Introduction to Reunion (France)

Reunion is a volcanic island in the Mascarene Islands in the western Indian Ocean. It is one of the overseas departments of France, located at 20.9188°S 55.475063°E. It has one province under its jurisdiction, namely Reunion. About 190 kilometers to the east are the Mauritius Islands, and 650 kilometers to the west are Madagascar, the largest island in Africa.

Reunion Island covers an area of ??2,512 square kilometers and has a coastline of 207 kilometers. The island is 63 kilometers (39 miles) long and 45 kilometers (28 miles) wide.

Most of Reunion's terrain was formed by volcanism, so most of the island is plateau and mountainous, but there are narrow plains along the coast. The plateau on the island runs from northeast to southwest, and there are several higher-altitude peaks in the central and western fault blocks. Among them, Neiri Peak, a volcano in the center of the island, is the highest peak on the island with an altitude of 3,069 meters. These fault blocks are surrounded by several broad basins and a series of small plateaus. The eastern part of Reunion Island is an area of ??modern volcanic activity. The Fournes Mountain at its eastern end is 2,631 meters above sea level. The crater has erupted several times since 1925.

Reunion Island has two seasons: winter and summer. Winter is from May to November, cool and rainy, and summer is hot and humid from December to April.

The coastal area has a tropical rainforest climate, which is hot and humid all year round; the inland area has a mountainous climate, which is mild and cool.

The average temperature in the hottest month is 26℃, and the coldest month is 20℃. It is cool and dry from May to November every year, and hot and rainy from November to April of the following year.

Selous on Reunion Island has the highest daily rainfall in the world.

It is divided into 4 regions (without real power) and 24 towns. The four special areas are: Saint-Denis, Saint-Paul, Saint-Pierre, and Saint-Benoit.

In addition to Reunion Island, the Overseas Department of Reunion also governs 5 islands: Juan Juan Island, Europa Island, Indian Cay, Gloria Islands and Tromland. The sovereignty of the first four islands is disputed with Madagascar, and the last island is disputed with Mauritius.

Before being discovered by Europeans, Reunion Island was known to the Arabs as "Dina Morgabin?" After the Portuguese discovered and named the Mascarene Islands, they named the island Santa Apollonia.

In 1513, the Portuguese Mascarene came to an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, later named the Mascarene Islands. Reunion was an island in the archipelago. In 1642, France announced its official occupation of the island, and in 1649 Named Bourbon Island. During the French Revolution, Bourbon Island was renamed Reunion (French for union) to symbolize the unity and victory of the revolutionary forces.

French immigrants and their slaves brought from Madagascar settled on Bourbon Island in 1663. The island served as a stopping point for French ships plying the Indian Ocean and was under the control of the French East India Company.

In 1767, King Louis XV of France redeemed the island and established various administrative and judicial institutions. Large numbers of immigrants and slaves were shipped to the island to grow coffee. During the French Revolution, immigrants on the island established a parliament to support democracy and peace. After the collapse of Napoleon's empire, Reunion was briefly occupied by the British and returned to France in 1815.

In 1848, Reunion announced the abolition of slavery. In the late 19th century, sugar cane replaced coffee as the island's main cash crop, and the sugar industry emerged.

During World War I, Reunion became a supplier of sugar to France and its economy further developed.

In 1946, the French government decided to change Reunion into an overseas province of France, under the jurisdiction of a provincial governor appointed by France. In 1973, Reunion became a region of France.

The island has a high population density. In addition to French whites, there are also Chinese, Indians and blacks. However, because France prohibits recording racial distribution in the census, there are no specific statistics on the population of each ethnic group. French is the official language, and a few people speak English. 94% of people believe in Catholicism. The capital is Saint-Denis on the north shore of the island.

Traditional dishes of Reunion Island include rice, beans, meat or fish, and peppers. Supplemented with spices, such as curcuma, lemongrass, capers, curry, etc. Due to the diverse composition of the population, the cuisine is quite diverse. For example, the use of curry is influenced by Indian immigrants, fried noodles are influenced by Chinese immigrants, and the use of cassava or corn in cakes is influenced by African immigrants. Since most of Reunion Island's food is imported from France, many of its dishes are now similar to those in mainland France.

The social welfare system of people living on the island is the same as that in mainland France. There are 5,620 medical personnel of various types, including 1,346 doctors, 337 dentists, 284 pharmacists, 2,906 nurses and 176 midwives. There are 190 doctors, 48 ??dentists, and 40 pharmacists per 100,000 residents. The average life expectancy is 70.2 years for men and 78.5 years for women. The average annual population growth rate is 1.9%. The birth rate is 20‰, the death rate is 5.3‰, the infant mortality rate under 1 year old is 5.7‰, the population under 15 years old accounts for 29.3% of the total population, the population aged 15-39 years old accounts for 42.4%, and the population aged 40-59 years old accounts for 19.2%. The population over 60 years old accounts for 9.1%.

