Antananarivo

Antananarivo (Tananarive, in French) is the capital of Madagascar, as well as the province of the same name. It has a population of 1,403,449 inhabitants (2001), which makes it the most populous city in the country. The city is located in the center of the island, about 145 km from the eastern coast, which is the closest. Today, the city is a modern capital, as well as the main administrative, economic, demographic and judicial center of Madagascar.

Etymology

The name literally means "In the City of a Thousand" in Malagasy, compound formed by the locative prefix A-, tanana meaning "city" or "village" and arivo, "mil", (although the correct form would be Atnànan'ny Arivolahy) because of the number of soldiers that formed its first garnish.

Indeed, according to oral tradition, the king of Imerina, Andrianjaka (17th century), asked a thousand warriors to seize and protect the royal domain on the hill of Analamanga. Fact that other sources assign to Radama I, the first Malagasy king, which seems improbable due to the chronology. The hill and the city kept the name of Analamanga until the reign of Andriamasinavalona, who gave them the current name in honor of those thousand warriors.

However, not all researchers accept this legend; it is possible that the original name was Antaninarivo, "in the land of the people", and Andriamasinavalona called it Atnànan'ny Arivolahy, from where it came the hybrid form Antananarivo by popular etymology.

By Malagasy apheresis, in French it was called: Tananarive with omission of the locative, and sometimes simply: Tana.

History

The city was founded around 1625, from a fort defended by about a thousand men (hence its name). In 1710, the king of the city divided it into four parts, with which he presented each of their children. In 1777, the first European (of French origin) visited the city and wrote a short history about it. In 1794, the unity of the city was restored, and later, in 1797, it became the capital of the Merina kingdom. The conquests of King Radama I made the city the capital of almost the entire island.

In 1832, the French arrived on the island, under the command of Jean Laborde. In 1839 the construction of the royal palace began. In 1849 a persecution of Christians began, ordered by Queen Ranavalona I, for which anyone who did not renounce Christianity would die. The reign of Ranavalona I was succeeded by several short-lived reigns: King Radama II (1862-1863), Queen Rasoherina (1863-1868), Queen Ranavalona II (1868-1883), and Queen Ranavalona III (1883-1895).). These reigns meant the return of architects, missionaries and teachers to the city.

On September 29, 1895, the city was conquered by France, ending the reign of Ranavalona III. On August 6, 1896, the island of Madagascar was declared a French colony, and later on September 16, after the arrival of Joseph Gallieni, the city became the capital of the Madagascar protectorate during the French colonial era. Beginning with the French conquest of Madagascar, main and secondary roads were built in the country and the city. The central space of the city, called Andohalo, was remodeled with promenades and terraces, flower boxes and trees. Thus, its status as capital resulted in the improvement of its streets and buildings and the construction of some of its most emblematic places, such as the Faculty of Medicine in 1897 or the Pasteur Institute of medical assistance in 1899.

In 1947, a very bloody rebellion against the French began in the country, whose casualties numbered in the thousands (the exact number was never disclosed), which ended in 1960 with the country's independence. After the proclamation of independence, Antananarivo became the national capital of the Malagasy state.

The Rova Palace, in ruins since the 1995 fire, dominates one of the twelve hills of Antananarivo.

On November 6, 1995, a fire destroyed the most emblematic building of the city, the Rova ("palace" in Malagasy), a former royal palace of the Merina dynasty, located on top of one of the hills from the city. The fire destroyed a very important part of the Malagasy cultural heritage. In addition to many documents and works of art, the flames devastated the tombs of all the Merino kings and queens, except one. The commotion caused by the fire was aggravated by the discovery that it had been set, which raised inter-ethnic tension in Madagascar between the Merina, of Polynesian origin, and the population of the mixed ethnic origin (African and Polynesian) of the coastal areas, who traditionally She has felt discriminated against by the Merina. Since then, the Rova has been partially rebuilt.

