It would appear that the Arabs were the first to discover Reunion Island, although they never actually did anything to it.

A map, drawn up by an Arab geographer, Al Sharif el-Edrissi, in 1153, shows the three islands of the Mascareignes, as being called Dina Arobi (Mauritius), Dina Margabin (Reunion Island) and Dina Moraze (Rodrigues).

Legend has it that, among the Europeans, Portuguese sailors were the first to show signs of interest in the island.
We now know that they landed on Reunion Island on 9 February 1507, Apoline’s Saints Day and that the island was baptised Santa Apolonia. The island of Santa Apolonia was used as a stop over by the Portuguese navigators, when following the spice route, on their way to what is now known as India. This is how Diego Lopes de Sequeira landed on the island in 1509 and Pedro Mascarenhas in 1512. The discoverer Diego Fernandez Pereira signalled the existence of the island in 1516 in order that it be added to maps.

In 1520, the sailor Pedro Mascarenhas, on his way back from India in 1528, gave the archipelago of three islands the name of Islas Mascarenhas (Mascareignes in English).

On 24 March 1613, the English pirate, Blackwelle, stopped off here and called the island England’s Forest, as he found the island to be particularly woody. It seems that the island of Santa Apolonia generated so little attention that the Portuguese, Dutch and English all landed here without actually taking possession of the island.

However, Mauritius, further north, drew more interest due to its coast lines, which being more eroded and welcoming than those of Santa Apolonia, appeared as easier landing sites for the ships.

Textes : LECLERC, Jacques, « Réunion » dans L'aménagement linguistique dans le monde , Québec, TLFQ, Université Laval, 13 octobre 2006.
[http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/afrique/reunion.htm], janvier 2007, 89.3 Ko