Regional Council

After the French decentralization law was enacted in 1982, the Reunion Regional Council became an independent first-level local authority responsible for determining and executing the regional budget, formulating Regional economic development plans and autonomy in territorial regulation, education and training, and cultural promotion. There are 45 members, elected directly for a term of 6 years.

Provincial Councils

Local authorities with autonomy in areas such as transportation, social security, health, and junior high school education. After the decentralization of power was implemented in March 1982, the Chairman of the Provincial Council replaced the Governor (President of Reunion) as the Provincial Chief Executive. There are 48 members with a 6-year term, 1/2 of which are re-elected every 3 years.

Local President

The provincial governor (also known as the local president) is the chief executive of the province. The local president is equivalent to the head of state and administrative head in Reunion. He has administrative and parliamentary deliberation powers and can organize and convene provincial parliaments.

The Judiciary

There is one Court of Appeal, two Grand Chambers, one Serious Crime Court, four Courts of First Instance, two Children's Courts, and two detention centers.

The economy relies on tourism and the hotel industry as its pillar industries.

Sugarcane cultivation occupies two-thirds of the cultivated land and most of the labor force. It also produces corn, vanilla, onions, tobacco leaves, cardamom, spices, etc. There are fisheries along the coast. The main industry is sugar production, followed by vanilla processing, food, etc. Sugar, molasses, and liquor account for more than 80% of the total export value, with the remainder being flavors. Food, vegetables, meat and milk are not enough to be self-sufficient. Food, machinery, vehicles, and petroleum products are the bulk imports. Agriculture is mainly based on sugar cane cultivation and cane sugar production, as well as the cultivation of spices such as vanilla and geranium. The degree of industrialization is low. Economic development mainly relies on French aid.

Rich in mineral deposits. The sea contains minerals such as cobalt, copper and manganese. The forest covers an area of ??87,930 hectares, accounting for 35% of the island's area, arable land accounts for 17% of the island's area, crop planting area accounts for 3%, pasture and pasture account for 5%, and the other 40%.

Foreign trade mainly imports raw materials for the food processing industry, automotive industry materials, chemical and pharmaceutical products (mainly exports cane sugar, rum and lobster. France is the largest trading partner. The main export targets are the European Union (including Exports to France account for 67%), neighboring island countries, and some Asian countries. Imports mainly come from EU countries (63% of which come from France), Saudi Arabia, South Africa, etc.

Industry

Mainly agricultural and sideline products processing industry (mainly sugar industry), in addition to machinery manufacturing, daily consumer goods manufacturing, etc.

Agriculture

Almost all agricultural products are imported. It mainly includes: sugar cane, geranium, vanilla and other cash crops, fruits and vegetables, livestock products and meat, etc. There are 63,600 hectares of cultivated land, of which 33,200 hectares are planted with sugar cane, accounting for 52.2% of the total cultivated land.

The livestock industry has developed rapidly, and the island residents can achieve self-sufficiency in pork. Fishing resources are one of the important sources of income, and it is also the fourth largest export product after sugar, rum, and flavors.

Highways are well developed, and there are highways connecting major cities.

Railways: 614 kilometers in total.

Highways: 2,784 kilometers in total, including 345.7 kilometers of national highways and 731.5 kilometers of provincial highways. There are 1,602.9 kilometers of other roads. There are 234,578 vehicles.

Water transport: The Port of Calais is the largest seaport on the island and the fifth largest port in France. More than half of the island's transportation passes through this port.

Air transportation: *** has 2 airports, of which Saint-Denis-Ghilaud International Airport has weekly flights to mainland France, Kenya and neighboring island countries.

It ranks 12th among French provinces in terms of air passenger volume and 5th in terms of cargo volume.

Education adopts the French local education system, with a schooling system of five years in primary school and seven years in secondary school.

Reunion Island is almost entirely Christian except for Muslims and Hindus. Some descendants of slaves still perform "Madagascar services," a ritual to pay respect to their ancestors.

In recent years, more and more Chinese people have traveled to Reunion. The most popular among tourists are the Mme Desbassayns villa in Villeret and the lamaison Folio in Hell-Bourg, both of which are now related to Stella. Matutina, the ancient sugar factory that records the development of the sugar industry from the eleventh century to the present day, as well as the Leondieux Museum of Modern Art and even the Natural History Museum or the Fraternity Museum.

Sarazi Cirque

The residents of Reunion Island are very fond of flowers. They use colorful flowers to carefully decorate every villa and every building and serve them everywhere. It can be seen that the garden is filled with rare flowers and rare herbs and is a source of pride. The Edan Garden, the Natural Garden, the National Botanical Garden, the Exotic Garden, the Bourbon Garden, the Aroma Garden and the Spice Garden, the choices are endless.