Economy

Farming fields on the outskirts of the city

Antananarivo is the economic, administrative and communications center of the country. Among its main industries are the textile industry and the tobacco industry, although as in the rest of the country the agricultural and livestock plantations that are located on the outskirts of the city are also important. Because the city is so important at the national level, in its markets you can find products from all parts of the country. Ivato International Airport is the best and busiest airport in the country.

Transportation

The city has road communications with other major cities in the country such as Toamasina. It also has railways and the Ivato International Airport which, with more than 1,500,000 passengers, is the most important airport in the country and provides the city with domestic flights with different regions of Madagascar, as well as international routes to Paris, Johannesburg, Nairobi and other major African cities.

Administration

The mayor of the city is Andry Rajoelina. The city of Antananarivo is divided into six arrondissements, or districts. Each of these districts is governed by a delegate. In turn, these districts are subdivided into neighborhoods.

• The I arrondissement has an area of 8,92 km2. In it resides 21 % of the population of Antananarivo. Its limits are: to the north, the district of Antohomadinika; to the south the district of Ambatovinaky; to the east beautiful with the neighborhood of Ampandrana; and to the west, with Andohatapenaka I. Forty and four are the neighborhoods that make up this district. The delegate of the I arrondissement is Serge Rakotomavo.

View of the old square where the market «Zoma» was located.

• The II arrondissement occupies an area of 23,05 km2. It welcomes 13 % of the local population. It borders north with the Ampasanimalo neighborhood, south with Androndrakely, east with the Ambolokandrina neighborhood and finally west with Manjakamiadana. The district is made up of twenty-four neighborhoods. The delegate of the II arrondissement is Sabin Randriambolona.
• The III arrondissement is the least of the six that make up the Antananarivo, it extends on a surface of 6.83 km2. The population in it is 12 % of the total town. It is bordered to the north by the Andravoahangy district, south by Antanimena, east by Ankatso and finally borders to the west with the Ankorondrano district. East arrondissement consists of only 4 neighborhoods. The delegate of III arrondissement It's Nirina Rakotomamonjy.
• The IV arrondissement has an area of 12,95 km2. It is home to 17% of the population of Antananarivo. The district borders to the north with the district of Tsimialonjafy Mahamasina, southbound with Anosimahavelona, east with Ankaditoho and west with Anosipatrana. It is divided into 32 neighborhoods and its delegate is Donat Rakotonarivo.
• The V arrondissement is the largest on the surface of those that make up the capital of Madagascar, with 23,05 km2. It is also the largest district in terms of population numbers, with 27% of the total locality residing in this area. The boundaries of the district are: to the north the neighborhood of Analamahintsy, to the south Ambodivona, to the east border with Mahazo and to the west with the neighborhood of Soavimasoandro. The district is divided into 27 neighborhoods. The delegate of arrondissement is Serge Rakotomavo, the same as in the I arrondissementin the V district, he is in the internship.
• The VI arrondissement has an area of 16,77 km2. In it resides the remaining 10% of the population of Antananarivo. The district is divided into 31 neighborhoods and is limited to: the north and the Andraharo district, the south of the Ankasina Antohomadinika district and the west of Avaratanàna Ambatolampy. The delegate of the arrondissement is Jean Gaston Rabemanana.

Geography

Antananarivo is located in the central area of the island of Madagascar, which is entirely surrounded by the Indian Ocean. In addition, it is located about 200 km from the city of Toamasina, located on the eastern coast; about 370 km from the city of Morondaba, located on the western coast; about 750 km from the city of Antsiranana, located on the north coast; and about 680 km from the city of Tôlanaro, which is located on the southern coast of the country. The central area of the island is covered from north to south by a mountain range whose highest peaks reach 1500 m altitude. The city of Antananarivo is located in this region, at the foot of a rocky hill, in an elevated position that dominates the surroundings, at about 1435 m a.s.l. no. m..

Near the town are the Mandraka Falls.

Climate

Average air temperatures in meteo box, 1889 to 2005 (NASA).

