Salazie is a volcanic caldera and commune (administrative division) of the Indian Ocean island of Réunion, which is an overseas department and region of France. The first settlement of the area took place in 1829 after a cyclone had devastated the nearby coast, and the municipality of Salazie was formed in 1889. The name of the commune is potentially derived from the Malagasy word salazy, meaning 'good encampment'.

Geography

Salazie lies in the middle of island, north-east of Piton des Neiges (the highest point on the island), in the Cirque de Salazie (actually a volcanic caldera). The commune is totally landlocked, and borders the communes of Bras-Panon, Cilaos, La Possession, Saint-André, Saint-Benoît, Saint-Denis, Sainte-Marie and Sainte-Suzanne.

Climate

Salazie has a subtropical highland climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb). The average annual temperature in Salazie is 16.4 C. The average annual rainfall is 3332.5 mm with February as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in January, at around 19.7 C, and lowest in July, at around 13.0 C. The highest temperature ever recorded in Salazie was 30.2 C on 16 January 2000; the coldest temperature ever recorded was 2.6 C on 19 July 1991.

Population

Personalities

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