Mahajanga
| Mahajanga | |||
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| Coordinates | 15 ° 43 ′ S , 46 ° 19 ′ E | ||
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| Country | Madagascar | ||
| Mahajanga | |||
| ISO 3166-2 | MG-M | ||
| Residents | 135,660 (2001) | ||
 Mahajanga promenade
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Mahajanga is a city in Madagascar . It is located in the northwest of the island in the Bay of Bombetoka and on the Betsiboka River . The city is the capital of the Mahajanga province of the same name and the Boeny region .
history
The place was probably founded by the Sakalava king Andrianandisoaridy . The name comes from Arabic ( mji angaia "city of flowers") or Malagasy ( maha janga "that which makes you healthy"). From the beginning it served as a trading center and was the capital of the Sakalava Kingdom of Boina since the 18th century . The Sakalava ruled the place until 1808, then the kings of Imerina until 1825 . During the First Franco-Hova War , the city was attacked and destroyed by the French in 1883. With the conquest and occupation of the city, the Second Franco-Hova War began in 1895 , after which Madagascar became a French protectorate. The city was called Majunga in colonial times.
On March 7, 2004, the city was hit by cyclone Gafilo , which caused considerable damage.
population
Originally only members of the Tsimihety and Sakalava people lived here . However, when the port opened, Indians, Arabs and later also Chinese migrated to the area. The ethnic spectrum expanded to include Europeans and people from the Comoros during the colonial era. The latter even made up the majority of the population until the pogroms in 1976. The 1975 census showed 65,864, that of 1993 106,780 inhabitants. Today the place has around 160,000 residents.
economy
Due to the port, trade is the most important branch of business. First slaves and rice were exported. Later on, in addition to rice, also cotton, corn, tobacco and sugar cane. Big employers are the cement works and the food industry. Since 2000 there has been a joint venture with a Japanese company that operates a shrimp farm on the peninsula south of the city .
Infrastructure
To the northeast of the city is the regional airport, from which various domestic destinations as well as the Comoros and Réunion can be reached. There are also daily bus connections to the capital. There is a regional hospital in the city. The city has been an Apostolic Vicariate since 1923 and a bishopric of the Catholic Church since 1955.
Due to the enormous deforestation in Madagascar's interior, access to the city's port via the Betsiboka River for larger ships has changed due to sand and debris deposits. Today freight and people have to be reloaded or transferred to smaller ships at the mouth of the river.
From Mahajanga, the RN 4 leads over a distance of 570 km to the capital Antananarivo .
Attractions
There are no major sights in the city itself. In the region, the estuary of the Betsiboka and the numerous beaches are the starting points for the few tourists.
Approx. 150 km from Mahajanga are the national parks: National Park Baie de Baly and National Park Tsingy de Namoroka . The Ankarafantsika National Park is 114 km south of Mahajanga .
Climate table
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Monthly average temperatures and rainfall for Mahajanga
Source: wetterkontor.de
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