s from outside Europe were enslaved until 20 December 1848 when slavery was abolished. Afterwards, a lot of them were indentured workers. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 reduced the importance of the island as a stopover on the East Indies trade route. Hindu festival, 19th century During the Second World War, Réunion was under the authority of the Vichy Regime until 30 November 1942, when Free French forces took over the island with the destroyer Léopard. Réunion became a département d'outre-mer (overseas départment) of France on 19 March 1946. Its département code is 974. Between 15 and 16 March 1952, Cilaos at the centre of Réunion received 1,869.9 millimetres (73.62 in) of rainfall. This is the greatest 24-hour precipitation total ever recorded on earth. The island also holds the record for most rainfall in 72 hours, 3,929 millimetres (154.7 in) at Commerson's Crater in March 2007 from Cyclone Gamede. In 2005 and 2006, Réunion was hit by a crippling epidemic of chikungunya, a disease spread by mosquitoes. According to the BBC News, 255,000 people on Réunion had contracted the disease as of 26 April 2006.[10] Madagascar had also been hit by this disease during the same year.[11] A few cases also appeared in mainland France through airline travel. Then French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin sent an emergency aid package worth 36 million Euro ($57.6M U.S. dollars) and deployed approximately five hundred French troops in an effort to eradicate mosquitoes. Politics Main article: Politics of Réunion Réunion sends five deputies to the French National Assembly and three senators to the Senate. Arrondissements, cantons, and communes Main articles: Arrondissements of the Réunion department, Cantons of the Réunion department, and Communes of the Réunion department Administratively, Réunion is divided into 4 arrondissements, 49 cantons, and 24 communes.[12] It is a French overseas département as well as a French region. The low number of communes, compared to French metropolitan departments of similar size and population, is unique; most Réunionnaises communes encompass several localities, sometimes separated by significant distances. Réunion is part of the Indian Ocean Commission. Major communities Map of Réunion Les Avirons Bras-Panon Cilaos Entre-Deux L'Étang-Salé La Plaine-des-Palmistes Petite-Île La Possession Le Port Saint-André Saint-Benoît Saint-Denis Saint-Joseph Saint-Leu Saint-Louis Sainte-Marie Saint-Paul Saint-Philippe Saint-Pierre Sainte-Suzanne Sainte-Rose Salazie Trois-Bassins Le Tampon Geography View from satellite Plaine-des-Palmistes Main article: Geography of Réunion The island is 63 kilometres (39 mi) long; 45 kilometres (28 mi) wide; and covers 2,512 square kilometres (970 sq mi). It is similar to the island Hawaii as both are located above hotspots in the Earth's crust. The Piton de la Fournaise, a shield volcano on the eastern end of Réunion Island, rises more than 2,631 metres (8,632 ft) above sea level and is sometimes called a sister to Hawaiian volcanoes because of the similarity of climate and volcanic nature. It has erupted more than 100 times since 1640 and is under constant monitoring. It most recently erupted on 2 January 2010.[13] Before that, the most noticeable was during April 2007, when the lava flow was estimated at 3,000,000 cubic metres (3,900,000 cu yd) per day.[14] The Piton de la Fournaise is created by a hotspot volcano, which also created the Piton des Neiges and the islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues. The Piton des Neiges volcano, the highest point on the island at 3,070 metres (10,070 ft) above sea level, is north west of the Piton de la Fournaise. Collapsed calderas and canyons are south west of the mountain. Like Kohala on the Big Island of Hawaii, the Piton des Neiges is extinct. Despite its name, snow (French: neige) practically never falls on the summit. The slopes of both volcanoes are heavily forested. Cultivated land and cities like the capital city of Saint-Denis are concentrated on the surrounding coastal lowlands. Offshore, part of the west coast in characterised by a coral reef system. Réunion also has three calderas: the Cirque de Salazie, the Cirque de Cilaos and the Cirque de Mafate. The last is accessible only on foot or by helicopter. Lava flow emitted in 2005 by the Piton de la Fournaise "Plage de l'Hermitage" beach Economy Main article: Economy of Réunion Sugar was traditionally the chief agricultural product and export. Tourism is now an important source of income. In 2007, the GDP of Réunion was 18.7 billion US dollars at market exchange rates.