Saint-André, Réunion

Saint-André
Location of Saint-André
Coordinates: 20°57′38″S 55°39′02″E / 20.9606°S 55.6506°E / -20.9606; 55.6506
CountryFrance
Overseas region and departmentRéunion
ArrondissementSaint-Benoît
CantonSaint-André-1, 2 and 3
IntercommunalityRéunion Est
Government
  Mayor (20202026) Joé Bedier
Area
1
53.07 km2 (20.49 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)
57,546
  Density1,100/km2 (2,800/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+04:00
INSEE/Postal code
97409 /97440
Elevation0–920 m (0–3,018 ft)
(avg. 90 m or 300 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Saint-André (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ ɑ̃dʁe, sɛ̃t‿ɑ̃dʁe] ) is the fifth-largest commune in the French overseas department of Réunion. It is located on the northeast part of the island of Réunion. The small lake Étang de Bois Rouge is located in the commune.

This area between the Saint-Jean and the Mât rivers has been populated since the middle of the 17th century. Indeed, the first exiles were confined to Bourbon in 1646 by Mr. Promis, governor of the French Comptoir of Fort-Dauphin, to curb their mutinous ardor. Disembarked from the Saint-Laurent, they were settled in the Quartier des Français, on the banks of the Saint-Jean River. The region of Saint-André has historically seen the landing of the first French.