Petite-Île is a commune on the southern coast of Réunion, a French overseas department.
Understand
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The commune got its name from the uninhabited islet off of its coast, the only such islet near Réunion that has vegetation. It has a population of 13,000. The main economy in the commune is agriculture-based, with cane sugar plantations, along with fruit and vegetable farming.
Climate
[edit]Petite-Île has a tropical monsoon climate, with February as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in January, at around 27 °C (81 °F), and lowest in July, at around 21 °C (70 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Petite-Île was 36.6 °C (97.9 °F), in January 2009; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −5.9 °C (21.4 °F) in August 2001.
| Climate data | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 97.9 (36.6) |
96.8 (36.0) |
95.7 (35.4) |
94.1 (34.5) |
91.6 (33.1) |
87.3 (30.7) |
89.1 (31.7) |
85.1 (29.5) |
87.3 (30.7) |
89.2 (31.8) |
92.1 (33.4) |
96.1 (35.6) |
97.9 (36.6) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 88.7 (31.5) |
88.3 (31.3) |
87.3 (30.7) |
84.7 (29.3) |
81.3 (27.4) |
77.5 (25.3) |
75.9 (24.4) |
76.4 (24.7) |
78.3 (25.7) |
81.3 (27.4) |
84.6 (29.2) |
87.6 (30.9) |
82.6 (28.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 81.3 (27.4) |
81.1 (27.3) |
80.4 (26.9) |
78.1 (25.6) |
75.0 (23.9) |
71.6 (22.0) |
69.8 (21.0) |
70.0 (21.1) |
71.4 (21.9) |
73.9 (23.3) |
76.8 (24.9) |
79.9 (26.6) |
75.7 (24.3) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 73.9 (23.3) |
74.1 (23.4) |
73.4 (23.0) |
71.4 (21.9) |
68.5 (20.3) |
65.5 (18.6) |
63.9 (17.7) |
63.7 (17.6) |
64.4 (18.0) |
66.6 (19.2) |
69.1 (20.6) |
72.3 (22.4) |
68.9 (20.5) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 67.5 (19.7) |
67.8 (19.9) |
67.5 (19.7) |
65.5 (18.6) |
60.8 (16.0) |
58.3 (14.6) |
59.2 (15.1) |
56.5 (13.6) |
58.5 (14.7) |
58.8 (14.9) |
61.7 (16.5) |
66.2 (19.0) |
56.5 (13.6) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 6.4 (160) |
7.4 (190) |
7.8 (200) |
7.2 (180) |
5.4 (140) |
4.7 (120) |
5.3 (130) |
2.8 (71) |
2.5 (64) |
2.0 (51) |
2.3 (58) |
3.6 (91) |
57.4 (1,460) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.04 in) | 9.5 | 11.6 | 12.2 | 10.9 | 11.2 | 12.7 | 13.3 | 9.3 | 6.5 | 5.6 | 4.5 | 6.2 | 113.4 |
| Source: Climate of Petite-Île 1991–2020, Météo France; last accessed September 1, 2022 | |||||||||||||
Get in
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The commune is bordered by the communes of Saint-Joseph to the east and Saint-Pierre to the west. Le Tampon is 10 km to the north-west
Get around
[edit]See
[edit]Do
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- 1 Piton Grande Anse (there is a path from Grande Anse Beach). A breathtaking panorama awaits you at the end of the path, and for the lucky ones, you have the possibility to glimpse the whale migration between June and September.
- 2 Grande Anse Beach. This beautiful bay looks southwest across the Indian Ocean, nestled at the foot of the Piton Grande Anse, with a long, thin beach of relatively flat coral white sands sheltered by coconut palms along over 520 m (1,710 ft) of coastline. The beach is particularly appreciated for its beauty, lush vegetation, and the massifs present along the bay's shores. However, swimming is prohibited because of the constant swell and the presence of sharks, but a natural pool has been set up a little further south of the island for those who desire.
The Grande Anse site, has a park, green spaces, picnic areas equipped with barbecue, a boules pitch, a large parking area, toilet blocks, as well as a restaurant and bar trucks are available for visitors who want to eat quickly.
Being a popular spot, especially at weekends, visitors are advised to arrive as early as possible.
