y rate: 8 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 76 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 2.6 children born/woman (1991)

_#_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: Roman Catholic 94%

_#_Language: French (official); Creole widely used

_#_Literacy: 69% (male 67%, female 74%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1982)

_#_Labor force: NA; agriculture 30%, industry 21%, services 49%
(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)

_#_Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

_#_Legal system: French law

_#_National holiday: Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)

_#_Executive branch: French president, commissioner of the Republic

_#_Legislative branch: unicameral General Council, unicameral Regional
Council

_#_Judicial branch: Court of Appeals (Cour d'appel)

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--President Francois MITTERRAND
(since 21 May 1981);

Head of Government--Commissioner of the Republic Daniel CONSTANTIN
(since September 1989)

_#_Political parties and leaders:
Rally for the Republic (RPR), Francois MAS;
Union for French Democracy (UDF), Gilbert GERARD;
Communist Party of Reunion (PCR), Paul VERGES;
France-Reunion Future (FRA), Andre THIEN AH KOON;
Socialist Party (PS), Jean-Claude FRUTEAU;
Social Democrats (CDS), other small parties

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18

_#_Elections:
General Council--last held March 1986 (next to be held 1992);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(36 total) number of seats by party NA;

Regional Council--last held 16 March 1986
(next to be held March 1991);
results--RPR/UDF 36.8%, PCR 28.2%, FRA and other right wing 17.3%,
PS 14.1%, other 3.6%;
seats--(45 total) RPR/UDF 18, PCR 13, FRA and other right wing 8, PS 6;

French Senate--last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held
September 1992);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(3 total) RPR-UDF 1