none (overseas department of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 4 arrondissements, 24 communes, and 47 cantons.
Population:
732,570 (July 2001 est.)
Currency:
French franc (FRF); euro (EUR)
Languages:
French (official), Creole widely used
Elevation:
highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 m
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
Natural hazards:
periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano
Climate:
tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April
The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports. The government has been pushing the development of a tourist industry to relieve high unemployment, which amounts to more than 40% of the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the poor is extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social tensions. The white and Indian communities are substantially better off than other segments of the population, often approaching European standards, whereas minority groups suffer the poverty and unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the African continent. The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991 illustrates the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from France.