[2] The GDP per capita was 23,501 US dollars in 2007 (at market exchange rates, not at PPP),[2] the highest in Africa.[15] .re is the country code top-level domain for Réunion, though .fr is also used. Demographics Manapany Main article: Demographics of Réunion See also: Cafres, Réunionnais of Indian origin, Malbars, and Chinois (Réunion) Population of Census Pop. Rate Ethnic groups present include people of European, African, Malagasy, Indian and Chinese origin as well as many of mixed race. Local names for these are used: Yabs, Cafres, Malbars and Zarabes (both ethnic groups of Indian origin) and Chinois (Réunion). It is not known exactly how many people there are of each ethnicity since there is a ban on ethnic censuses in France,[16] which applies in Réunion because it is a part of the 1958 constitution. According to estimates, Europeans make up approximately one-quarter of the population,[17] Indians make up roughly a quarter, and people of Chinese ancestry form roughly 3%. The percentages for mixed race people and those of Afro-Malagasy origins vary widely in estimates. There are also some people of Vietnamese ancestry on the island, though they are very few in number.[18][19][20] People of Tamil and Gujarati origin make up the majority of the Réunionnais of Indian origin; Bihari and other origins form the remainder of the population.[21] The island's community of Muslims from North Western India, particularly Gujarat, and elsewhere is commonly referred to as Zarab. Creoles (a name given to those born on the island, of various ethnic origins), make up the majority of the population. Groups that are not creole include people from Metropolitan France (known as zoreils) and those from Mayotte and the Comoros. Historical population Year Population Year Population Year Population 1671 90 1830 101,300 1961 349,282 1696 269 1848 110,300 1967 416,525 1704 734 1849 120,900 1974 476,675 1713 1,171 1860 200,000 1982 515,814 1717 2,000 1870 212,000 1990 597,823 1724 12,550 1887 163,881 1999 706,300 1764 25,000 1897 173,192 2006 781,962 1777 35,100 1926 182,637 2007 790,500 1789 61,300 1946 241,708 2008 802,001 1826 87,100 1954 274,370 Official data from INSEE by census or estimate; estimates shown in italics. Religion Main article: Religion in Réunion A Malbar temple in Réunion The predominant religion is Roman Catholicism with Hinduism, Islam, Chinese folk religion and Buddhism also represented, among others. Language French is the only official language of Réunion. Although not official, Réunion Creole is also spoken. One can hear it in any administration or office, but education is only in French.[22] Due to the diverse population, other languages such as Mandarin, Hakka and Cantonese are also spoken by members of the Chinese community, but fewer people speak these languages as younger generations start to converse in French. The number of speakers of Indian languages (mostly Urdu and Gujarati) is also dropping sharply. Arabic is taught in mosques and spoken by a small community of Muslims. For languages taught as second languages, English is most common. Tamil is also taught as optional language in some schools.[21] Public health In 2005/2006, Réunion experienced an epidemic of Chikungunya, a viral disease similar to dengue fever, which infected almost a third of the population. See the History section for more details. Culture See also: Music of Réunion, Sega music, and Maloya Réunionese culture is a blend (métissage) of European, African, Indian, Chinese and insular traditions. The most widely spoken language, Réunion Creole, derives from French. However, an official orthography has yet to be agreed upon. Local food and music blend influences from Africa, India, China and Europe, resulting in a unique, diverse culture. Environment The "Region Reunion" Celebrates the promotion of the status of the island as a Unesco's protected natural site . See also: Réunion National Park Furcifer pardalis (chameleon) Wildlife Main article: Wildlife of Réunion See also: List of extinct animals of Réunion Réunion is home to a variety of birds such as the White-tailed Tropicbird (French: paille en queue.