Saint-Denis, Réunion

View of the city

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 also the biggest town on the island, with several suburbs sprawling up the nearby mountain.

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.

History

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

Transportation

The closest airport is the Aéroport de la Réunion Roland Garros which is also the main international airport of Réunion.