Réunion

Réunion (French: La Réunion) is an island and overseas département (département d'outre-mer, or DOM) of France, located in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar, about 200 km southwest of Mauritius. Like the other DOMs, Réunion is also one of the 26 régions of France with much the same status as those situated on the European mainland.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Réunion

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The island is 39 miles (63 kilometers) long, is 28 miles (45 kilometers) wide, and covers 970 square miles (2150 square kilometres). The island is similar to the big island of Hawaii because both are located above hotspots in the Earth's crust.

Related Topics:
Island - Mile - Kilometer - Square mile - Square kilometre - Hawaii - Hotspot

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Piton de la Fournaise, a shield volcano on the eastern end of Réunion Island, rises more than 8565 feet (2611 meters) above sea level and is sometimes called a sister to Hawaiian volcanoes because of the similarity of climate and volcanic nature, has erupted more than 100 times since 1640 and is under constant monitoring. It most recently erupted on August 13, 2004. La Fournaise is created by a hot spot volcano, which also created the Piton des Neiges and the islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues.

Related Topics:
Piton de la Fournaise - Shield volcano - August 13 - 2004 - Piton des Neiges - Mauritius - Rodrigues

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Piton des Neiges volcano, the highest point on the island at 10069 feet (3070 meters) above sea level, is northwest of Piton de la Fournaise volcano. Collapsed calderas and canyons are southwest of the mountain. Like Mauna Kea on the big island of Hawaii, Piton des Neiges is extinct. Despite its name, snow practically never falls on the summit.

Related Topics:
Piton des Neiges - Mauna Kea - Big island of Hawaii - Snow

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The slopes of both volcanoes are heavily forested. Cultivated land and cities like the capital city of Saint-Denis are concentrated on the surrounding coastal lowlands.

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Réunion also has three cirques, which are similar to corries: the cirque of Salazie, the cirque of Cilaos and the cirque of Mafate. The latter is accessible only by foot or helicopter.

Related Topics:
Cirques - Corrie - Salazie - Cilaos - Mafate

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