NAVIGATION
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NAVIGATION
Department of Reunion
Ile de la Reunion
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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The Portuguese discovered the uninhabited island in 1513. 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. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar |
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Geographic coordinates:
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21 06 S, 55 36 E |
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Map references:
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World |
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Area:
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total: 2,517 sq km
water: 10 sq km land: 2,507 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Rhode Island |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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207 km |
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Maritime claims:
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exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
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Climate:
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tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April |
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Terrain:
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mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 m |
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Natural resources:
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fish, arable land, hydropower |
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Land use:
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arable land: 13.2%
permanent crops: 2% other: 84.8% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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120 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano |
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Environment - current issues:
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NA |
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Geography - note:
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this mountainous, volcanic island has an active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise; there is a tropical cyclone center at Saint-Denis, which is the monitoring station for the whole of the Indian Ocean |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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743,981 (July 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 31.7% (male 120,864; female 115,251)
15-64 years: 62.5% (male 228,864; female 235,991) 65 years and over: 5.8% (male 17,459; female 25,552) (2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.52% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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20.7 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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5.51 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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8.31 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 73.18 years
female: 76.74 years (2002 est.) male: 69.78 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.55 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA% |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Nationality:
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noun: Reunionese (singular and plural)
adjective: Reunionese |
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Ethnic groups:
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French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995) |
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Languages:
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French (official), Creole widely used |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 79% male: 76% female: 80% (1982 est.) |