1) Réunion is one of the youngest islands in the world, having first broken the surface of the Indian Ocean less than three million years ago.
2) One of its volcanoes, Piton de la Fournaise, over 2,600m above sea level, is one of the most active in the world.
3) The uninhabited island was discovered by the Portuguese in the early 16th century. When it was claimed by the French in 1643, they named it Bourbon.
4) The first children born there were of mixed race.
5) It was initially used as a prison for a dozen French mutineers, who were sent from Madagascar.
6) Réunion is pictured on all euro banknotes, on the back at the bottom of each note.
7) It has only nine native species of mammals but 91 species of birds.
8) It’s emblematic animal is the chameleon, although it is currently in the grip of what it terms “la crise requin” — the shark crisis. It is the most dangerous place in the world for shark attacks but is pioneering a range of ways to prevent them.
9) It holds four world records for the highest rainfall in certain-hour periods.
10) Réunion Island was the first region in the world to use the euro, mainly because of its location in a time zone to the east of Europe.
11) Though the official language is French, most of the inhabitants speak Creole. A 1977 study counted 127 different Creoles worldwide, 15 of which are French-based.
12) Its national park, a Unesco World Heritage site, covers 40% of the island.
Read the Trevor Crighton's article about the Island of Réunion in Sunday Times Lifestyle on Sunday 15 May
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