La Possession () is a
commune in the
French overseas department
The overseas departments and regions of France (, ; DROM) are the five departments and regions of the French Republic which are located outside European France (also known as " metropolitan France"). These overseas entities have exactly the s ...
of
Réunion
Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...
. It is located in the northwestern part 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
A (; from the Latin word ) is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by Glacier#Erosion, glacial erosion. Alternative names for this landform are corrie (from , meaning a pot or cauldron) and ; ). A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landform a ...
of
Mafate, a caldera of the dormant
Piton des Neiges 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, 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
Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...
. 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 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 ( ), sometimes lazaret or lazarette ( ), is a quarantine station for maritime travelers. Lazarets can be ships permanently at anchor, isolated islands, or mainland buildings. In some lazarets, postal items were also disinfected, usu ...
and the former train station can be visited. They have exhibitions about the history of the Réunion railroad, the lazaretto and indentured servitude in Réunion.
Climate
La Possession has a
subtropical highland climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring c ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
''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 and one
lycée
In France, secondary education is in two stages:
* ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14.
* ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for students between ...
support the commune:
* Collège Jean Albany, with 1130 students (2005)
* Collège Texeira da Motta.
* Collège R.Verges, with 740 students (2005)
* Lycée Moulin Joli, with 1060 students (2006)
Sister cities
*
Port Louis
Port Louis (, ; or , ) is the capital and most populous city of Mauritius, mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's financial and political centre. It is admi ...
(Mauritius)
*
Villeneuve-d'Ascq
Villeneuve-d'Ascq (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department in northern France. With more than 60,000 inhabitants and 50,000 students, it is one of the main cities of the Métro ...
(Metropolitan-France)
*
Antanifotsy (Madagascar)
*
Foshan
Foshan (, ; Chinese: 佛山) is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. The entire prefecture covers and had a population of 9,498,863 as of the 2020 census. The city is part of the western side of the Pearl River Delta m ...
(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 caldera
File:Lazaret.Gde.Chaloupe06.jpg, Lazaretto
A lazaretto ( ), sometimes lazaret or lazarette ( ), is a quarantine station for maritime travelers. Lazarets can be ships permanently at anchor, isolated islands, or mainland buildings. In some lazarets, postal items were also disinfected, usu ...
of Grande Chaloupe
File:Réunion WalkingUnderTheTrees.JPG, Hiking in Mafate
See also
*
Communes of the Réunion department
*
Mafate valley and caldera
*
La Grande Chaloupe
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Possession
Communes of Réunion