag had the logo in its first version, without the Internet address. The drawing of the previous logo was slightly different; several versions of the logo existed with the word "Département" or the words "Conseil général". Olivier Touzeau, 11 January 2009

Question: The island of Réunion, an overseas department of France lies in which Ocean?
Answer: INDIAN OCEAN