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___ Reunion

Piton des Neiges, a massive 3,000 m shield volcano, seen from Piton de la Fournaise, itself an active volcano.
Image: Regulator

Official Flag of Reunion is the French tricolore.

Location map of Reunion

A virtual guide to the island of Réunion, an overseas department of France. The island, formerly known as Île Bourbon belongs to the Mascarene islands, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, 740 km (460 mi) east of Madagascar and 180 km (115 mi) south west of Mauritius.

The mountainous island is of volcanic origin, 70.5 km long (43.8 mi, from north west to south east) and about 50 km (31 mi) wide.

845,000 people live on the island (in 2014). Administrative capital is Saint-Denis. Spoken languages are French (official) and Réunion Creole.

Department of Réunion

Country Profile

Background
Arab sailors used to call this island Dina Morgabin ("Western Island"). The Portuguese were the first Europeans to visit the island, finding it uninhabited in 1513, and naming it Santa Apollonia.

From the 17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration, supplemented by influxes of Africans, Chinese, Malays, and Malabar 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.

Official Name:
Réunion
int'l long form: Department of Reunion
formerly: Île Bonaparte, Bourbon island (until 1848)

ISO Country Code: re

Time:
Local Time = UTC +4h
Actual Time: Mon-Dec-9 21:42

Country Calling Code: +262

Capital City: Saint-Denis

Government:
French overseas department (département d'outre-mer, or DOM).

Geography:
Location: West of southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar.
Area: 2,510 km² (969 sq. mi.)
Terrain: Mostly mountainous; fertile lowlands along the coast.
Highest point: Piton des Neiges 3 069 m

Climate: Tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; hot and rainy from November to April, cool and dry from May to November.

People:
Nationality: Reunionese
Population: 816,000 (2009)
Ethnic Groups: French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian.
Religions: Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist.
Languages: French (official), Creole widely used.
Literacy: 90%

Natural resources: Fish, arable land, hydropower.

Agriculture products: Sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn.

Industries: Sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction; tourism.

Exports partners: France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4%

Imports partners: France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3%

Currency: Euro (EUR)

Note: External links will open in a new browser window.

Official Sites of Réunion

Le portail de l'ETAT à la Réunion
Official website of the Government of Reunion (in French).

Les Conseillers Généraux
General Council of Reunion.

Conseil Régional de La Réunion
Regional Council of Reunion (in French).

Ministère de l'Outre-Mer
Site of the French ministry for the overseas territories.

Diplomatic Missions
Directory of French representations abroad (in French)
List of French diplomatic missions around the world.
Foreign Embassies and Consulates in France
Address list of Diplomatic Missions accredited in France.

Maps

Map of Reunion
Political Map of Reunion.

Google Earth Reunion
Searchable map and satellite view of Réunion.

Google Saint-Denis
Searchable map and satellite view of Reunion's capital city.

Political Map of Africa
The 54 countries of Africa.

Map of Africa
A Relief Map of Africa.

News

Clicanoo
Le Journal de l'Île de la Réunion - Reunion news (in French).
L'Eco austral
The business magazine of the Indian Ocean (in French).
iMaz Press Reunion
Photo press agency with images of Reunion and the Indian Ocean.

Radio/TV
Antenne Réunion
TV station, provides also news from Reunion (in French)
RFO Reunion
Reseau France Outre-Mer, operated by France Télévisions, (in French).

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Arts & Culture ODC Office Départemental de la Culture Saint Denis regional office of culture. Creole.org Creole art and culture (in French). Les Cultures Indiennes de la Reunion Indian Cultures in the Reunion Island (partly in English).	Reunion Island © Observatoire Marin

Business & Economy

Banque de la Reunion
Official website of the bank (in French).

Agence de Développement de la Réunion
SIte of Reunion's Developement Agency provides information about local industries.
Chambre de Métiers et de l'Artisanat de la Réunion
Reunion's Chamber of Trades and Craft industry (in French).
Reunion Chamber of Commerce and Industry
The chamber's site with information in French.

Territoire de la Côte Ouest TCO
Union of Territory of the West coast developemnet co-operation.

Products of Reunion
Cooperative Agricole des Huiles Essentielles de Bourbon
Agricultural Cooperative of Essential Oils of Bourbon.
Bois-Rouge
Sugar refinery.
Isautiers
Reunion Island Distillery.
Royal Bourbon Industries
Agro-alimentary production.

Transportation
Reunion Island Airport Roland Garros
Reunions airport.
Helilagon
Discover Reunion Island in a Helicopter.

Port Réunion
Official website of the Port Réunion.

Travel and Tour Consumer Information

Destination Reunion - Travel and Tour Guides

Discover Reunion, the formerly Île Bonaparte, Bourbon island, Runisland: Piton des Neiges, Maïdo, Grand Bénare, Roche Ecrite, Dimitile, the mountains: Cilaos, Salazie, Mafate.
Find accommodation, hotels, attractions, festivals, events, tourist boards, biking, hiking, climbing, cruising, diving, tours and much more by visiting the links below.

Ile de la Réunion
Reunion Tourism Boards guide to accommodation, hotels, attractions, festivals, events, cruising, diving, tours and much more (in French).
F.R.T - Fédération régionale de Tourisme de la Réunion
Site of the federation of regional tourism offices (in French).

Fournaise
Site with a lot of images of the volcano Fournaise (in French).
Grand Sud
Site about the south of the island.
L'île de la Réunion
Another tourist guide to the island (in French).
Ile de La Réunion
Reunion Island portal site.
Ile de la Reunion, guide vacances
Another island portal site (partly in English).
Réunion Nature
Tourism portal of the Mountain Information Bureau with information on mountain lodges.
Villages Creoles
Comprehensive tourism information in French, German, and English.

dalon.net
A guide to the island of Reunion (in French).

Cities
Mairie de Saint Denis
City of Saint-Denis, Reunion's capital (in French).
Ville de Cilaos
The village of Cilaos.
Commune de Entre-Deux
Entre-Deux village (in French).
Office de Tourisme de L'Entre-Deux
The tourism office of Entre-Deux (in French).
Saint Gilles
Site of the seaside resort Saint Gilles.
Commune de Saint-Paul
The city of Saint-Paul (in French).
Office du Tourisme de Saint-Paul
The tourism office of Saint-Paul.


Education Académie de la Réunion Official website of the academy (French). Université de la Réunion The Reunion University (French).

Environment & Nature

AGORAH (Agence pour l'Observation de la Réunion, l'Aménagement et l'Habitat)
Reunion's environmental agency (in French)

Office National des Forêts
National Office of the Forests (in French).

Observatoire Marin de la Réunion
The site provides information on the marine environment of the island (in French).

Société d'Ëtudes Ornithologiques de la Réunion
Birds of Reunion (in French).


History Un peu d'histoire Brief history timeline of Reunion (in French). History Brief history of Reunion. Wikipedia: Reunion Wikipedia entry with Reunion's history.