Saint-Denis, Réunion
Saint Denis | |
|---|---|
Prefecture and commune | |
 Panoramic view of the city from the heights of Bellepierre | |
 Coat of arms | |
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show Location of Saint Denis | |
| Coordinates: 20°52′44″S 55°26′53″E / 20.8789°S 55.4481°ECoordinates: 20°52′44″S 55°26′53″E / 20.8789°S 55.4481°E | |
| Country | France |
| Overseas region and department | Réunion |
| Arrondissement | Saint-Denis |
| Canton | 4 cantons |
| Intercommunality | Nord de la Réunion |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Ericka Bareigts[1] (PS) |
| Area 1 | 142.79 km2 (55.13 sq mi) |
| • Metro (2020) | 547.8 km2 (211.5 sq mi) |
| Population (Jan. 2018)[2] | 150,535 |
| • Density | 1,100/km2 (2,700/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 309,635 |
| • Metro density | 570/km2 (1,500/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+04:00 |
| 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. | |
Saint-Denis (/ˌsæ̃dəˈniː/, French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ dəni], unofficially Saint-Denis de La Réunion for disambiguation; Reunionese Creole: Sin-Dni) is the préfecture (administrative capital) of the French overseas department and region 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 and the twentieth most populous in all of France. At the 2018 census, there were 309,635 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Saint Denis (as defined by INSEE),[4] 150,535 of whom lived in the city (commune) of Saint-Denis proper and the remainder in the neighbouring communes of La Possession, Sainte-Marie, Sainte-Suzanne, Saint-André, and Bras-Panon.[3]
History[]
Saint-Denis was founded by Étienne Regnault in 1669 and became the capital of Réunion in 1738.
Geography[]
The city is located on the north end of the island, and was a port. Saint Denis was "originally the main port of Réunion, but an artificial harbour at Le Port, on the northwest coast, replaced it in the 1880s, because of unpredictable winds and tides at Saint-Denis." The city includes some of the island's mountains, with a peak elevation of 2,276 meters (7,467 ft) within the metro area, which begins at sea level at the coast line.[5]
The city 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
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 drier season for the remaining seven months of the year, with July to October qualifying as true dry season months. 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.
| hideClimate data for Saint-Denis, Réunion (Gillot Airport) (1981−2010 normals, extremes 1953−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) |
32.7 (90.9) |
30.6 (87.1) |
29.9 (85.8) |
29.0 (84.2) |
28.2 (82.8) |
29.2 (84.6) |
30.5 (86.9) |
31.8 (89.2) |
34.5 (94.1) |
35.2 (95.4) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 30.0 (86.0) |
30.0 (86.0) |
29.8 (85.6) |
29.1 (84.4) |
27.5 (81.5) |
26.1 (79.0) |
25.2 (77.4) |
25.3 (77.5) |
25.9 (78.6) |
26.9 (80.4) |
28.1 (82.6) |
29.1 (84.4) |
27.7 (81.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.6 (79.9) |
26.7 (80.1) |
26.4 (79.5) |
25.5 (77.9) |
23.9 (75.0) |
22.4 (72.3) |
21.6 (70.9) |
21.6 (70.9) |
22.1 (71.8) |
23.2 (73.8) |
24.4 (75.9) |
25.7 (78.3) |
24.2 (75.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 23.2 (73.8) |
23.5 (74.3) |
23.0 (73.4) |
22.0 (71.6) |
20.3 (68.5) |
18.7 (65.7) |
17.9 (64.2) |
17.8 (64.0) |
18.3 (64.9) |
19.5 (67.1) |
20.7 (69.3) |
22.3 (72.1) |
20.6 (69.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 18.2 (64.8) |
18.6 (65.5) |
18.4 (65.1) |
15.6 (60.1) |
15.3 (59.5) |
13.6 (56.5) |
12.9 (55.2) |
12.8 (55.0) |
13.0 (55.4) |
13.4 (56.1) |
15.0 (59.0) |
17.8 (64.0) |
12.8 (55.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 278.6 (10.97) |
351.0 (13.82) |
232.5 (9.15) |
154.3 (6.07) |
97.6 (3.84) |
76.9 (3.03) |
57.8 (2.28) |
57.8 (2.28) |
50.0 (1.97) |
43.4 (1.71) |
70.0 (2.76) |
188.7 (7.43) |
1,658.6 (65.30) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 13.3 | 14.3 | 13.0 | 11.3 | 9.6 | 7.2 | 8.8 | 9.6 | 8.1 | 7.1 | 5.9 | 11.1 | 119.4 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 216.6 | 194.7 | 215.3 | 220.0 | 212.6 | 215.8 | 221.7 | 210.9 | 208.1 | 210.3 | 211.2 | 219.7 | 2,556.9 |
| Source: Meteo France[6] | |||||||||||||
Demography[]
Saint-Denis is the most populous commune in the French overseas departments. The population of St Denis has grown substantially since 1954, both in the commune and the metropolitan area. In the 64 years from 1954 to the census in 2018, population has more than tripled. The annual rate of population growth has been lower in the 21st century than in the 20th century.
