La Possession () is a
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
in the
French overseas department of
Réunion. It is located on the northwest side of the island of Réunion, between the capital of
Saint-Denis and the commune of
Le Port.
To the territory of this commune belongs the major part of the
Cirque of
Mafate
The ''Cirque de Mafate'' is a caldera on Réunion Island (France; located in the Indian Ocean). It was formed from the collapse of the large shield volcano the ''Piton des Neiges''.
The very remote and inaccessible cirque was settled in the 19 ...
, a caldera of the dormant
Piton des Neiges
The Piton des Neiges (Snow Peak) is a massive 3,069 m (10,069 ft) shield volcano on Réunion, one of the French volcanic islands in the Mascarene Archipelago in the southwestern Indian Ocean. It is located about east of Madagascar ...
volcano. It is part of the
Réunion National Park.
History
The territory of the commune of La Possession belonged to the commune of
Saint-Paul until 1895.
In 1675 the first settlements were led by Jean Marquet (a creek was named for him). In 1699 sugar cane concessions were attributed to Texer de Mota, a Portuguese from India
From 1730-1767 construction of ''Chemin Crémont'' created the first paved walkway to the capital
Saint-Denis. In 1797 the Rivière des Galets concession was attributed to Dr Rivière.
In 1833 a chapel was constructed, later replaced by a church. 1834: Still belonging to the commune of
Saint-Paul, Réunion
Saint-Paul () is the second-largest Commune in France, commune in the France, French Département d'outre-mer, overseas department of Réunion. It is located on the extreme west side of the island of Réunion.
Until 1999, near Saint Paul there w ...
the territory of the futur commune becomes special section. From 1849–1854 ''La route de la Montagne'' (Mountain road) was built; the first reliable road connection to
Saint-Denis.
In 1860 the lazaret of
La Grande Chaloupe was constructed, which became the quarantine station of
Réunion. In 1882 the railway
Saint-Denis -
Saint-Pierre and the harbour of
Le Port were constructed. In 1886 the first steamers enter the new
Pointe des Galets harbour. 1890 saw the creation of the La Possession commune. In 1895 part of the territory at the
Pointe des Galets was split off to become the commune of
Le Port.
In 1976 the new coastal highway to
Saint-Denis was opened along with the closure of the railway Saint-Denis - Le Port
Demographics
Geography
Most of the caldera of
Mafate
The ''Cirque de Mafate'' is a caldera on Réunion Island (France; located in the Indian Ocean). It was formed from the collapse of the large shield volcano the ''Piton des Neiges''.
The very remote and inaccessible cirque was settled in the 19 ...
belongs to the commune. Hiking trails connect Dos d'Âne via the river valley of
Rivière des Galets to
Grand Place and other îlets. Other trails connect La Possession to Saint-Denis, via
La Grande Chaloupe.
At La Grande Chaloupe the partly restored
lazaretto
A lazaretto or lazaret (from it, lazzaretto a diminutive form of the Italian word for beggar cf. lazzaro) is a quarantine station for maritime travellers. Lazarets can be ships permanently at anchor, isolated islands, or mainland buildings ...
and the former train station can be visited. They have exhibitions about the history of the Réunion railroad, the lazaretto and engagement in Réunion.
Hotels
Local hotels include:
Tourism Office
* Lodge Roche Tamarin
* Le Pilon D'or
Climate
La Possession has a subtropical highland climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...
(Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
''Cwb''). The average annual temperature in La Possession is . The average annual rainfall is with February as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in February, at around , and lowest in July, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in La Possession was on 2 March 2010; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 29 July 1986.
Education
Three collèges
In France, secondary education is in two stages:
* ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15.
* ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children between ...
and one lycée support the commune:
* Collèg
Jean Albany
with 1130 students (2005)
* Collèg
Texeira da Motta
* Collèg
R.Verges
with 740 students (2005)
* Lycé
Moulin Joli
with 1060 students (2006)
Sister cities
* Port Louis
Port Louis (french: Port-Louis; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Polwi or , ) is the capital city of Mauritius. It is mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's e ...
(Mauritius)
* Villeneuve-d'Ascq
Villeneuve-d'Ascq (; pcd, Neuvile-Ask) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. With more than 60,000 inhabitants and 50,000 students, it is one of the main cities of the Métropole Européenne de Lille and the largest in area (2 ...
(Metropolitan-France)
* Antanifotsy (Madagascar)
* Foshan (China)
* Barakani (Anjouan - Comoros)
Gallery
File:Vierge.de.la.Mer.Possession05.JPG
File:Littoral-de-la-Possession-Reunion.jpg, Coastline
File:LaPossession-abris.peche.jpg, Coastline
File:Locomotive.Schneider.030T.jpg, Steam locomotive at the railroad station
File:Eglise.de.la.possession05.JPG, church
File:Reunion Mafate Marla.JPG, Mafate
The ''Cirque de Mafate'' is a caldera on Réunion Island (France; located in the Indian Ocean). It was formed from the collapse of the large shield volcano the ''Piton des Neiges''.
The very remote and inaccessible cirque was settled in the 19 ...
caldera
File:Lazaret.Gde.Chaloupe06.jpg, Lazaretto
A lazaretto or lazaret (from it, lazzaretto a diminutive form of the Italian word for beggar cf. lazzaro) is a quarantine station for maritime travellers. Lazarets can be ships permanently at anchor, isolated islands, or mainland buildings ...
of Grande Chaloupe
File:Réunion WalkingUnderTheTrees.JPG, Hiking in Mafate
The ''Cirque de Mafate'' is a caldera on Réunion Island (France; located in the Indian Ocean). It was formed from the collapse of the large shield volcano the ''Piton des Neiges''.
The very remote and inaccessible cirque was settled in the 19 ...
See also
*Communes of the Réunion department
The following is a list of the 24 communes of the Réunion (an overseas department of France), along with the arrondissement (district) in which they are located, and the intercommunality of which they are a member.
Intercommunalities:
* CASUD: ...
* Mafate
The ''Cirque de Mafate'' is a caldera on Réunion Island (France; located in the Indian Ocean). It was formed from the collapse of the large shield volcano the ''Piton des Neiges''.
The very remote and inaccessible cirque was settled in the 19 ...
valley and caldera
* La Grande Chaloupe
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Possession
Communes of Réunion