Mafate
The Cirque de Mafate is a caldera on Réunion Island (France; located in the Indian Ocean). It was formed from the collapse of the large shield volcano the Piton des Neiges. The very remote and inaccessible cirque was settled in the 19th century by maroon slaves (i.e. slaves who had escaped from their masters), then later by poor white laborers. It owes its name to one maroon leader. Geography The cirque is entirely enclosed by mountains, especially tall cliffs, known as remparts, save for the sole river exiting, the Rivière des Galets ("river of the pebbles"). Inside the cirque, there are considerable declivities. The îlets are pieces of more-or-less flat lands, on which the hamlets are located. The name "Mafate" comes from the Malagasy word "Mahafaty", which means lethal, an allusion to the difficulty of reaching the Cirque. Population The cirque has one village, La Nouvelle, and several hamlets (fr. îlet): Marla, Roche-Plate, the Îlet-aux-Orangers, Grand Place etc. The Cirque is entirely public property, managed by the Forestry service, from which the inhabitants rent inexpensive concessions. There is no main electrical supply. Inhabitants thus produce their own electricity using solar panels (with battery storage), and occasionally diesel generators. However, fuel