Born from the marriage between the ground and fire 3 million years ago, the

Reunion island is located by 21°South and 55°East in the heart of the Indian

Ocean, earth of miscegenation, french overseas department, it is the real cultu

ral crossroads between Europe, Africa and Asia.

Subtle multiracial cocktail between Europeans, Africans, Arabs, Indians

tamoulses and Chinese, the Reunion island is a mixture of customs, cultures and

religions.

The Reunion island counts 720 000 inhabitants for a surface of 2517 km². She

offers one luxuriante vegetation and a broken relief from his tropical climate

and his volcanic origins. Besides, the volcano of "Le Piton de la Fournaise" is

again in activity. The last eruption dates of February 14, 2000.

Its position in the southern hemisphere makes that the season of southern winter

spreads of May to October, the southern summer from November to April and

the cyclonic period from November to March.

The economy of the Reunion island is based on the resources coming from:

- culture of the cane with sugar and the production of its derivatives: sugar, rum,

bagasse,

- production of géranium and vétyver species

- production of Albius vanilla,

- production of the Victoria pineapple,

- production of banana,

- production of the letchi,

- and of tourism.

-Portuguese Don Pédro de Mascarenas discovers, by opening the

road of the Indies passing by Africa, the "Mascareigneses" made

up of three islands.

-The Dutchmen take possession of the island of the middle which

they baptize "Mauritius". The French take possession of the two

other islands that they baptize "Rodrigues" and "Mascareigne".

-The island "Mascareigne" is baptized "Bourbon island".

-Landing of the first colonists of the "Company of the Indies".

-Beginning of the colonization of the island.

-The Dutchmen give up "Mauritius".

-The French assert it and baptize it "Ile de France".

-Experimentation of a new culture; coffee of Arabia.

1740

-French-English Conflict in the Indies. The "Ile de France" offers

its harbors, the "Bourbon island" its supplieses and its soldiers.

1756

-The "Company of the Indies" is ruined by the "7 year old War".

1793

-The "Bourbon island" is baptized "Reunion", then "Bonaparte

island".

1810

-The English take successively the three Mascareigneses islands.

1815

-To the "Treaty of Paris", only "Bourbon island" is given back to

France.

-Development of a new culture: the cane with sugar.

1841

-Freed Albius discovers the process of the vanilla fertilization.

1848

-December 20: Abolition of the slavery.

1865

-The course of the sugar, competed with by the beet sugar breaks

down. It is the beginning of a serious economic crisis.

-To face the crisis, the Reunion island obtains two modern tools;

the habor of "La Pointe-des-Galets", the railroad.

-Arrival of the first car.

-Arrival of the first bus to make competition with the railroad.

-General mobilization; Réunionnaises leave to the fight in France.

-March 19, the deputies vote the decree of the departmentalization

that puts end to the "Old Colonies" to catch up sanitary and social

delay.