226 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
226 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
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REUNION
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(overseas department of France)
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 2,510 km2; land area: 2,500 km2
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Comparative area: slightly smaller than Rhode Island
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Land boundaries: none
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Coastline: 201 km
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Maritime claims:
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Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Climate: tropical, but moderates with elevation; cool and dry from
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May to November, hot and rainy from November to April
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Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along
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coast
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Natural resources: fish, arable land
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Land use: arable land 20%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and
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pastures 4%; forest and woodland 35%; other 39%; includes irrigated
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2%
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Environment: periodic devastating cyclones
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Note: located 750 km east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean
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PEOPLE
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Population: 607,086 (July 1991), growth rate 1.9% (1991)
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Birth rate: 24 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 76 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 2.6 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Reunionese (sing. and pl.);
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adjective--Reunionese
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Ethnic divisions: most of the population is of intermixed French,
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African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, and Indian ancestry
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Religion: Roman Catholic 94%
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Language: French (official); Creole widely used
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Literacy: 69% (male 67%, female 74%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1982)
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Labor force: NA; agriculture 30%, industry 21%, services 49%
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(1981); 63% of population of working age (1983)
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Organized labor: General Confederation of Workers of Reunion (CGTR)
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Department of Reunion
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Type: overseas department of France
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Capital: Saint-Denis
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Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France)
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Independence: none (overseas department of France)
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Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
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Legal system: French law
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National holiday: Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
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Executive branch: French president, commissioner of the Republic
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Legislative branch: unicameral General Council, unicameral Regional
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Council
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Judicial branch: Court of Appeals (Cour d'appel)
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--President Francois MITTERRAND
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(since 21 May 1981);
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Head of Government--Commissioner of the Republic Daniel CONSTANTIN
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(since September 1989)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Rally for the Republic (RPR), Francois MAS;
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Union for French Democracy (UDF), Gilbert GERARD;
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Communist Party of Reunion (PCR), Paul VERGES;
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France-Reunion Future (FRA), Andre THIEN AH KOON;
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Socialist Party (PS), Jean-Claude FRUTEAU;
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Social Democrats (CDS), other small parties
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Suffrage: universal at age 18
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Elections:
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General Council--last held March 1986 (next to be held 1992);
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results--percent of vote by party NA;
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seats--(36 total) number of seats by party NA;
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Regional Council--last held 16 March 1986
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(next to be held March 1991);
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results--RPR/UDF 36.8%, PCR 28.2%, FRA and other right wing 17.3%,
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PS 14.1%, other 3.6%;
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seats--(45 total) RPR/UDF 18, PCR 13, FRA and other right wing 8, PS 6;
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French Senate--last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held
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September 1992);
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results--percent of vote by party NA;
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seats--(3 total) RPR-UDF 1, PS 1, independent 1;
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French National Assembly--last held 5 and 12 June 1988
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(next to be held June 1993);
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results--percent of vote by party NA;
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seats--(5 total) PCR 2, RPR 1, UDF-CDS 1, FRA 1
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Communists: Communist party small but has support among sugarcane
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cutters, the minuscule Popular Movement for the Liberation of Reunion
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(MPLR), and in the district of Le Port
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Member of: FZ, WFTU
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Diplomatic representation: as an overseas department of France,
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Reunionese interests are represented in the US by France
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Flag: the flag of France is used
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ECONOMY
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Overview: The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture.
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Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century, and in some
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years it accounts for 85% of exports. The government has been pushing
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the development of a tourist industry to relieve high unemployment,
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which recently amounted to one-third of the labor force. The white
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and Indian communities are substantially better off than other segments
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of the population, adding to the social tensions generated by poverty
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and unemployment. The economic well-being of Reunion depends heavily on
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continued financial assistance from France.
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GDP: $3.37 billion, per capita $6,000 (1987 est.); real growth
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rate 9% (1987 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.3% (1988)
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Unemployment rate: 35% (February 1991)
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Budget: revenues $358 million; expenditures $914 million, including
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capital expenditures of $NA (1986)
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Exports: $166 million (f.o.b., 1988);
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commodities--sugar 75%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 4%,
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lobster 3%, vanilla and tea 1%;
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partners--France, Mauritius, Bahrain, South Africa, Italy
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Imports: $1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1988);
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commodities--manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco,
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machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum
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products;
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partners--France, Mauritius, Bahrain, South Africa, Italy
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External debt: NA
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Industrial production: growth rate NA%; about 25% of GDP
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Electricity: 245,000 kW capacity; 546 million kWh produced,
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965 kWh per capita (1989)
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Industries: sugar, rum, cigarettes, several small shops producing
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handicraft items
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Agriculture: accounts for 30% of labor force; dominant sector of
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economy; cash crops--sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco; food crops--tropical
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fruits, vegetables, corn; imports large share of food needs
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Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
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commitments (1970-88), $14.1 billion
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Currency: French franc (plural--francs); 1 French franc (F) =
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100 centimes
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Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1--5.1307 (January 1991),
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5.4453 (1990), 6.3801 (1989), 5.9569 (1988), 6.0107 (1987), 6.9261
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(1986), 8.9852 (1985)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Highways: 2,800 km total; 2,200 km paved, 600 km gravel, crushed
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stone, or stabilized earth
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Ports: Pointe des Galets
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Civil air: 1 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
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1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: adequate system for needs; modern open-wire
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line and radio relay network; principal center Saint-Denis;
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radiocommunication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new radio relay route
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to Mauritius; 85,900 telephones; stations--3 AM, 13 FM, 1 (18 relays) TV;
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1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 162,017; 83,959 fit for
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military service; 5,979 reach military age (18) annually
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Note: defense is the responsibility of France
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