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History of Reunion
From antiquity to the modern era — the historical eras, key events, and narrative that shaped Reunion.
Overview
The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 cost the island its importance as a stopover on the East Indies trade route.
The island was ruled as a colony until 1946, when it was made a "departement", or administrative unit, of France. The Reunionese are French citizens and many of them wish to remain so; independence movements have been sporadic and there is little will to sever ties with Paris.
Reunion is a volcanic hotspot; lava sometimes reaches the sea. Reunion is home to one of the world’s most active volcanos, the Piton de la Fournaise, which has erupted more than 170 times since the mid-17th century. Lava flows have closed roads and damaged buildings.
Sugar cane was introduced during a brief period of British rule in the early 19th century. It provides the raw material for Reunion’s main exports. Tourism is also important; attractions include spectacular gorges and "cirques" - natural amphitheatres surrounded by mountains.
A large wealth gap has fuelled social tensions. These spilled over into violence in 1991 when 10 people were killed in anti-government riots. Unemployment is high, particularly among the young, and migration is commonplace.
The territory is prone to tropical storms; a cyclone monitoring station in the capital serves the Indian Ocean region.
Historical Eras
The major periods of {country}’s history at a glance.
Uninhabited Island
Réunion was uninhabited when Portuguese navigator Pedro de Mascarenhas first documented it around 1513, naming the Mascarene archipelago. The island lay untouched for over a century, visited occasionally by passing European mariners as a waypoint on Indian Ocean trade routes but never permanently settled.
Early French Colony
1642 – 1715
French colonists established a permanent presence on the island, then named Bourbon, in the 1640s under the direction of the French East India Company. Enslaved Malagasy and mainland Africans were brought to cultivate coffee plantations, laying the foundation for the island's hierarchical colonial society and its multiethnic demographic character.
Plantation Era
1715 – 1815
Bourbon became a prosperous node on the East Indies trade route, its economy driven by coffee and later other plantation crops worked by an expanding enslaved population. A brief British occupation during the Napoleonic Wars (1810–1815) introduced sugar cane cultivation, which would reshape the island's economy for generations. The island was returned to France by the Treaty of Paris in 1815.
Colonial Maturity
1815 – 1946
Renamed Réunion after the Revolution and then Bourbon again under the Restoration, the island settled into its identity as a French colonial sugar economy. The abolition of slavery in 1848 prompted the importation of indentured laborers from India, China, and Southeast Asia, deepening the island's ethnic diversity. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 diminished Réunion's strategic value as a trade-route stopover, causing prolonged economic decline.
French Département
1946 – 2000
In 1946 Réunion was transformed from a colony into a full overseas département of France, granting its inhabitants French citizenship and access to metropolitan social programs. Significant investment modernized infrastructure, but structural unemployment and a stark wealth gap fueled persistent social tensions, culminating in violent anti-government riots in 1991 that left ten people dead. Independence movements remained marginal, with most Réunionnais preferring continued integration with France.
Modern Overseas Region
2000 – present
Réunion holds the status of both a French overseas département and an outermost region of the European Union, anchoring it firmly within European governance and economic frameworks. Tourism centered on the island's volcanic landscapes, cirques, and biodiversity supplements an economy still reliant on sugar exports and substantial transfers from metropolitan France. High youth unemployment and cyclical tropical storms remain central challenges, while the hyperactive Piton de la Fournaise volcano continues to shape daily life and global scientific interest.
Timeline Preview
The first 3 key events. View the full chronology on the timeline page.
1640
French colonists arrived on the island, then known as Bourbon.
French colonists arrived on the island, then known as Bourbon.
1801 – 1900
Sugar cane was introduced during a brief period of British rule in the early 19th century.
Sugar cane was introduced during a brief period of British rule in the early 19th century.
1946
The island was ruled as a colony until 1946.
The island was ruled as a colony until 1946, when it was made a "departement", or administrative unit, of France.