Réunion

Réunion

Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...

 possesses a network of highway

Highway

A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...

s, which cover a total distance of 2,784km. Of that length, 2,187 km of the road system is paved. There are no roads going into the cirque

Cirque

Cirque may refer to:* Cirque, a geological formation* Makhtesh, an erosional landform found in the Negev desert of Israel and Sinai of Egypt*Cirque , an album by Biosphere* Cirque Corporation, a company that makes touchpads...

 of Mafate, thus transportation there has to take place by foot or helicopter

Helicopter

A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...

.

Sea

In terms of sea travel, there are two major ports in Réunion: Le Port

Le Port, Réunion

Le Port is a commune in the French overseas department of Réunion. It is located at the extreme northwest corner of the island of Réunion. In the 1999 census, Le Port had a population of 38,412...

 and Pointe des Galets

Pointe des Galets

The Pointe des Galets is a cape in the north-west of the island of Réunion, heading on the Indian Ocean. It is now entirely occupied by the town centre of Le Port, Réunion....

. Réunion possesses a merchant marine of one ship with a weight exceeding 1,000GRT

Gross Register Tonnage

Gross register tonnage a ship's total internal volume expressed in "register tons", one of which equals to a volume of . It is calculated from the total permanently enclosed capacity of the vessel. The ship's net register tonnage is obtained by reducing the volume of non-revenue-earning spaces i.e...

, which is a chemical tanker.

Airports

There are two airport

Airport

An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...

s on the island, of which both have paved runways. The main airport is the international Roland Garros Airport

Roland Garros Airport

Roland Garros Airport , formerly known as Gillot Airport, is located in Sainte-Marie on Réunion, The airport is east of Saint-Denis; it is named for the French aviator Roland Garros who was born in Saint-Denis....

 located close to Saint Denis

Saint-Denis, Réunion

Saint-Denis is the préfecture of the French overseas region and department of Réunion, in the Indian Ocean. It is located at the island's northernmost point, close to the mouth of the Rivière Saint-Denis....

 and the second one is the Aéroport de Pierrefond, located near Saint-Pierre

Saint-Pierre, Réunion

Saint-Pierre is the third-largest commune in the French overseas department of Réunion. It is located on the southwest side of the island of Réunion.-External links:*...

 in the south of the island.

Railways

There are no railways in Réunion, with the exception of a short tourist line, which was originally part of a larger rail network. A new 70 km tram-train

Réunion Tram Train

The Réunion Tram Train is a planned tram-train line to run approximately 140 kilometres along the coast of Réunion. Construction of the first phase was scheduled to start in 2010, for opening in 2013. The Tram'Tiss consortium is preferred bidder for a PPP concession to develop the line...

is planned to open in 2014.

External links

• Aéroport Roland Garros (Main airport)
• Images of tourist railway