Introduction Reunion
Background:
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.
Geography Reunion
Location:
Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
Geographic coordinates:
21 06 S, 55 36 E
Map references:
World
Area:
total: 2,517 sq km
water: 10 sq km
land: 2,507 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
207 km