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Image:Re-map.png Map of Réunion Réunion, (French: Île de la Réunion or La Réunion, formerly Île Bourbon), is an island, located in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar, about 200 km southwest of Mauritius, the nearest island. Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas départements of France; Like the other overseas departments, Réunion is also one of the twenty-six 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.
Image:Ppalmistes2.jpg Plaine-des-Palmistes
HistoryArab sailors formerly called the island Adna Al Maghribain ("Western Island"). The Portuguese were the first Europeans to visit, finding it uninhabited in 1513, and naming it Santa 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 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.
Réunion became an département d'outre-mer (overseas department) 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. The island also holds the record for most rainfall in 72 hours, 3,929 mm at Commerson's Crater in March 2007. 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 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 rare cases can be fatal. There is no known cure. Administrative divisionsAdministratively, Réunion is divided into 4 arrondissements, 24 communes, and 47 cantons. 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 Réunionnese communes encompass several localities, sometimes separated by significant distances. Réunion is part of the Indian Ocean Commission. GeographyImage:Reunion 21.12S 55.51E.jpg View from satellite. The island is 63 kilometres (39 miles) long; 45 kilometres (28 miles ) wide; and covers 2512 square kilometres (970 square miles). It is similar to the island Hawaii insofar as both are located above hotspots in the Earth's crust. The Piton de la Fournaise, a shield volcano on the eastern end of Réunion Island, rises more than 2611 metres (8565 feet) 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 4 April 2007. 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. The Piton des Neiges volcano, the highest point on the island at 3070 metres (10069 feet) above sea level, is northwest of the Piton de la Fournaise. Collapsed calderas and canyons are southwest of the mountain. Like Mauna Kea on the big island of Hawaii, The Piton des Neiges is extinct. Despite its name, snow (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 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. EconomySugar is the chief agricultural product and export. Tourism is also an important source of income. As of 2005, they earned a PPP per capita annual GDP of some $6,200. However, while this is exceptionally high compared with its neighbors in Madagascar and the African continent, it is only 20% of the $29,600 per capita GDP of France as a whole. The island is highly dependent on aid from continental France. DemographicsImage:Manapany.jpg Manapany Réunion contains most of the same ethnic populations as Mauritius: Indian (including Tamil), Vietnamese, African, Malagasy, Chinese and ethnic French - but in different proportions. Creoles, of mixed origins, make up the majority, about ?% 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. While Gujarati and Tamil people make up the majority of the Indo-Réunionnaise people, people of Hindi, Urdu, Bhojpuri and other origins form the remainder of the population
Reunion is very similar in culture, ethnic makeup, language and traditions as Mauritius and the Seychelles. Historical population
ReligionThe predominant religion is Roman Catholicism (86% of the population in 1995), with Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism also represented.
Image:Mosquée-Moufia-2512.JPG Moufia Mosque in Saint-Denis Public healthRéunion is currently experiencing an epidemic of Chikungunya virus. As of 2006-04-06, 230,000 people have been infected (29% of the population). Culture
Réunionese culture is a blend (métissage) of European, African,Tamil,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. WildlifeImage:FurciferPardalisMale.JPG Furcifer Pardalis
Miscellaneous topicsImage:Flotte-Reunion.jpg The whole flotilla of the French Navy based in Réunion.
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