IN THE MIDDLE OF THE basalt plain surrounding one of the most active volcanoes in the world, the Piton de la Fournaise (literally “peak of the furnace”), there is an exceptional rocky formation. The Formica Léo is made out of millions of small basalt pebbles of different tints, from glossy black to rocky red. Its color tends to change as the pebbles shift under the strong winds or the visitor’s feet.

Formica Léo was named for its appearance, which is similar to an antlion’s sand pit trap. The geological formation is made up of two overlapping craters: the crater to the southeast is larger and deeper, measuring 40 meters (131) in diameter and 15 meters (50 feet) deep, while the northwest crater is smaller and shallower at 22 meters (72 feet) in diameter and five meters (16 feet) deep.

The earliest records of Formica Léo dates back to the 18th century. According to one report, a bounty hunter in Réunion claimed to have directly witnessed its formation during an eruption of Piton de la Fournaise in the 1750s. The first person known to have approached the crater was Joseph Hubert, who gave the structure its insect-inspired name during a crossing of the Enclos Fouqué caldera in 1768. Several decades later, in 1801, French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent wrote the first general scientific description of the Piton de la Fournaise after climbing to the top of the volcano.

It is still not certain how it was formed, even though the numerous volcanologists of the island have a lot of theories.

Tourism in the area centers around the coastal regions of Réunion, but at the island’s center is one of its most extraordinary sites, a canyon that reaches nearly a quarter mile (300 meters) into the Earth, ringed by a chorus of six tall waterfalls. Trou de Fer (the “Iron Hole”) is a collapsed crater of an ancient volcano, fed by bubbling rivers and streams, but dangerous to descend.

So rugged is the terrain at Trou de Fer, and so rain-soaked most of the year, the deep chasm wasn’t fully explored until 1989. Not that climbers hadn’t tried to reach its depths—they just never made it back out. Today it is a relatively easy hike to get there, just a couple of miles of well-groomed trails with a viewing platform at the end. From the high vantage point, you can see the surrounding mountains, tropical forests, and all the waterfalls that make their way to the bottom.

I found UNESCO World Heritage there

The Pitons, cirques and remparts of Reunion Island site coincides with the core zone of La Réunion National Park. The property covers more than 100,000 ha or 40 % of La Réunion, an island comprising two adjoining volcanic massifs located in the south-west of the Indian Ocean. Dominated by two towering volcanic peaks, massive walls and three cliff-rimmed cirques, the property includes a great variety of rugged terrain and impressive escarpments, forested gorges and basins creating a visually striking landscape. It is the natural habitat for a wide diversity of plants, presenting a high level of endemism. There are subtropical rainforests, cloud forests and heaths creating a remarkable and visually appealing mosaic of ecosystems and landscape features.

another version

AS YOU MAKE YOUR WAY through the unique landscape of Piton des Neiges, there is something about the harsh and dramatic terrain that feels acutely prehistoric.

This ancient volcano, located in the north-central region of France’s Réunion Island, formed around two million years ago—a million years after the formation of the island itself—and has now been dormant for more than 20,000 years.

At 3,069 meters (10,069 feet), the Piton des Neiges is not only Réunion’s most prominent geological feature, but also considered the highest peak in the Indian Ocean. Piton des Neiges translates to “Snow Peak,” though you won’t be seeing any snow atop this dark, hulking, and slowly eroding volcano except for a rare dusting.

Réunion, which is an overseas region and department of France (and thus a far-flung piece of the Eurozone), is part of the Mascarene Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. The island has only been home to humans since the 17th century, and due to its remote location, has a unique biological makeup; on the lower slopes of the Piton des Neiges, you’ll find a biological reserve.

The entire volcano belongs to the island’s national park, and more adventurous visitors even use the Piton’s peak as a launch point for paragliding flights. The elderly volcano enjoys the close companionship of the Piton de la Fournaise (“Peak of the Furnace”), which unlike Piton des Neiges, is highly active and has erupted more than 150 times in the last few centuries.

The volcano is surrounded by the Cirques (Cirque de Mafat, Cirque de Salazie, and Cirque de Cilaos), three enormous crater valleys that offer starting points for hikes up to the island’s highest point. Hikers will often start their long trek to the island’s ultimate vantage point while it is still dark out in order to catch the sunrise over Réunion as fluffy clouds meander through the jagged valleys and ridge lines below. Cumulous clouds form often and quickly up in the region’s higher elevations, generally shrouding the upper peaks by late morning.

also

The site has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it supports a large breeding colony of Barau's petrels (3000–5000 breeding pairs) as well as populations of Réunion bulbuls, Mascarene white-eyes, Réunion olive white-eyes and Réunion stonechats.

Il faut proposer quelque chose qui peut représenter ton pays. Une effigie, monument, objet culturel... Qu'importe. Prends juste le temps de voir quelque chose t'intéressant à proposer et tu pourras au moins espérer quelque chose. Bonne chance.

Hello, I have not been registered for a long time on your application which I find brilliant and the idea of the stamps great.

Unfortunately, while going around the stamps that were available, living in the Indian Ocean area, I noticed that there was Madagascar and even more so Mauritius, which is our neighbouring island located 226 km from the island on which I am and from which I geolocated myself to register on your application and therefore recognized, I was surprised not to have found the stamp of Reunion.

I can understand and it is quite legitimate that the stamp is currently not yet among the others on offer. I am already reassured by the consideration of my Feedback to have in the near future (soon) the possibility of buying myself a stamp denominated "La Réunion".

To define in a few words what could represent our island of Reunion, it is the sea, the sun present the 12 months of the year, these beautiful mountains, the still active volcano and the beautiful Paille-en-queues which furrows its sky when the weather is nice. Thank you for your application it is super beautiful!

thank you for listening to your users and thank you in advance for considering my request.

Sincerely, Dominique, Pseudo Payanké on the application.