Reunion Island

Reunion Island Latest News

Ships of the Indian Navy’s first training squadron (1TS), INS Tir and ICGS Sarathi, arrived at Réunion Island, while INS Shardul reached Port Louis, Mauritius, recently, as part of their long-range training deployment in the southwest Indian Ocean Region.

About Reunion Island

• It is a French island in the Western Indian Ocean.
• It lies about 680 km east of Madagascar and 180 km southwest of Mauritius.
• It covers an area of 2,511 sq. km.
• It is almost elliptical in shape, about 40 miles (65 km) long and 30 miles (50 km) wide. 
• With Mauritius and Rodrigues Islands, they form the Mascarene Archipelago. 
• Of volcanic origin, Réunion consists mostly of rugged mountains in an advanced state of dissection by short torrential rivers. 
• The Marsouins and Galet Rivers are the two largest in the territory. 
• It is home to the highest peak in the Indian Ocean, the Piton des Neiges, and one of the most active volcanoes on the planet, the Piton de la Fournaise. 
• The capital is Saint-Denis, on the northern coast.
• Réunion’s coast has no good natural harbours.
• It has a tropical climate.
• People:
  • Réunion was first settled in the 17th century by colonists from France.
  • Slave labourers were brought in from East Africa to work on plantations, and later Malays, Annamites, Chinese, and Malabar Indians were imported as indentured labourers.
  • Today the greatest proportion of the population is of mixed descent (African, European, and South Asian). 
• As a French overseas territory, it has the same political status as other departments in mainland France. It is a key French military base for the Indian Ocean region.
• Languages: French, plus Reunion Creole
• Its economy is based largely on the export of sugar. Other products include meat and milk products, rum, molasses, tobacco, geranium essence, and vanilla.

Source: TH

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