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.
An 1816 ten-centime coin from Réunion, from when it was still called Isle de Bourbon
Statue of Mahé de La Bourdonnais in Saint-Denis
Hindu festival, 19th century
Palais de la Source, seat of the Departmental Council of Réunion
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering 70,560,000 km2 (27,240,000 sq mi) or approx. 20% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by the Southern Ocean, or Antarctica, depending on the definition in use. Along its core, the Indian Ocean has large marginal, or regional seas, such as the Andaman Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Laccadive Sea.
The ocean-floor of the Indian Ocean is divided by spreading ridges and crisscrossed by aseismic structures
A composite satellite image centred on the Indian Ocean
During summer, warm continental masses draw moist air from the Indian Ocean hence producing heavy rainfall. The process is reversed during winter, resulting in dry conditions.
Air pollution in South Asia spread over the Bay of Bengal and beyond.