Pas de Bellecombe is a mountain pass and vista point overlooking Enclos Fouqué

Enclos Fouqué

The "Enclos Fouqué"' is the most recent caldera build by the Piton de la Fournaise, the active volcano of the isle of la Réunion....

, the last caldera

Caldera

A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...

 formed by the Piton de la Fournaise

Piton de la Fournaise

Piton de la Fournaise : "Peak of the Furnace" is a shield volcano on the eastern side of Réunion island in the Indian Ocean. It is currently one of the most active volcanoes in the world, along with Kīlauea in the Hawaiian Islands , Stromboli, Etna and Mount Erebus in Antarctica...

, the active volcano on the eastern side of Réunion

Réunion

Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...

 island (a French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 department) in the Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...

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It is named after Guillaume Léonard de Bellecombe, governor of La Réunion during the 18th century

18th century

The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar.During the 18th century, the Enlightenment culminated in the French and American revolutions. Philosophy and science increased in prominence. Philosophers were dreaming about a better age without the Christian fundamentalism of...

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Location

The Pas de Bellecombe is situated over the caldera

Caldera

A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...

 rim cliffs, at a 2311 m elevation, and offers a good point of view over the northeast part of the caldera, including a small crater

Crater

Crater may refer to:In landforms:*Impact crater, caused by two celestial bodies impacting each other, such as a meteorite hitting a planet*Volcanic crater or caldera, formed by volcanic activity...

 called Formica Leo

Formica Leo

Formica Leo, named for its similar shape to the pitfall built by the antlion, is a small volcanic crater of the Piton de la Fournaise : "Peak of the Furnace", the active volcano on the eastern side of Réunion island in the Indian Ocean.It is located at the bottom of the caldera called Enclos...

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