Saint-Denis, Réunion

Saint-Denis
Prefecture and commune
Panoramic view of the city from the heights of Bellepierre

Coat of arms
Coordinates: 20°52′44″S 55°26′53″E / 20.8789°S 55.4481°E / -20.8789; 55.4481Coordinates: 20°52′44″S 55°26′53″E / 20.8789°S 55.4481°E / -20.8789; 55.4481
Country France
Overseas region and department Réunion
Arrondissement Saint-Denis
Canton 4 cantons
Intercommunality Nord de la Réunion
Government
 • Mayor (2014-2020) Gilbert Annette (PS)
Area1 142.79 km2 (55.13 sq mi)
 • Metro (2010) 295.8 km2 (114.2 sq mi)
Population (Jan. 2015)2 146,985
 • Density 1,000/km2 (2,700/sq mi)
 • Metro (Jan. 2015) 202,993
 • Metro density 690/km2 (1,800/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 97411 /97400
Elevation 0–2,276 m (0–7,467 ft)
(avg. 23 m or 75 ft)
Website Ville-saintdenis-reunion.fr

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Saint-Denis (French pronunciation: ​[sɛ̃.də.ni], or unofficially Saint-Denis de la Réunion for disambiguation) is the préfecture (administrative capital) of the French overseas region and department of Réunion, in the Indian Ocean. It is located at the island's northernmost point, close to the mouth of the Rivière Saint-Denis.

Saint-Denis is the most populous commune in the French overseas departments. At the 2015 census, there were 202,993 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Saint-Denis, 146,985 of whom lived in the city (commune) of Saint-Denis proper and the remainder in the neighbouring communes of Sainte-Marie and Sainte-Suzanne.[1]

Saint-Denis from the SPOT satellite

History

Saint-Denis's former city hall and the Column of Victory.

Saint-Denis was founded by Étienne Regnault in 1669 and became the capital of Réunion island in 1738.

Geography

Neighbourhoods

The town has many neighbourhoods : Le Barachois, Bellepierre, Bois-de-Nèfles, La Bretagne (Le Cerf), Le Brûlé, Les Camélias, Centre-ville, Champ-Fleuri, La Montagne(Le Colorado, Ruisseau Blanc, Saint-Bernard), Montgaillard, La Providence, La Rivière Saint-Denis (La Redoute), Ruisseau des Noirs, Saint-François, Saint-Jacques, Sainte-Clotilde (Le Butor, le Chaudron, Commune Prima, Domenjod, Le Moufia), La Source, La Trinité, Vauban

Transport and accommodation

The closest airport is Roland Garros Airport which is also the main international airport of Réunion.

The hotels in Saint-Denis include Mercure Creolia Hotel, Austral Hotel and Best Western.

Politics

Mayors

Attractions

  • Léon Dierx Museum (art gallery and museum)
  • Jardin de l'État (public gardens – includes a natural history museum)
  • Le Barachois, seafront park
  • La Roche Écrite (15 km (9 mi) south of the city), summit overlooking Saint-Denis, with impressive views over the city
  • Brasseries de Bourbon
  • The mosque Noor-e-Islam, the biggest of Reunion and the oldest existing on French soil (1905)

Economy

IBM has an office in Saint-Denis.[2]

Climate

Saint-Denis features a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am) with two distinct seasons: a hot and humid wet season from December to April and a very warm, less humid dry season for the remaining seven months of the year. Y=The dry season does typically feature relatively light rain, but it is not wet enough to be a tropical rainforest climate. During the wet season, tropical cyclones often affect the city.

Climate data for Saint-Denis, Réunion (Gillot Airport)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 35.2
(95.4)		 34.0
(93.2)		 33.1
(91.6)		 31.6
(88.9)		 30.5
(86.9)		 29.9
(85.8)		 29.0
(84.2)		 28.2
(82.8)		 29.0
(84.2)		 30.5
(86.9)		 31.8
(89.2)		 32.9
(91.2)		 35.2
(95.4)
Average high °C (°F) 30.1
(86.2)		 30.1
(86.2)		 29.7
(85.5)		 29.1
(84.4)		 27.5
(81.5)		 26.1
(79)		 25.2
(77.4)		 25.3
(77.5)		 25.8
(78.4)		 26.8
(80.2)		 28.0
(82.4)		 29.1
(84.4)		 27.7
(81.9)
Average low °C (°F) 23.5
(74.3)		 23.7
(74.7)		 23.2
(73.8)		 22.1
(71.8)		 20.6
(69.1)		 18.9
(66)		 18.1
(64.6)		 18.0
(64.4)		 18.6
(65.5)		 19.6
(67.3)		 20.9
(69.6)		 22.4
(72.3)		 20.8
(69.4)
Record low °C (°F) 18.2
(64.8)		 18.6
(65.5)		 18.4
(65.1)		 15.6
(60.1)		 15.4
(59.7)		 13.6
(56.5)		 12.9
(55.2)		 12.8
(55)		 13.0
(55.4)		 13.4
(56.1)		 15.0
(59)		 17.8
(64)		 12.8
(55)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 278.6
(10.969)		 351.0
(13.819)		 232.5
(9.154)		 154.3
(6.075)		 97.6
(3.843)		 76.9
(3.028)		 57.8
(2.276)		 57.8
(2.276)		 50.0
(1.969)		 43.4
(1.709)		 70.0
(2.756)		 188.7
(7.429)		 1,658.6
(65.303)
Average rainy days 13.30 14.33 13.03 11.30 9.60 7.17 8.83 9.60 8.07 7.13 5.93 11.13 119.42
Mean monthly sunshine hours 210.6 202.3 214.2 221.4 213.9 211.7 220.1 214.1 212.2 210.5 213.3 227.9 2,572.2
Source: Meteo France[3][4]

International relations

Cathedral of Saint Denis.

Saint-Denis, Réunion is twinned with:

People

Sentenced to exile in Réunion, the Moroccan Rais Abd el-Krim lived a few years in Saint-Denis from 1926.

Prince Bảo Vàng of Vietnam (also known as Yves Claude Vinh San) the son of Emperor Duy Tân, was born and currently resides in Saint-Denis, Réunion with his family.

Other people connected witn Saint-Denis include:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "2015 census." INSEE. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  2. ↑ "IBM Réunion." IBM. Retrieved 21 October 2009.
  3. ↑ "Données climatiques de la station de Gillot-Aeroport" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Climat La Réunion" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Villes jumelées avec la Ville de Nice" (in French). Ville de Nice. Archived from the original on 29 October 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
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