Editing Antananarivo

{{Short description|Capital and largest city of Madagascar}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2014}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2014}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Antananarivo
| other_name         = Tananarive
| settlement_type    = [[Capital city]]
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
  | border                 = infobox
  | total_width            = 290
  | image_style            = border:1;
  | perrow                 = 1/2
  |image1            = Lake Anosy, Central Antananarivo, Capital of Madagascar, Photo by Sascha Grabow.jpg
  |caption1          = Lake Anosy in Central Antananarivo
  |image2            = Beautiful jacaranda Antananarivo Madagascar.jpg
  |caption2          = Jacarandas Blooming
  |image3            = Royal chapel exterior Rova of Antananarivo Madagascar 2013.JPG
  |caption3          = Royal Chapel
  |image4            = Denkmal Philibert Tsiranana Antananarivo 2019-10-02 .jpg
  |caption4          = Bust of [[Philibert Tsiranana]]
  |image5            = Mausolee02.JPG
  |caption5          = Mausolée national Andrainarivo
  |image6            = Bahnhof Antananarivo 2019-10-02 4.jpg
  |caption6          = The Train Station
  |image7            = Presidential office in Antananarivo Madagascar.JPG
  |caption7          = The Presidential Ofiice
}}
| image_flag         = Flag of Antananarivo, Madagascar.svg
| flag_size          = 
| image_seal         = 
| seal_size          = 
| image_shield       = Coat of arms of Antananarivo.svg
| shield_size        = 100px
| nickname           = Tana
| motto              = 
| map_caption        = Location of Antananarivo in Madagascar
| pushpin_map        = Madagascar#Africa
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Madagascar & Africa
| pushpin_relief     = yes
| coordinates        = {{Coord|18|54|36|S|47|31|30|E|type:city(1,300,000)_region:MG-T|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{Flag|Madagascar}}
| subdivision_type2  = [[Regions of Madagascar|Region]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Analamanga]]
| subdivision_type3  = Historic Countries/Colonies
| subdivision_name3  = [[Merina Kingdom]]<br>[[Malagasy Protectorate]]<br>[[French Madagascar]]
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = 1610 or 1625
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = [[Mayor of Antananarivo]]
| leader_name        = Naina Andriantsitohaina
| area_footnotes     = 
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 85
| area_total_sq_mi   = 
| area_land_km2      = 
| area_land_sq_mi    = 
| area_water_km2     = 
| area_water_sq_mi   = 
| area_water_percent = 
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 1276
| elevation_ft       = 
| elevation_min_ft   = 
| population_total   = 1,274,225
| population_as_of   = 2018 Census
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_urban   = 2,300,000
| population_note    = <ref>Institut National de la Statistique Madagascar (web)</ref>
| area_code          = (+261) 023
| timezone           = [[East Africa Time|EAT]]
| utc_offset         = +03:00
| timezone_DST       = 
| utc_offset_DST     = 
| elevation_max_m    = 
| elevation_max_ft   = 
| blank_name         = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
| blank_info         = [[Humid subtropical climate|Cwa]]
| blank1_name        = Major Airport(s)
| blank1_info        = [[Ivato International Airport]]
| website            = [https://web.archive.org/web/20111119094734/http://www.mairie-antananarivo.mg/ www.mairie-antananarivo.mg] {{in lang|fr}}
}}

'''Antananarivo''' ([[Malagasy language|Malagasy]]: {{IPA|mg|antananaˈrivʷ|}}; [[French language|French]]: ''Tananarive'', {{IPA|fr|tananaʁiv|pron}}), also known by its colonial shorthand form '''Tana''' ({{IPA|fr|tana|pron}}), is the [[Capital city|capital]] and largest city of [[Madagascar]]. The administrative area of the city, known as Antananarivo-Renivohitra ("Antananarivo-Mother Hill" or "Antananarivo-Capital"), is the capital of [[Analamanga]] region. The city sits at {{cvt|1280|m|ft|0}} above sea level in the center of the island, making it the [[List of capital cities by elevation|highest national capital by elevation]] among the [[Island country|island countries]]. It has been the country's largest population center since at least the 18th century. The [[President of Madagascar|Presidency]], [[National Assembly of Madagascar|National Assembly]], [[Senate of Madagascar|Senate]], and Supreme Court are located there, as are [[List of diplomatic missions in Madagascar|21 diplomatic missions]] and the headquarters of many national and international businesses and [[Non-governmental organization|non-governmental organizations]]. It has more universities, nightclubs, art venues, and medical services than any city on the island. Several national and local sports teams, including the championship-winning national [[Rugby union in Madagascar|rugby]] team, the [[Madagascar national rugby union team|Makis]], are based here.

Antananarivo was historically the capital of the [[Merina people]], who continue to form the majority of the city's 1,274,225 (2018 census<ref>{{Cite web |title=Madagascar: Regions, Cities & Urban Communes - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/madagascar/cities/ |access-date=2024-01-16 |website=www.citypopulation.de |archive-date=May 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507140649/http://citypopulation.de/en/madagascar/cities/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="ReferenceA"/>) inhabitants. The surrounding urban areas have a total metropolitan population approaching three million. All eighteen [[Malagasy people|Malagasy ethnic groups]], as well as residents of [[Chinese people in Madagascar|Chinese]], [[Indians in Madagascar|Indian]], [[French people in Madagascar|European]], and other origins, are represented in the city. It was founded circa 1610, when the Merina King [[Andrianjaka]] (1612–1630) expelled the [[Vazimba]] inhabitants of the village of [[Twelve sacred hills of Imerina#Hill of Analamanga|Analamanga]]. Declaring it the site of his capital, Andrianjaka built a ''[[Rova (Madagascar)|rova]]'' (fortified royal dwelling) that expanded to become the [[Rova of Antananarivo|royal palaces]] of the [[Kingdom of Imerina]]. The city retained the name Analamanga until the reign of King [[Andriamasinavalona]] (1675–1710), who renamed it Antananarivo ("City of the Thousand") in honor of Andrianjaka's soldiers.

