Saint-Benoît, Réunion

Saint-Benoît (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ bənwa] ) is a commune in the French overseas department of Réunion, in the Indian Ocean. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Réunion, about 40 kilometres southeast of Saint-Denis, the capital.

Saint-Benoît
The Church of Sainte-Anne in the commune of Saint-Benoît
The Church of Sainte-Anne in the commune of Saint-Benoît
Location of Saint-Benoît
Map
Coordinates: 21°02′02″S 55°42′46″E / 21.0339°S 55.7128°E / -21.0339; 55.7128
CountryFrance
Overseas region and departmentRéunion
ArrondissementSaint-Benoît
CantonSaint-Benoît-1 and 2
IntercommunalityRéunion Est
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Patrice Selly[1]
Area
1
229.61 km2 (88.65 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
37,023
 • Density160/km2 (420/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+04:00
INSEE/Postal code
97410 /97470
Elevation0–2,520 m (0–8,268 ft)
(avg. 7 m or 23 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

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It is the second largest city of the island by its surface area. In the west of the commune lies Grand Étang, the largest lake of La Réunion. Close to the lake flows the Bras d'Annette waterfall.

Climate

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Saint-Benoît has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification Af). The climate is tropical, influenced by the winds called alizés, or trade winds. The average annual temperature in Saint-Benoît is 23.8 °C (74.8 °F). The average annual rainfall is 3,455.9 mm (136.06 in) with February as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in February, at around 26.5 °C (79.7 °F), and lowest in July, at around 21.0 °C (69.8 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Saint-Benoît was 34.1 °C (93.4 °F) on 6 February 2004; the coldest temperature ever recorded was 10.5 °C (50.9 °F) on 15 July 1991.

Climate data for Saint-Benoît (1991–2020 averages, extremes 1987−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 33.7
(92.7)
34.1
(93.4)
33.9
(93.0)
33.4
(92.1)
32.0
(89.6)
31.8
(89.2)
30.0
(86.0)
29.7
(85.5)
29.7
(85.5)
30.1
(86.2)
33.8
(92.8)
33.6
(92.5)
34.1
(93.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 30.2
(86.4)
30.5
(86.9)
30.1
(86.2)
29.3
(84.7)
27.7
(81.9)
26.0
(78.8)
25.0
(77.0)
25.2
(77.4)
25.7
(78.3)
26.6
(79.9)
27.8
(82.0)
29.3
(84.7)
27.8
(82.0)
Daily mean °C (°F) 26.3
(79.3)
26.5
(79.7)
26.1
(79.0)
25.2
(77.4)
23.6
(74.5)
21.9
(71.4)
21.0
(69.8)
21.2
(70.2)
21.7
(71.1)
22.7
(72.9)
23.8
(74.8)
25.3
(77.5)
23.8
(74.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 22.3
(72.1)
22.5
(72.5)
22.0
(71.6)
21.1
(70.0)
19.5
(67.1)
17.8
(64.0)
17.0
(62.6)
17.1
(62.8)
17.7
(63.9)
18.7
(65.7)
19.9
(67.8)
21.4
(70.5)
19.7
(67.5)
Record low °C (°F) 17.4
(63.3)
17.2
(63.0)
17.6
(63.7)
15.8
(60.4)
13.3
(55.9)
12.1
(53.8)
10.5
(50.9)
11.4
(52.5)
12.0
(53.6)
12.8
(55.0)
13.7
(56.7)
16.9
(62.4)
10.5
(50.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 469.1
(18.47)
541.0
(21.30)
535.2
(21.07)
349.4
(13.76)
260.1
(10.24)
179.2
(7.06)
178.6
(7.03)
154.6
(6.09)
144.8
(5.70)
132.6
(5.22)
181.3
(7.14)
330.0
(12.99)
3,455.9
(136.06)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 19.9 18.3 19.2 17.6 17.0 14.7 17.0 16.6 14.5 13.4 12.8 16.8 197.7
Source: Météo France[3]

Population

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1961 16,783—    
1967 19,492+2.53%
1974 21,658+1.52%
1982 23,541+1.05%
1990 26,187+1.34%
1999 31,560+2.10%
2007 33,485+0.74%
2012 36,025+1.47%
2017 37,759+0.94%
Source: SPLAF[4] and INSEE (1967-2017)[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ "climate of Saint-Benoît 1991-2020" (PDF) (in French). Météo-France. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  4. ^ SPLAF (Site sur la Population et les Limites Administratives de la France). "Agglomérations et villes de la Réunion". Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  5. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE