Antananarivo

Antananarivo
Climate diagram
	Temperature in ° C , precipitation in mm
	Source: World Meteorological Organization The climatological data are based on the monthly averages from 1971 to 2000; wetterkontor.de

Antananarivo
Coordinates	18 ° 56 ′ S , 47 ° 31 ′ E Coordinates: 18 ° 56 ′ S , 47 ° 31 ′ E
Symbols
	coat of arms
	coat of arms
Basic data
Country	Madagascar
province	Antananarivo
region	Analamanga
ISO 3166-2	MG-T
Districts	Antananarivo-Renivohitra ; Antananarivo-Atsimondrano ; Antananarivo-Avaradrano
height	1339 m
Residents	1,816,000 (2009)
founding	around 1625
Website	www.mairie-antananarivo.mg ( French )
	View over the city with Lac Anosy in the center

Rova palace

Street train with stairs

Antananarivo ([ antananaˈriːvu ], abbreviated Tana , formerly also Tananarive ) is the capital and with 1,816,000 inhabitants also by far the largest city in Madagascar . The administrative seat of the province of Antananarivo is located at an altitude of up to 1435 m above sea level in the central mountainous region of the island. Antananarivo is the geographical, administrative and industrial center of the country.

history

The place was founded around 1625. The name means the city of a thousand . In 1797 it became the capital of the Merina kings.

The conquests of King Radama I made Antananarivo the capital of almost all of Madagascar . In 1895 the city was occupied by France and incorporated into its protectorate of Madagascar. During the colonial period and shortly after the island became independent, the city was named Tananarive .

population

According to United Nations figures, the population of the Antananarivo agglomeration grew from 177,000 in 1950 to 2.9 million in 2017.

Population development of the agglomeration according to the UN

year	population
1950	177,000
1960	252,000
1970	363,000
1980	580,000
1990	948,000
2000	1,361,000
2010	2,021,000
2017	2,904,000

politics

The city is divided into six arrondissements .

Mayor from September 12, 2007 was Andry Rajoelina , who had been elected with 63.32% of the vote. After unrest in the city in January 2009, he called on President Marc Ravalomanana to resign; on February 3, 2009, Ravalomanana was deposed by the government and Rajoelina was his interim successor.

economy

The economy relies on the production of food and textiles. Antananarivo is the administrative, communication and economic center of Madagascar.

traffic

Antananarivo International Airport (Ivato) is located on the northern outskirts of the city .

In order to improve local public transport, the old Tana tram is currently being reactivated with material donations from Switzerland . Old train compositions of the Zürcher Forchbahn and other Swiss private railways are to run on the narrow-gauge network . The route network has a length of 25 kilometers. However, the project was never implemented.

education

The city is the seat of the Université d'Antananarivo and the Collège Rural d'Ambatobe . The Goethe-Institut has a library focusing on Madagascar. Other foreign institutes such as the Alliance Française and various international aid organizations are also based here.

Attractions

The old Royal Palace Rova (externally rebuilt after the fire in 1995).
At the zoo Tsimbazaza can lemurs and other endemic species to the public.
The Zoma (Friday market), which used to paralyze the city center every Friday, was divided into several districts in the mid-1990s. Practically everything that the island offers in terms of goods can be bought in the markets, for example green pepper , vanilla , medicinal herbs of the Ombiasy, arts and crafts or precious stones.
The Pirate Museum, opened in 2008, tells the story of the pirates and those of Madagascar who once created the pirate republic of Libertalia there.

Others

In 1962, the then German President Heinrich Lübke welcomed the Tsiranana couple on a trip to Africa in what was then known as Tananarive with the words: "Dear Mr. President, dear Ms. Tananarive!"

According to a list of the world's most unhealthy cities published by Forbes magazine , Antananarivo ranks third.

Town twinning

Nice in France and Armenia's capital Yerevan are twin cities .

sons and daughters of the town

Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo (1901–1937), writer and translator

Gabriel Ramanantsoa (1906–1979), President and Prime Minister of Madagascar 1972–1975

Claude Simon (1913–2005), French writer and Nobel Prize for Literature

Raymond Razakarinvony (* 1927), former Roman Catholic Bishop of Miarinarivo

Guy Razanamasy (1928–2011), politician

Richard Ratsimandrava (1931–1975), President of Madagascar in February 1975

Pascal Rakotomavo (1934-2010), politician

Alain Serpaggi (* 1938), French racing driver

Raymond Ranjeva (* 1942), lawyer and Vice-President of the International Court of Justice

Charles Rabemananjara (* 1947), Prime Minister of Madagascar from 2007 to 2009

Yves Oppenheim (* 1948), French painter

Jean-Paul Randriamanana (1950–2011), clergyman and Roman Catholic bishop

Appolite Ramaroson Rarison (* 1951), Vice Admiral and one-day President of Madagascar

Philippe Eidel (1956–2018), French music producer, director and composer

Tony Rabeson (* 1958), jazz drummer

D'Gary (* 1961 as Ernest Randriana solo), guitarist

John van Lottum (* 1976), Dutch tennis player

Dally Randriantefy (born 1977), tennis player

Natacha Randriantefy (* 1978), tennis player

Faneva Andriatsima (* 1984), football player

Lalaïna Nomenjanahary (* 1986), football player

Fetra Ratsimiziva (* 1991), judoka

climate

Despite its location in the tropics , Antananarivo is in the temperate climatic zone , which is why it is sometimes referred to as cold tropical due to its high location . Summer corresponds to the rainy season, winter to the dry season. Ground frost in winter is rare but not uncommon. Daytime temperatures in summer are rarely around 30 ° C or higher.

Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Antananarivo

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Max. Temperature ( ° C )	27.7	25.9	25.4	24.8	22.9	20.9	20.2	20.6	23.0	25.2	26.0	25.8	O	24
Min. Temperature (° C)	16.6	16.9	16.3	15.2	12.9	10.8	10.3	10.3	11.3	13.4	15.1	16.3	O	13.8

Precipitation ( mm )	270.4	256.9	183.1	50.5	20.1	7.2	11.1	15.0	9.5	66.6	170.8	304.1	Σ	1,365.3

Hours of sunshine ( h / d )	6.3	6.9	6.1	7.8	7.4	6.9	7.1	7.7	8.2	8.7	7.5	7.1	O	7.3

Rainy days ( d )	18th	17th	17th	9	6th	6th	8th	9	4th	8th	14th	20th	Σ	136

Humidity ( % )	79	79	80	77	75	76	75	73	69	67	72	77	O	74.9