• Officially » La Réunion (French)
  • Capital » Saint-Denis

Facts

  • Reunion is an overseas department and region of the French Republic
  • Population » 860,000 people (2020)
  • Language » French

Notes

  • As La Réunion is one of the overseas départements of France, it is part of the European Union. However, it is not part of the Schengen Area.
  • There exists a cargo/passenger ferry to La Réunion from Madagascar. (Mauritius Shipping Corp.)

Geography

  • An island in the Indian Ocean in East Africa.
  • Located approximately 550 km (340 mi) east of the island of Madagascar and 175 km (109 mi) southwest of the island of Mauritius.

Climate

  • January may be very wet. Extremely humid and peak cyclone season in February and March. (Source » Lonely Planet)

Overland

  • Driving on the Right
  • The island has 395 km of national roads, including 143 km of 2×2 lanes roads, 750 km of departmental roads and 2300 km of communal roads (Source » Maki Rentals)
  • The 5 national highways around the island make it easy to navigate.
    • National road 2 is often blocked by lava flow from Piton de la Fournaise
  • The roads can be narrow and have many tight turns.
  • As La Réunion is a French overseas territory, the same rules apply as in France.

Resources