Reunion - Country facts
Location
Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
Background
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.
Climate
tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April
Terrain
mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast
Population
776,948 (July 2005 est.)
Ethnic Groups
French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian
Religions
Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995)
Languages
French (official), Creole widely used
Map of Reunion
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