e French Senate and 5 members to the
French National Assembly who are voting members
Communists:
Communist party small but has support among sugarcane cutters, the minuscule
Popular Movement for the Liberation of Reunion (MPLR), and in the district
of Le Port
Member of:
FZ, WFTU

:Reunion Government

Diplomatic representation:
as an overseas department of France, Reunionese interests are represented in
the US by France
Flag:
the flag of France is used

:Reunion Economy

Overview:
The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture. Sugarcane has been
the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for
85% of exports. The government has been pushing the development of a tourist
industry to relieve high unemployment, which recently amounted to one-third
of the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the poor is
extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social tensions. The white and
Indian communities are substantially better off than other segments of the
population, often approaching European standards, whereas indigenous groups
suffer the poverty and unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the
African continent. The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991
illustrates the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic
well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from
France.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $3.37 billion, per capita $6,000 (1987 est.);
real growth rate 9% (1987 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.3% (1988)
Unemployment rate:
35% (February 1991)
Budget:
revenues $358 million; expenditures $914 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1986)
Exports:
$166 million (f.o.b., 1988)
commodities:
sugar 75%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 4%, lobster 3%, vanilla and
tea 1%
partners:
France, Mauritius, Bahrain, South Africa, Italy
Imports:
$1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1988)
commodities:
manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation
equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products
partners:
France, Mauritius, Bahrain, South Africa, Italy
External debt:
$NA
Industrial production:
growth rate NA%; about 25% of GDP
Electricity:
245,000 kW capacity; 546 million kWh produced, 965 kWh per capita (1989)
Indust