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SOUTH WEST INDIAN OCEAN

REUNION ISLANDMauritius SeychellesComoros islandsMadagascarReunion and Mauritius together with

Rodrigues form the Mascarene Islands

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Satellite photo of Reunion Island

Florebo quocumque ferar = I will flourish wherever I may go! 4

Coat of arms of Reunion Island

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REUNION ISLANDo Population : 800 000 (in 2008)o Pop. density : 313/km2

o Surface 2512 km2 (slightly smaller than Luxembourg, similar size to Rhode Island)

o Highest point : 3070 mo Language : Kreol Réyoné & Frencho Was 1st in the world to use the Euro

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Reunion : History

1502 - 1st European known to have sighted Reunion

1646 - first inhabitants 1718 - coffee growing; arrival of slaves 1807 - start of sugar cane cultivation 1810-1815 - island is British 1848 - slavery abolished 1946 - becomes overseas French department

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Island of 1000 faces

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CLIMATE : East is rainy, west is dry

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World rainfall records 12 hours : 3.7 feet / 1.14 meters 24 hours : 5.9 feet / 1.83 meters 48 hours : 8.1 feet / 2.47 meters 3 days: 12.9 feet / 3.93 meters 4 days: 16.0 feet / 4.87 meters 5 days: 16.3 feet / 4.98 meters 6 days: 16.6 feet / 5.07 meters 7 days: 17.7 feet / 5.40 meters 8 days: 18.1 feet / 5.51 meters 9 days: 18.1 feet / 5.51 meters 10 days :18.4 feet / 5.61 meters

on average Paris gets less than 1 metre of rain per year …

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Second most active volcano in the world …

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Active for the past 500,000 years, it erupts on average every 14 months

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MAURITIUS

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MAURITIUS

Population : 1.2 million (in 2008)Pop. density : 10th in worldSurface area : 1 866 km2 Highest point : 828m Independent from UK since 1968Languages : Kreol Morisyen, English &

FrenchFamous for the (extinct) Dodo bird

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DODO

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Pamplemousses botanical garden

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SEYCHELLES

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SEYCHELLES Population : 83 000 (in 2008) Pop. density : 178/km2

Surface : 455 km2

Highest point : 905m Independent from UK since 1976 Languages : Kreol Seselwa, English & French Smallest country in Africa 1500km from east African coast 115 islands (42 granite & 73 coral) Three main islands : Mahé, Praslin, La Digue

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Anse source d’argent

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Grande sœur & petite soeur islands

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COMOROS ISLANDS

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COMOROS ISLANDS Located in Mozambique channel Population : 732 000 (in 2008) Pop. density : 393/km2

Surface : 2170km2

Highest point : 2361m (Karthala volcano) Grows ylang-ylang (for perfume) Independent from France since 1975 99% Muslim (sunni) 4th island - Mayotte - belongs to France

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Ylang-ylang

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Friday mosque, Moroni

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MADAGASCAR

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MADAGASCAR Population : 18 million (in 2005) Pop. density : 30/km2

GDP : 164th (out of 179 countries) Life expectancy : 54 (men);59 (women) 18 ethnic tribes Practice «dancing with the dead» Indonesian ancestry Madagascar and S. Korea have the same

scores in Satisfaction with Life index 2006 …§

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MADAGASCAR

400km from East Africa World’s 4th largest island (roughly same

size as Ukraine or France) Highest point : 2876m Has 5% of world’s plant and animal

species, 80% of which not found elsewhere (ex : lemur)

Suffers massive erosion due to deforestation

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LEMUR

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7 species of baobab trees in the world : 1 species in Africa and 6

species in Madagascar …

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TSINGY

OF

BEMAHARA

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Language Comparison English : I love you French : Je t‘aime Réunion creole : Mi aim à ou Mauritian creole : Mo kontan twa Seychellois creole : Moi kontan ou Comorian : N' game handzo Malagasy : Tiaka ianaoMalagasy language has a highly unusual

Verb-Object-Subject word order

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Language Comparison

English : goodbye French : au revoir Réunion creole : ni artrouv Mauritian creole : oréwar Seychellois creole : orevwar Comorian : kwaheri Malagasy : veloma

THE END