La Réunion

The département of La Réunion is an overseas département (département d'outre-mer, or DOM) of France, located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar. The island is 39 miles (63 kilometers) long, is 28 miles (45 kilometers) wide, and covers 970 square miles (2150 square kilometers). The island is similar to the big island of Hawaii because both are located above hot spots in the Earth’s crust. Piton de la Fournaise, a shield volcano on the eastern end of Réunion Island, rises more than 8565 feet (2611 meters) above sea level and is sometimes called a sister to Hawaiian volcanoes because of the similarity of climate and volcanic nature, has erupted more than 100 times since 1640. Piton des Neiges Volcano, the highest point on the island at 10069 feet (3070 meters) above sea level, is west of Piton de la Fournaise Volcano. Collapsed calderas and canyons are southwest of the mountain. Like Mauna Kea[?] on the big island of Hawaii, Piton des Neiges is extinct. The slopes of both volcanoes are heavily forested. Cultivated land and cities like the capital city of Saint-Denis[?] are concentrated on the surrounding coastal lowlands. Sugar is the chief agricultural product and export.

From the CIA World Factbook 2000. Not Wikified.

• History of Reunion
• Geography of Reunion
• Demographics of Reunion
• Politics of Reunion
• Economy of Reunion
• Communications in Reunion
• Transportation in Reunion
• Military of Reunion

La Réunion from space (NASA image)