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Afterwards, many of the foreign workers came as indentured workers. The opening of the Suez Canal in reduced the importance of the island as a stopover on the East Indies trade route. Many of these children were abused or disadvantaged by the families with whom they were placed. Known as the Children of Creuse , they and their fate came to light in when one of them, Jean-Jacques Martial, filed suit against the French state for kidnapping and deportation of a minor.

The low number of communes , compared with French metropolitan departments of similar size and population, is unique: The communes voluntarily grouped themselves into five intercommunalities for cooperating in some domains, apart from the four arrondissements to which they belong for purposes of applying national laws and executive regulation. After some changes in the composition, name and status of intercommunalities, all of them operate with the status of agglomeration communities , and apply their own local taxation in addition to national, regional, departmental, and municipal taxes and have an autonomous budget decided by the assembly representing all member communes.

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This budget is also partly funded by the state, the region, the department, and the European Union for some development and investment programs. It is above a hotspot in the Earth's crust. Collapsed calderas and canyons are south west of the mountain. While the Piton de la Fournaise is one of Earth's most active volcanoes, the Piton des Neiges is extinct. Its name means "peak of snows" in French, but snowfall on the summit of the mountain is rare.

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. Offshore, part of the west coast is characterised by a coral reef system. The last is accessible only on foot or by helicopter. The three cirques, forming a kind of three-leafed clover shape, are visible in the central north west of the image. Piton de la Fournaise, in the south east, is covered by cloud.

Lava flow emitted in by the Piton de la Fournaise. The weather is cool and dry from May to November, but hot and rainy from November to April. Precipitation levels vary greatly within the island, with the east being much wetter than the west. They are often equipped with barbecues, amenities, and parking spaces. La Plage des Brisants is a well-known surfing spot, with many athletic and leisurely activities taking place. Each November, a film festival is also organised in La Plage des Brisants. Movies are projected on a large screen in front of a crowd. Beaches at Boucan Canot are surrounded by a stretch of restaurants that particularly cater to tourists.

This occurs when lava contacts water, it cools rapidly and shatters into sand and fragmented debris of various size.


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Much of the debris is small enough to be considered sand. Restaurants along Boucan Canot beach [20]. Much of the west coast is ringed by coral reef which harbours, among other animals, sea urchins , conger eels , and parrot fish. Sea turtles and dolphins also inhabit the coastal waters.

Lalande also said 45 bull sharks and 45 tiger sharks would be culled , in addition to the 20 already killed as part of scientific research into the illness ciguatera. A Humpback whale off St-Gilles. The first Bourbon roses were discovered on the island in Local names for these are Yabs, Cafres , Malbars and Chinois. There are no indigenous people on the island, as it was originally deserted. Also, some people of Vietnamese ancestry live on the island, though they are very few in number. Tamils are the largest group among the Indian community. Creoles a name given to those born on the island, regardless of ethnic origins make up the majority of the population.

Groups that are not Creole include people recently arrived from Metropolitan France known as zoreilles and those from Mayotte and the Comoros.


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    6. Religious Intelligence estimates Christians to be Most large towns have a Hindu temple and a mosque. Creole is used informally and orally in some administration offices whereas the official language of any administration office as well as education is French. There are significant number of speakers of Indian languages mostly Tamil , Gujarati and Urdu.

    Do not underestimate driving times, even if the island seems small. The main roads, especially on the west coast, tend to jam; so do the streets of Saint Denis.

    The roads in the interior are mountain roads, some with many turns and steep slopes. Reunion Island has almost one thousand kilometers of hiking trails, with an astonishing variety of landscapes for an island. The cirques , plains and volcano have been classified as a French national natural park. The best hikes are probably in the Mafate cirque and on the volcano see Piton de la Fournaise. The exceptionnal Mafate circus has no roads, and about inhabitants.

    Some helicopter and airplane companies specialize in guided tours by air around the island and throughout the nearby islands. These depart very early in the morning in order to avoid clouds and fog at altitude. They are reasonably priced, and will refer to other companies on other islands as needed. Mafate is a popular destination. An alternative is to walk in Mafate , without marked-out footpaths. This can be accessed from Saint-Louis by the road of bends route aux virages. About halfway along, be sure to stop and appreciate the views, above a sheer drop of metres. It is possible to get here by helicopter from St-Denis or St-Giles as well.

    The main villages are Salazie the administrative centre , Hell-Bourg a pretty, flowery village and Grand-Ilet. The eastern side of the caldera is carpeted in lush greenery through which slice a multitude of waterfalls. The area can be reached by crossing the river on a suspended footbridge, and by continuing alongside fields of watercress and chayotes a green, pear-shaped fruit.

    The hosts are nice people and, after a traditional rum-based fruit punch, a simple meal will take your mind off your exhaustion from the climb. At the crack of dawn at around 3: Walk by torchlight along marked-out paths leading to the summit, where the sunrise will leave an indelible mark upon your memory. Words cannot begin to explain the magnificence of this experience. The natural surroundings make it clear that you are on an extinct volcano. Take the Route de Bras-Sec where the paths leave off from. The view is completely unobstructed, and the wilderness is staggeringly beautiful.

    Reunion Island - a French tropical island

    A good place to take a halfway pitstop would be at the "Grand matarum" cabin. For very good climbers only! Maison de la Montagne Tel.: The journey back to Cilaos can be made in a single push descending metres in altitude — try to take it easy on those knees! The final route is to approach from Hell-Bourg passing through the cap Anglais: This plain of black sand from volcanic activity gives us a hint of what is to come.

    A path or more precisely, a dusty track , riddled with potholes, takes us to the " Pas de Bellecombe " m. A short walk of just a few metres from the car park takes you up to a lovely view over the "Fournaise". A path which is the only way of getting to the Fournaise goes down about metres in altitude in about steps we counted them! Nevertheless, the descent along the wall of the caldera leads you through tamarind trees and is not an all unpleasant.

    The entire journey is well marked out with white markers.

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    These white markers, about every 2 metres apart, are essential in case of a sudden spell of mist — they will guide you back to the starting point. Be careful not to stray too far from them, if you get lost there is very little chance of being rescued before the next morning, and nights up there are pretty cold!

    From then on, the track goes on through a more lunar-like landscape, and the long ascent begins, crossing more recently produced lava. Getting your bearings is no problem, all you have to do is follow the throngs of fellow visitors. The sun, even through mist, is very strong, so protect your head and use sunscreen copiously on all of you that is exposed to the sun.

    Otherwise, be prepared for a few difficult days of sunburn. After the 2 hours of walking from the car park, you will finally arrive about a third of the way along the route at the summit of the Bory crater, at metres above sea level. This small crater, only metres in diameter, has been inactive since Still following the white markers, the walk continues towards the Dolomieu crater 1km in diameter , which is still active, as the fumes will verify.

    This itinerary covers the crater, and the route traverses recent lava flows. A few signposts remind you of the danger of climbing down the rock face to get closer to the crater. French is the official language of Reunion.

    French spoken with the local Reunion accent, intermingled with Creole, can be difficult to understand for native French speakers. Metropolitan French are locally nicknamed z'oreilles "ears" for their tendency not to understand and ask people to repeat. As is mainland France, English fluency is rare. English speakers meet every Monday evening between 7: If you speak English, it is a good place to share your culture and language while meeting travelling and resident couch-surfers. The bar allows people to bring take out food. Reunion is part of the Eurozone, so as in many other European Union countries the currency used is the euro symbol: