Antananarivo, Madagascar

Aerial view of Antananarivo
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Antananarivo_from_the_top.jpg
Author: Chad Teer


Antananarivo is the capital and biggest city in Madagascar. It covers 88 sq km (34 sq mi) and has a population of 903,000 people (2012 estimate). The city is located on a hilly area 1,276 m (4,186 ft) above sea level. It is near the center of the island of Madagascar. The town is often known in French simply as Tana.

Antananarivo was already a major city long before the arrival of European colonists. It was founded by King Andrianjaka in 1625. Its name means "city of the thousand", in reference to the number of soldiers assigned to protect it. The rulers were the Hova chieftains who ruled over a large part of Madagascar.

In 1793, the influence of Antananarivo grew as the Merina kings expanded their territories, covering almost all of Madagasar. Antananarivo was captured by France in 1895. The French introduced their architecture that adds the appearance of the city today. They also built roads and grand flights of steps at places which are too steep for roads.

Visitors to Antananarivo will find a bustling African city with the houses built close to each other, occupying the hilly terrain of the city. As with many major city in Africa, the streets of Antananarivo is usually crowded with people for much of the day.

Antananarivo, Madagascar
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Antananarivo_-_Analakely.jpg
Author: Gloumouth1


Staircase to Antananarivo
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Antananarivo07.jpg
Author: Bernard Gagnon

Visiting Antananarivo

Antananarivo's Ivato International Airport (TNR) receives flights from Anjouan, Bangkok, Guangzhou, Johannesburg, Marseille, Mauritius, Moroni, Nairobi, Paris, Saint-Denis de la Réunion, and Saint-Pierre de la Réunion.

Bustling Antananarivo
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tana1.jpg
Author: Susi4

Places of Interest in Antananarivo

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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

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