[23] Its largest land animal is the Panther chameleon, Furcifer pardalis. Much of the West coast is ringed by coral reef which harbours, amongst other animals, sea urchins, conger eels[disambiguation needed ] and parrot fish. Sea turtles also visit the coastal waters. Transportation Main article: Transport in Réunion Roland Garros Airport, handling flights to Madagascar, Mauritius, Africa, Australia and Europe serves the island. Pierrefonds Airport, a smaller airport, has some flights to Mauritius and Madagascar. Media Newspapers Journal de l'île de La Réunion J.I.R. (Journal de l'Île de la Réunion). Le Quotidien [2] Film The Internet Movie Database lists two films as having Réunion as their filming locations: Mississippi Mermaid (1969) and documentary Johnny Backstage (2005). Television Antenne Réunion [3] Réunion 1ière [4] Online Medias Z'infos974 [5] Linfo [6] Réunion Annonces [7] See also Geography portal Africa portal France portal Administrative divisions of France Culture of the Indian Ocean Islands List of colonial and departmental heads of Réunion List of islands administered by France in the Indian and Pacific oceans List of Réunionnais Overseas departments and territories of France Scouting and Guiding in Réunion Bibliography James Rogers and Luis Simón. The Status and Location of the Military Installations of the Member States of the European Union and Their Potential Role for the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP). Brussels: European Parliament, 2009. 25 pp. References ^ « Nous sommes 840.000 Réunionnais à La Réunion », Témoignages, 16 March 2012. ^ a b c d http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/document.asp?amp;reg_id=24&ref_id=6802 ^ Réunion is pictured on all Euro banknotes, on the back at the bottom of each note, right of the Greek ???O (EURO) next to the denomination. ^ a b Slaves, freedmen, and indentured laborers in colonial Mauritius By Richard Blair Allen. pg. 9 ^ a b Tabuteau, Jacques (1987) (in French). Histoire de la justice dans les Mascareignes. Paris: Océan éditions. p. 13. ISBN 2-907064-00-2. http://books.google.com/books?id=BmgwAAAAYAAJ. Retrieved 11 June 2011.  ^ http://www.iledelareunion.net/histoire-reunion/ ^ a b Moriarty, Cpt. H.A. (1891). Islands in the southern Indian Ocean westward of Longitude 80 degrees east, including Madagascar. London: Great Britain Hydrographic Office. p. 269. OCLC 416495775. http://books.google.com/books?id=-NmhAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA269#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 11 June 2011.  ^ http://www.iledelareunion.net/histoire-reunion/ ^ http://www.clicanoo.re/index.php?page=imprimer&id_article=97540 ^ "Island disease hits 50,000 people". BBC News. 2 February 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4674376.stm. Retrieved 18 August 2007.  ^ "Madagascar hit by mosquito virus". BBC News. 6 March 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4777530.stm. Retrieved 18 August 2007.  ^ "Insee - Code Officiel Géographique". Insee.fr. http://www.insee.fr/fr/nom_def_met/nomenclatures/cog/CarteD.asp?numreg=04&numdep=974#res. Retrieved 6 May 2009.  ^ (French) Institut de physique du Globe de Paris : Actualités ^ Thomas Staudacher (7 April 2007). "Reunion sees 'colossal' volcano eruption, but population safe". AFP. Archived from the original on 9 April 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070409021223/http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070407/wl_afp/francereunionvolcano. Retrieved 18 August 2007.  (Web archive) ^ IMF. "World Economic Outlook Database". http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2008/02/weodata/index.aspx. Retrieved 10 December 2008.  ^ SSRN-Why France Needs to Collect Data on Racial Identity - In a French Way by David Oppenheimer. Papers.ssrn.com. SSRN 1236362.  ^ Holm, John A. (1989). Pidgins and Creoles: References survey. Cambridge University Press. p. 394. ISBN 0-521-35940-6. http://books.google.com/books?id=PcD7p9y3EIcC&pg=PA394&dq#v=onepage&q=&f=false.  ^ Clicanoo. "La Réunion Métisse". http://www.clicanoo.com/index.php?id_article=97657&page=article.  ^ "Anthropometric evaluations of body composition of undergraduate students at the University of La Réunion". 2006. http://advan.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/30/4/248. Retrieved 2011-08-21.  ^ [1][dead link] ^ a b "NRI" (PDF). http://indiandiaspora.nic.in/diasporapdf/chapter6.pdf. Retrieved 2010-04-16.  ^ "Ethnologue report (language code:rcf)". Ethnologue.com. http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=rcf. Retrieved 2010-04-16.  ^ (French) L'Île de la Réunion.com: Le paille en queue External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Réunion Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Animals of Réunion Réunion from space (NASA image). The three cirques, forming a kind of 3-leafed clover shape, are visible in the central north west of the image. Piton de la Fournaise, in the south east, is covered by cloud. Government General Council web site Régional council web site General information Reunion entry at The World Factbook Réunion at the Open Directory Project History of Reunion Wikimedia Atlas of Réunion UNESCO World Heritage Site datasheet Official tourism web site unofficial tourism web site v t e Réunion topics Geography Arrondisements Cantons Communes Cirque de Mafate Réunion hotspot Saint-Denis Music Sega music Maloya P'tite fleur aimée Transport Air Austral Réunion Tram Train Other topics Réunion Creole Wildlife of Réunion Religion L'Âme de la France Réunion Premier League Communications Demographics Flag History People Politics v t e Overseas departments and territories of France   Inhabited areas Overseas departments1 French Guiana Guadeloupe Martinique Réunion Mayotte2 Overseas collectivities French Polynesia St. Barthélemy St. Martin St. Pierre and Miquelon Wallis and Futuna Special status New Caledonia   Uninhabited areas Pacific Ocean Clipperton Island French Southern and Antarctic Lands Île Amsterdam Île Saint-Paul Crozet Islands Kerguelen Islands Adélie Land Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean Banc du Geyser4 Bassas da India4 Europa Island4 Glorioso Islands3, 4, 5 Juan de Nova Island4 Tromelin Island4, 5 1 Also known as overseas regions 2 Claimed by Comoros 3 Claimed by Madagascar 4 Claimed by Seychelles 5 Claimed by Mauritius v t e Outermost regions of European Union states Portugal Azores Madeira Spain Canary Islands France French Guiana Guadeloupe Martinique Réunion Saint Barthélemy Saint-Martin v t e Countries and territories of Africa Sovereign states Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia France Mayotte Réunion Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Italy Pantelleria Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius 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Ardèche 08 Ardennes 09 Ariège 10 Aube 11 Aude 12 Aveyron 13 Bouches-du-Rhône 14 Calvados 15 Cantal 16 Charente 17 Charente-Maritime 18 Cher 19 Corrèze 2A Corse-du-Sud 2B Haute-Corse 21 Côte-d'Or 22 Côtes-d'Armor 23 Creuse 24 Dordogne 25 Doubs 26 Drôme 27 Eure 28 Eure-et-Loir 29 Finistère 30 Gard 31 Haute-Garonne 32 Gers 33 Gironde 34 Hérault 35 Ille-et-Vilaine 36 Indre 37 Indre-et-Loire 38 Isère 39 Jura 40 Landes 41 Loir-et-Cher 42 Loire 43 Haute-Loire 44 Loire-Atlantique 45 Loiret 46 Lot 47 Lot-et-Garonne 48 Lozère 49 Maine-et-Loire 50 Manche 51 Marne 52 Haute-Marne 53 Mayenne 54 Meurthe-et-Moselle 55 Meuse 56 Morbihan 57 Moselle 58 Nièvre 59 Nord 60 Oise 61 Orne 62 Pas-de-Calais 63 Puy-de-Dôme 64 Pyrénées-Atlantiques 65 Hautes-Pyrénées 66 Pyrénées-Orientales 67 Bas-Rhin 68 Haut-Rhin 69 Rhône 70 Haute-Saône 71 Saône-et-Loire 72 Sarthe 73 Savoie 74 Haute-Savoie 75 Paris 76 Seine-Maritime 77 Seine-et-Marne 78 Yvelines 79 Deux-Sèvres 80 Somme 81 Tarn 82 Tarn-et-Garonne 83 Var 84 Vaucluse 85 Vendée 86 Vienne 87 Haute-Vienne 88 Vosges 89 Yonne 90 Territoire de Belfort 91 Essonne 92 Hauts-de-Seine 93 Seine-Saint-Denis 94 Val-de-Marne 95 Val-d'Oise Overseas departments 971 Guadeloupe 972 Martinique 973 French Guiana 974 Réunion 976 Mayotte v t e Outlying territories of European countries Territories under European sovereignty but closer to or on continents other than Europe (see inclusion criteria for further information) Denmark Greenland France Clipperton Island French Guiana French Polynesia Guadeloupe Martinique Mayotte New Caledonia Réunion Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Wallis and Futuna French Southern and Antarctic Lands Île Amsterdam Île Saint-Paul Crozet Islands Kerguelen Islands Adélie Land Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean Italy Pantelleria Pelagie Islands Lampedusa Lampione Linosa Netherlands Aruba Caribbean Netherlands Bonaire Saba Sint Eustatius Curaçao Sint Maarten Norway Bouvet Island Peter I Island Queen Maud Land Portugal 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