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The places of birth of the 304,223 residents in the Saint-Denis metropolitan area at the 2015 census were the following:[8]
- 81.1% were born in Réunion
- 11.1% in Metropolitan France
- 1.1% in Mayotte
- 0.3% in other parts of Overseas France
- 6.4% in foreign countries (notably Madagascar, the Union of the Comoros, and Mauritius); half of them were immigrants and the other half were children of French citizens born abroad (children of Réunionese settlers in Madagascar for example)
Transport and accommodation[]
The closest airport is Roland Garros Airport, 7 km east of the city in Sainte-Marie, Réunion, which is also the main international airport of Réunion. Air Austral is the regional air carrier, with its Indian Ocean hub located at the airport. The airline has begun serving some cities in mainland France. Five or six other airlines serve the airport. There is a good road network in Saint-Denis.
The hotels in Saint-Denis include , and Best Western.
Mayors[]
- 2020–present: Ericka Bareigts, PS[9]
- 2008–2020: Gilbert Annette, PS
- 2001–2008: René-Paul Victoria, UMP
- 1994–2001: , PS
- 1989–1994: Gilbert Annette, PS
- 1969–1989: Auguste Legros, RPR
Culture[]
- (art gallery and museum)
- Jardin de l'État (public gardens – includes a natural history museum)
- , seafront park
- (15 km (9 mi) south of the city), summit overlooking Saint-Denis, with impressive views over the city
- Brasseries de Bourbon
Places of worship[]
Among the places of worship, they are predominantly Christian churches and temples : Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Denis de La Réunion (Catholic Church), Assemblies of God.[10] There are also Muslim mosques.
Education[]
The University of Reunion Island admits 15,000 students each year, with 6 campus sites in Saint-Denis.[11] Course work is aligned with European standards for university education. There is a school of engineering as well. The language is French, and there are connection with educational institutions in France on the continent of Europe.
The commune maintains various elementary schools for each sector.[12]
Economy[]
IBM has an office in Saint-Denis.[13] The island began organizing to be a digital hub for nearby African nations, relying on its two undersea cables for good internet connections.[14] The potential for services would alter the island's economy, now reliant on sugar, an agricultural product. The University in Saint-Denis has programs to educate the young population in digital skills.[14] New businesses are forming to serve the needs of airlines for software.[14]
International relations[]
Saint Denis, Réunion is twinned with:
Notable residents[]
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 with Saint Denis include:
- Félix Guyon (1831–1920), urologist
- Édouard Hervé (1835–1899), journalist and academician
- Juliette Dodu (1848–1909), resistant to the war of 1870
- Ambroise Vollard (1866–1939), art dealer and gallery
- Raymond Vergès (1882–1957), mayor of the town, founder of Témoignages
- Roland Garros (1888–1918), aviator
- Émile Hugot (1904–1993), industrialist in sugarcane
- Jean-Henri Azéma (1913–2000), poet
- Raymond Barre 1924–2007, politician
- Daniel Sangouma (1965), sprinter
- Gérald De Palmas (1967), singer
- Surya Bonaly (1973), International Olympic Skater
- Willy Grondin (1974), football player
- Daniel Narcisse (1979), International handball
- Valérie Gauvin (1996), football player
- Julienne Salvat (1932–2019), teacher, poet, femme de lettres, actress
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
- ^ "Populations légales 2018". INSEE. 28 December 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Historique des populations légales" [History of the legal population]. INSEE. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Base des aires d'attraction des villes 2020". INSEE. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ Tikkanen, Amy (21 June 2019). "Saint-Denis". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
- ^ "Statistiques 1981−2010 et records GILLOT−AEROPORT (974)" (PDF) (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Populations communales de 1876 à 2018, INSEE
- ^ "Recensement de la population de 2015 - Individus localisés au canton-ou-ville en 2015". INSEE. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ "Résultats du premier tour et second tour des élections à Saint-Denis". Le Monde. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ Melton, J. Gordon; Baumann, Martin, eds. (2010). "Réunion". Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices. 5. ABC-Clio. pp. 2411–2412. ISBN 978-1-59884-204-3. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ "University of Reunion Island". Retrieved 14 June 2019.
- ^ "L'école" (in French). Commune of Saint Denis. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- ^ "IBM Réunion". IBM. Retrieved 21 October 2009.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Shapshak, Toby (1 December 2016). "How Reunion Is Reinventing Itself As A Digital Hub". Forbes. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
- ^ "Villes jumelées avec la Ville de Nice" (in French). Ville de Nice. Archived from the original on 29 October 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saint-Denis (Réunion). |
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Saint-Denis. |
- Saint Denis Official website (in French)
- Tourism Réunion office website (in French)
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- Saint-Denis, Réunion
- Communes of Réunion
- Prefectures in France
- Cities in France
- Capitals in Africa
- Populated places established in 1669
- 1669 establishments in Africa
- 1669 establishments in the French colonial empire