Travel Guide

Background Facts: Réunion

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.

Location	Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar.
Geographic Coordinates	21 06 S, 55 36 E
Geographical Area
Land	2,507 Sq Km.
Water	10 Sq Km.
Land Boundary	Unknown
Border Countries
Length of coastline	207 Km.
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, hydropower.
Land Use
Arable Land	14%
Permanent Crops	2%
Other	84%
Irrigated Land	120 Sq Km.
Natural Hazards	Periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano.
Environmental Issues	None