Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 201 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

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

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 m

Natural resources: fish, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 17%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 5%
forests and woodland: 35%
other: 41% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 60 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April);
Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano

Environment-current issues: NA

Environment-international agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA

@Reunion:People

Population: 705,053 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 32% (male 116,705; female 111,262)
15-64 years: 62% (male 214,914; female 221,502)
65 years and over: 6% (male 16,846; female 23,824) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.81% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 22.78 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 4.67 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 7.09 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.4 years
male: 72.36 years
female: 78.6 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.67 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Reunionese (singular and plural)
adjective: Reunionese

Ethnic groups: French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian

Religions: Roman Catholic 94%, Hindu, Islam, Buddhist

Languages: French (official), Creole widely used

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 79%
male: 76%
female: 80% (1982 est.)

@Reunion:Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Department of Reunion
conventional short form: Reunion
local long form: none
local short form: Ile de la Reunion

Data code: RE

Dependency status: overseas department of France

Government type: NA

National capital: Saint-Denis

Administrative divisions: none (overseas de