Saint-Denis, Réunion

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Coordinates: 20°52′44″S 55°26′53″E / 20.8789°S 55.4481°E / -20.8789; 55.4481

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, Réunion
Canton chef-lieu of 9 cantons
Intercommunality CINOR
Mayor Gilbert Annette (PS)
(2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation 0–2,276 m (0–7,500 ft)
(avg. 23 m/75 ft)
Land area1 142.79 km2 (55.13 sq mi)
Population2 133,700  (2004 [1])
 - Density 936 /km2 (2,420 /sq mi)
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.

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. 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 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

[edit] History

Saint-Denis from the SPOT satellite
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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Politics

[edit] Mayors


[edit] Attractions

[edit] Economy

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

[edit] International relations

[edit] Twin towns — Sister cities

Saint-Denis, Réunion is twinned with:


[edit] 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 his family.

[edit] References

  1. ^ 2004 estimate, 131,557 at the 1999 census
  2. ^ "IBM Réunion." IBM. Retrieved on 21 October 2009.

[edit] External links