The climate is temperate due to its altitude. January is the warmest month in the city, with an average of 22 degrees Celsius; the coldest month is July, with an average of 15 degrees Celsius. The average annual temperature is 19 degrees Celsius. Frosts are rare in the city; they are more common at higher elevations. The months with the least rainfall are July and August with less than 10 millimeters, while in the months of December and January it rains more with 290 millimeters. The annual average rainfall is 1358 millimeters.

The most important detail of the daily thermography, since 1889, at the city's weather station, is its characteristic cyclical curve, outside the "thermal signature" of the capital city's heat island. In general, almost all of the thermometers in Eurasia locations have their own drift due to the bias produced by urbanization, reflecting the thermography values only to urban heat accumulators.

Average climate parameters of Antananarivo, Madagascar
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. abs. (°C)	33	32	31	31	29	27	27	29	33	35	34	33	35
Average temperature (°C)	26.4	26.5	25.9	25.2	23.2	21.1	20.4	21.0	23.6	25.8	26.6	26.4	24.3
Average temperature (°C)	20.5	20.7	20.1	19.2	16.8	14.6	14.1	14.5	16.3	18.5	19.7	20.2	17.9
Temp. medium (°C)	16.6	16.8	16.3	15.0	12.3	10.0	9.5	9.6	10.6	12.9	14.8	16.2	13.3
Temp. min. abs. (°C)	12	11	11	7	4	1	3	2	3	6	6	11	1
Total precipitation (mm)	274.0	278.9	203.5	64.5	22.5	7.7	10.8	10.4	10.6	75.8	187.7	309.9	1456.3
Rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm)	15	15	12	5	2	2	2	1	1	6	12	17	90
Hours of sun	210.5	178.0	199.1	220.5	228.8	206.1	213.9	235.0	249.5	251.0	232.7	201.1	2626.2
Relative humidity (%)	80.5	81.5	80.5	79.5	78.5	77.5	77	74.5	70.5	67	70	76.5	76.1
Source No. 1: NOAA
Source No. 2: BBC Weather for records, and humidity

Culture

View of an Antananarivo street

A small park was established near the governor's residence, and trees were planted and gardens created in various parts of the city, giving it a bright and attractive appearance. The water was obtained from springs at the foot of the hill, while now it is proposed to channel the abundant flow of the Ikopa River, which borders the capital to the south and west, to the city. The city is guarded by two forts built on the hills to the east and southwest, respectively. Including an Anglican and a Catholic cathedral, there are around 50 churches in the city and its suburbs, as well as a Muslim mosque. Antananarivo is also home to the University of Madagascar and the Rural College of Ambatobe.

In the city, the capital of Madagascar, the population speaks French and Malagasy.

The University of Madagascar, the island's main university center, is located in the city.

The main festivals in the city as well as in the country are as follows, although each neighborhood has its own.

Sports

The most popular sport in the city is soccer. The city has several teams that play in the THB Champions League; but of these the most important are AS Adema, FC BVF, BTM Antananarivo, Dinamo Fima and DSA Antananarivo, which have two league titles each, although there are also other important clubs in the city such as COSFAP, SOE Antananarivo, USCA Foot, USJF Ravinala, US Fonctionnaires or Ajesaia that have a league title.

Gallery

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  Dawn in Antananarivo.

• 

  A theater in Antananarivo around 1905.

• 

  Antananarivo, Madagascar.

• 

  Antananarivo, Madagascar.

• 

  Avenida de la Independencia (one of the main streets of the city).

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  The city seen from the heights.

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  Monument to the fallen in the war of independence against France.

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  View of the Mahamasina Municipal Stadium with the city around.

Twinned cities

Antananarivo is currently twinned with the following cities:

• YerevanArmenia (since 1981).
• SuzhouChina.
• Fontenay-aux-Roses.

Illustrious people

• Hyppolite Ramaroson, a military president de facto in 2009 (1951)