Saint-Denis, Réunion

Commune of Saint-Denis

SaintDenisReunion003.jpg
Panoramic view of the city from the heights of Bellepierre.
Location
Réunion-Saint-Denis.png
Administration
Country France
Region Réunion
Department Réunion
(préfecture)
Arrondissement Saint-Denis
Canton chef-lieu of 9 cantons
Intercommunality CINOR
Mayor René-Paul Victoria
(2001-2007)
Statistics
Elevation 0 m–2 276 m
Land area¹ 142.79 km²
Population²
(Jan. 1, 2004 estimate)
(March 8, 1999 census)

133,700
131,557
 - Density 936/km² (2004)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code 97411/ 97400
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.
France

Saint-Denis (or unofficially Saint-Denis de la Réunion for disambiguation) is the préfecture (administrative capital) of the French overseas région and overseas département of Réunion, in the Indian Ocean.

Saint-Denis is the most populous commune in the French overseas departments. At the 1999 census, there were 158,139 inhabitants in the urban area of Saint-Denis, 131,557 of whom lived in the city (commune) of Saint-Denis proper and the remainder in the neighbouring commune of Sainte-Marie.

Contents

History

Saint-Denis vu par le satellite SPOT
Saint-Denis's former city hall and the Column of Victory.

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

Transport

The closest airport is Roland Garros Airport which is also the main international airport of Réunion. The Réunion Tram Train, scheduled to start construction in 2008, will link the city to the airport and to Réunion's second city, Saint-Paul.

Politics

Mayors

Sister cities

Miscellaneous

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

Prince Bao Vang of Vietnam (also known as Yves Claude Vinh San) the son of Emperor Duy Tan, was born and currently resides in Saint-Denis, Réunion with this family.

External links