Reunion: Background & Geography
| Introduction | Reunion |
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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 | Reunion |
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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 - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions):
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territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 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 |