Reunion is the only overseas region of France that is located quite far from other overseas regions, and has a different time zone than that of France. Reunion is located in the Indian Ocean, very close to countries like Mauritius and Madagascar. The island of Reunion was frequented by sailors from the Middle East, and was known to the Europeans only after the seventeenth century. The island was named Saint Apollonia by the Portuguese, and later, after the House of Bourbon, by the French in the same century. However, during the eighteenth century, the island was given a new name, “Reunion,” which denotes the coming together of revolutionaries from various parts of France.

During the following century, Napoleon Bonaparte became the Emperor of the French Empire and the island was again given a new name in context with the new Emperor. During the first half of the nineteenth century, the island had many different names, which were influenced mainly by the dynasties ruling it or by the political situations in France. Originally called, “Ile Bonaparte” it, was again re-christened, “Bourbon” and finally, renamed, “Reunion” during the Second Revolution in France. Reunion was already densely populated at the end of the nineteenth century, by French and other ethnicities like Indians, Chinese and Africans. Reunion was officially declared to be an overseas region of France in the year 1946.

Reunion has Saint Denis as it capital. Reunion has four arrondissements, twenty-four cantons and twenty-four communes. Reunion is located over hotspots and volcanoes, like Piton de la Fournaise, which have erupted even in recent days. These volcanoes are surrounded mainly by forests and there is a dense population in the coastal areas of the island. Other natural hazards in Reunion include heavy rains. Reunion is the only location in the world that has two records of having highest amount of rainfall, one for a period of twenty-four hours and the other for seventy-two hours. Considering these facts, the main revenue generation for this overseas region of France is agriculture and tourism. Tourism is seen as a potential revenue stream only from near past.

Regardless of the weather and the hotspots, the population of Reunion is quickly approaching the one million mark. Major segments of the population”more than eighty percent”practice Roman Catholicism, while others follow Islam, Hinduism or Buddhism. The different languages spoken in Reunion include French, Chinese, and Tamil, along with some regional Creole dialects.