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Piton des Neiges at sunrise, RéunionSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:R%C3%A9union_PitonDesNeiges_Sunrise.jpg
Author: B.navez
Réunion is a small island in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Madagascar. Covering 2,512 sq km (969.9 sq mi), Réunion is one of the overseas départements of France, and is regarded as a part of the French Republic. It has a population of 830,000 (2011 estimate). Its capital and biggest town is Saint-Denis. The island is located 200 km (120 mi) to the southwest of Mauritius, its nearest neighbor.
Cap Méchant in Saint-Philippe, RéunionSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cap-M%C3%A9chant-R%C3%A9union.JPG
Author: Bouba
Réunion is four hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC-4). Being part of France, it uses the euro as its official currency. It is also regarded as part of the European Union - the most distant. Réunion is 63 km (39 mi) long and 44 km (28 mi) wide. Its highest peak is an active volcano, Piton des Neiges, which is 3,070 m (10,070 ft) in height. While Piton des Neiges is an extinct volcano, 2,631-meter (8,632-ft) Piton de la Fournaise is very active, having erupted over a hundred times since 1640, the most recent in 2010.
The economy of Réunion is based on agriculture, although tourism has become an increasingly important source of revenue. In 2008, it had an estimated nominal GDP of $14.7 billion, equivalent to per capita nominal GDP of $17,700, among the highest in Africa.
Saint-Denis Town Hall, RéunionSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mairie-saint-denis.JPG
Author: Thierry Caro
Réunion was historically called Dina Morgabin by ancient Swahili and Arab seafarers. The Portuguese may have been the first Europeans to have sighted it. They had called it Santa Apollonia. Réunion was claimed by France in 1638. In 1649, the French renamed it Île Bourbon, and it became a French colony in 1665.
Île Bourbon was renamed to Réunion in 1793, following the overthrow of the House of Bourbon in the French Revolution a year earlier. The name commemorates the reunion of the revolutionaries from Marseille with the National Guard in Paris. In 1801, it was renamed Île Bonaparte.
In 1810, the British invaded Île Bonaparte, which they called Bourbon. In 1815, the island was returned to France as Bourbon - at that time the House of Bourbon was restored. When the House of Bourbon was overthrown again in 1848, the island was once again renamed Réunion. Réunion became an overseas département of France on 19 March, 1946.
Forêt des Hauts-sous-le-Vent, RéunionSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:For%C3%AAt-des-Hauts-sous-le-Vent.JPG
Author: Thierry Caro
Planning your visit to Réunion
Although Réunion is part of France, it is not within the Schengen Area. So it has its own immigration and visa requirements. You will have to check with the French embassy if you are planning a trip there.The Roland Garros International Airport (RUN) is the main gateway to Réunion. Located near Saint-Denis, it receives flights from Paris, Mauritius, Sydney and Bangkok, among others.
Major Towns in Réunion
- Saint-Denis
Places of Interest in Réunion
- Piton de la Fournaise
Members of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France
- Hell-Bourg, Salazie
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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.
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