;
tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; radio relay to Saudi Arabia; submarine cable to
Bahrain and UAE; stations--2 AM, 1 FM, 3 TV; satellite earth stations--1
Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT

- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Department

Military manpower: males 15-49, 255,474; 120,614 fit for military service;
3,982 reach military age (18) annually

Defense expenditures: NA
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Reunion
(overseas department of France)
- Geography
Total area: 2,510 km2; land area: 2,500 km2

Comparative area: slightly smaller than Rhode Island

Land boundaries: none

Coastline: 201 km

Maritime claims:

Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;

Extended economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical, but 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

Natural resources: fish, arable land

Land use: 20% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 4% meadows and
pastures; 35% forest and woodland; 39% other; includes 2% irrigated

Environment: periodic devastating cyclones

Note: located 750 km east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean

- People
Population: 595,583 (July 1990), growth rate 1.9% (1990)

Birth rate: 24 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 9 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 76 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate: 2.6 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality: noun--Reunionese (sing. and pl.); adjective--Reunionese

Ethnic divisions: most of the population is of intermixed French, African,
Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, and Indian ancestry

Religion: 94% Roman Catholic

Language: French (official); Creole widely used

Literacy: NA%, but over 80% among younger generation

Labor force: NA; 30% agriculture, 21% industry, 49% services (1981);
63% of population of working age (1983)

Organized labor: General Confederation of Workers of Reunion (CGTR)

- Government
Long-form name: Department of Reunion

Type: overseas department of France

Capital: Saint-Denis

Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France)

Independence: none (overseas department of France)

C