The small lake Étang de Bois Rouge is located in the commune.

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 average annual rainfall is 2,503.8 mm (98.57 in) with March as the wettest month.

On 29 July 2015, airliner marine debris was found on a beach in the commune, later confirmed to be a part of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 which disappeared about 4,000 km (2,500 mi) east of Réunion on 8 March 2014.