Réunion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Reunion (disambiguation).
Réunion La Réunion | |||
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Overseas region & department of France | |||
| |||
Motto: Florebo quocumque ferar | |||
Country | France | ||
Prefecture | Saint-Denis | ||
Departments | 1 | ||
Government | |||
• President of Regional Council | Didier Robert | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 2,511 km2(970 sq mi) | ||
Population (Jan. 2013)[1] | |||
• Total | 844,994 | ||
• Density | 340/km2(870/sq mi) | ||
Time zone | RET (UTC+04) | ||
ISO 3166 code | RE | ||
GDP (2013)[2] | Ranked | ||
Total | €16.7 billion (US$22.2 bn) | ||
Per capita | €19,854 (US$26,369) | ||
NUTS Region | FRA | ||
Website | Prefecture Regional Council Departmental Council |
Réunion[discuss spelling] (French: La Réunion, IPA: [la ʁeynjɔ̃] ( listen); previously Île Bourbon) is a French island located in theIndian Ocean. It is situated east of Madagascar and about 175 kilometres (109 mi) southwest of Mauritius, the nearest island. As of 2014, its population numbered 844,994 inhabitants.[1]
The island has been inhabited since the the 17th century, when people from Europe (mostly France), Madagascar and Africa settled there. Slavery was abolished on 20th December 1848 (a date celebrated yearly on the island), after which indentured workers were brought from South India, among other places. The island became an overseas department of France in 1946.
The local language, spoken by the majority of the population, is Réunion Creole. The official language is French.
Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France. Like the other four overseas departments, it is also one of the 27 regions of France, with the modified status of overseas regions, and an integral part of the Republic with the same status as those situated on the European mainland. Réunion is an outermost region of the European Union and, as an overseas department of France, a part of the Eurozone.[3]