Geography of Réunion

Rivière des Marsouins – Grand Étang Important Bird Area is an 1,800-hectare (6.9 sq mi) tract of land on the island of Réunion, a French territory in the western Indian Ocean.

Grand Étang (large pond in English) is the largest lake on the island of Réunion, a French territory in the western Indian Ocean. It lies in the commune of Saint-Benoît, close to La Plaine-des-Palmistes, in the eastern part of the island. Its inflow is a short creek from the waterfall Cascade Biberon of the Bras d'Annette creek. It was created by a lava flow acting as a natural dam afterwards. It does not have an outflow.

La Plaine-des-Palmistes (French pronunciation: [la plɛn de palmist]) is a commune in the French overseas department of Réunion.

The Col de Bellevue is a mountain pass on the RN3 road which runs across the Indian Ocean island of Réunion. At 1606 metres it is one of the highest road passes on the island, and lies between the villages of Bourg-Murat and La Plaine-des-Palmistes

Réunion, officially Department of Réunion, is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately 679 km (422 mi) east of the island of Madagascar and 175 km (109 mi) southwest of the island of Mauritius. As of January 2024, it had a population of 885,700. Its capital and largest city is Saint-Denis. Réunion was uninhabited until French immigrants and colonial subjects settled the island in the 17th century. Its tropical climate led to the development of a plantation economy focused primarily on sugar; slaves from East Africa were imported as fieldworkers, followed by Malays, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Indians as indentured laborers. Today, the greatest proportion of the population is of mixed descent, while the predominant language is Réunion Creole, though French remains the sole official language. Since 1946, Réunion has been governed as a French region and thus has a similar status to its counterparts in Metropolitan France. Consequently, it is one of the outermost regions of the European Union and part of the eurozone; it is, along with the French overseas department of Mayotte, one of the two eurozone areas in the Southern Hemisphere. Owing to its strategic location, France maintains a large military presence.

Mouth of the Cirque de Salazie Important Bird Area is a 1780 ha tract of land on the island of Réunion, a French territory in the western Indian Ocean.

Bourg-Murat is a village on the Plaine des Cafres on the French island of Réunion, lying north east of Le Tampon. It has a museum dedicated to the nearby Piton de la Fournaise volcano and is home to the Piton de la Fournaise Volcano Observatory.

Réunion National Park (French: Parc national de La Réunion) is a National Park of France located on the island of Réunion, an overseas department in the western Indian Ocean. Established on 5 March 2007, the park protects the endemic ecosystems of Les Hauts, Réunion's mountainous interior, and covers around 42% of the island. Notable endemic species include the Réunion cuckooshrike and the Reunion Island day gecko. Plans for a park date back to 1985, and in a public survey in 2004, the communes of Réunion approved the creation of a national park. It officially came into existence in 2007. The park's volcanic landscape, including the Piton de la Fournaise, an active volcano, was designated a World Heritage Site in 2010, under the name "Pitons, cirques and remparts of Reunion Island" for its imposing rugged terrain and exceptional biodiversity. The park's mission, other than preserving landscape and biodiversity, is to share knowledge and welcome visitors, and to work together with local communes. It is a popular destination for hiking and mountaineering. Controversies have emerged over economic development in the park, notably the exploitation of geothermal power. In 2016, the Regional Council of Réunion had plans to downgrade the national park to a regional nature park to ease tourism development. This was contested by the park authorities and opposition politicians.

The Piton de la Fournaise Volcano Observatory is a volcano observatory in the village of Bourg-Murat on the island of Réunion that monitors the Piton de la Fournaise shield volcano in the Indian Ocean. It is part of the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, a French governmental, non-profit research and higher education establishment located in Paris.

Commerson Crater is a caldera in the mountains of Réunion, an overseas department of France. Located in the municipal territory of Saint-Joseph, it is part of the Piton de la Fournaise, a shield volcano on the eastern end of Réunion Island, but is located outside of the Enclos Fouqué, the volcano's most recent caldera. The caldera was named in honor of Philibert Commerson, a French explorer.

Grand Bassin – Le Dimitile Important Bird Area is a 3000 ha tract of land on the island of Réunion, a French territory in the western Indian Ocean.

The Communauté intercommunale Réunion Est (CIREST) is a communauté d'agglomération, an intercommunal structure in the Réunion overseas department and region of France. It was created in December 2001. Its seat is in Saint-Benoît. Its area is 735.8 km2. Its population was 127,133 in 2017.