Tianjin and La Réunion are friendly associated from November, 10th to 12th , in 2002. Réunion is an island located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about 200 kilometres south west of Mauritius, the nearest island. Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departements of France. It has a population of 827,000(2009), and an area of 2512km2. Like the other overseas departments, Réunion is also one of the twenty-six regions of France (being an overseas region) and an integral part of the Republic with the same status as those situated on the European mainland. So it is an outermost region of the European Union, and the first region in the world where the euro became legal tender. Local economy in Réunion is mainly focused on agriculture and tourism. Sugar was traditionally the chief agricultural product and export. Tourism is now an important source of income. In 2007 the GDP of Réunion was 18.7 billion US dollars at market exchange rates.Its GDP per capita that year was the hightest in Africa. Réunion is very similar in culture, ethnic makeup, language and traditions to Mauritius and Seychelles. Réunion contains most of the same ethnic populations as Mauritius but in different proportions. Réunionese culture is a blend of European, African, Indian, Chinese and insular traditions. The most widely spoken language, Réunion Creole, derives from French. However, an official orthography has yet to be agreed upon. Local food and music blend influences from Africa, India, China and Europe. Roland Garros Airport, handling flights to Madagascar, Mauritius and Europe serves the island. Pierrefonds Airport, a smaller airport, has some flights to Mauritius and Madagascar. |
