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Antananarivo

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: African Geography

   Location of Antananarivo in Madagascar

   Antanànarìvo (pronounced IPA [æntəˌnænəˈɹiːvoʊ] or
   [ɑːntəˌnɑːnəˈɹiːvoʊ]), population 1,403,449 ( 2001 census), is the
   capital of Madagascar, in Antananarivo province.

Location

   Also known by its French name Tananarive or by its colloquial
   short-hand form Tana, Antanànarìvo is situated in the centre of the
   island length-wise, and 90 miles away from the eastern coast. The city
   occupies a commanding position, being built on the summit and slopes of
   a long and narrow rocky ridge, which extends north and south for about
   2½ miles and rising at its highest point to 690 ft. above the extensive
   rice plain to the west, which is itself 4060 ft. above sea-level. It is
   Madagascar's largest city and is its administrative, communications,
   and economic centre. The city is located at 18°55' South, 47°31' East
   (-18.916667, 47.516667), 135 miles west-southwest of Tamatave, the
   principal seaport of the island, with which it is connected by railway,
   and for about 60 miles along the coastal lagoons, a service of small
   steamers. Industries include food products, cigarettes, and textiles.

History

   A theater in Antananarivo around 1905
   Enlarge
   A theatre in Antananarivo around 1905

   Antananarivo was founded about 1625 by king Andrianjaka and takes its
   name (the City of the Thousand) from the number of soldiers Andrianjaka
   assigned to guarding it. For a long time it was the principal village
   of the Hova chiefs, Antananarivo became more important as those chiefs
   made themselves sovereigns of the greater part of Madagascar, until it
   became a town of some 80,000 inhabitants. In 1793 it was made the
   capital of the Merina kings. The conquests of King Radama I made
   Antananarivo the capital of almost all of Madagascar.Until 1869 all
   buildings within the city proper were of wood or rushes, but even then
   it possessed several timber palaces of considerable size, the largest
   being 120 ft. high. These crown the summit of the central portion of
   the ridge; and the largest palace, with its lofty roof and towers, is
   the most conspicuous object from every point of view.
   Antananarivo, Madagascar
   Enlarge
   Antananarivo, Madagascar

   Since the introduction of stone and brick, the whole city has been
   rebuilt and now contains numerous structures of some architectural
   pretension, the royal palaces, the houses formerly belonging to the
   prime minister and nobles, the French residency, the Anglican and Roman
   Catholic cathedrals, several stone churches, as well as others of
   brick, colleges, schools, hospitals, courts of justice and other
   government buildings, and hundreds of good dwellings.

Present day

   Antananarivo, Madagascar
   Enlarge
   Antananarivo, Madagascar

   The city was captured by the French in 1895 and incorporated into their
   Madagascar protectorate. Since the French conquest, good roads have
   been constructed throughout the city, broad flights of steps connect
   places too steep for the formation of carriage roads, and the central
   space, called Andohalo, has become a handsome place, with walks and
   terraces, flower-beds and trees. A small park has been laid out near
   the residency, and the planting of trees and the formation of gardens
   in various parts of the city give it a bright and attractive
   appearance. Water is obtained from springs at the foot of the hill, but
   it is proposed to bring an abundant supply from the river Ikopa, which
   skirts the capital to the south and west. The city is guarded by two
   forts built on hills to the east and south-west respectively. Including
   an Anglican and a Roman Catholic cathedral, there are about fifty
   churches in the city and its suburbs, as well as a Muslim mosque.
   Antananarivo is home of the University of Madagascar and the Collège
   Rural d'Ambatobe.

   In the colonial period and for some years after independence, the
   spelling Tananarive was used rather than Antananarivo.
   Antananarivo seen from the North-East
   Enlarge
   Antananarivo seen from the North-East

Sister cities

     * Armenia Yerevan, Armenia

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