The city served as the capital of the Kingdom of Imerina until 1710 when Imerina split into four warring quadrants. Antananarivo became the capital of the southern quadrant until 1794, when King [[Andrianampoinimerina]] of [[Ambohimanga]] captured the province and restored it as the capital of a united Kingdom of Imerina, also bringing neighboring ethnic groups under Merina control. These conquests continued under his son, [[Radama I]], who eventually controlled over two-thirds of the island, leading him to be considered the King of Madagascar by European diplomats. Antananarivo remained the island's capital after Madagascar was [[French Madagascar|colonized by the French]] in 1897, and after independence in 1960.

The city is now managed by the ''Commune Urbaine d'Antananarivo'' (CUA) under the direction of its President of the [[Special delegation (France)|Special Delegation]], Ny Havana Andriamanjato, appointed in March 2014. Limited funds and mismanagement have hampered consecutive CUA efforts to manage overcrowding and traffic, waste management, pollution, security, public water and electricity, and other challenges linked to explosive population growth. Major historic landmarks and attractions in the city include the reconstructed royal palaces and the [[Andafiavaratra Palace]], the tomb of [[Rainiharo]], [[Tsimbazaza Zoo]], [[Mahamasina Stadium]], [[Lake Anosy]], four 19th-century [[Christianity in Madagascar|martyr churches]], and the [[University of Madagascar's Museum of Art and Archaeology|Museum of Art and Archaeology]].

==Pronunciation and etymology==
The English pronunciation of Antananarivo is {{IPAc-en|ˌ|æ|n|t|ə|ˌ|n|æ|n|ə|ˈ|r|iː|v|oʊ}} {{respell|AN|tə|NAN|ə|REE|voh}} or {{IPAc-en|ˌ|ɑː|n|t|ə|ˌ|n|ɑː|n|ə|ˈ|r|iː|v|oʊ}} {{respell|AHN|tə|NAH|nə|REE|voh}}.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/antananarivo |title=Dictionary.com: Antananarivo |access-date=September 1, 2014 |archive-date=September 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903143902/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/antananarivo |url-status=live }}</ref> The Malagasy pronunciation is {{IPA|mg|antananaˈrivʷ|}}, and the pronunciation of the old French name Tananarive is {{IPAc-en|t|ə|ˌ|n|æ|n|ə|ˈ|r|iː|v}} {{respell|tə|NAN|ə|REEV}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tananarive?s=t |title=Dictionary.com: Tananarive |access-date=September 1, 2014 |archive-date=September 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903143904/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tananarive?s=t |url-status=live }}</ref> or {{IPAc-en|ˌ|t|æ|n|ə|n|ə|ˈ|r|iː|v}} {{respell|TAN|ə|nə|REEV}}<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140903150642/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/american_english/Tananarive Oxford Dictionary: Tananarive (American English)]</ref> in English and {{IPA|fr|tananaʁiv|}} in French.

Antananarivo was originally the site of a town called ''[[Twelve sacred hills of Imerina#Hill of Analamanga|Analamanga]]'', meaning "Blue Forest" in the [[Central Highlands (Madagascar)|Central Highlands]] dialect of the [[Malagasy language]].{{sfn|Shillington|2004|p=158}} Analamanga was established by a community of [[Vazimba]], the island's first occupants. [[Merina Kingdom|Merina]] King [[Andrianjaka]], who migrated to the region from the southeast coast, seized the location as the site of his capital city. According to oral history, he deployed a garrison of 1,000 soldiers to successfully capture and guard the site.{{sfn|Shillington|2004|p=158}} The hill and its city retained the name Analamanga until the reign of King [[Andriamasinavalona]], who renamed it ''Antananarivo'' ("City of the Thousand") in honor of Andrianjaka's soldiers.{{sfn|Callet|1908|pp=654–656}}

==History==
{{see also|Timeline of Antananarivo}}

===Kingdom of Imerina===

[[File:Antananarivo Madagascar old city gate.JPG|thumbnail|left|Old [[Architecture of Madagascar|city gate]]]]
Antananarivo was already a major city before the colonial era. After expelling the Vazimba who inhabited the town at the peak of Analamanga hill, Andrianjaka chose the site for his ''[[Rova (Madagascar)|rova]]'' (fortified royal compound), which expanded over time to enclose the [[Rova of Antananarivo|royal palaces]] and the tombs of Merina royalty.{{sfn|Government of France|1898|pp=918–919}} The city was established in around 1610{{sfn|Desmonts|2004|pp=114–115}} or 1625<ref>Roman Adrian Cybriwsky, ''Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture'', ABC-CLIO, USA, 2013, p. 15</ref> according to varying accounts. Early Merina kings used ''[[Corvée|fanampoana]]'' (statute labor) to construct a massive system of irrigated paddy fields and dikes around the city to provide adequate rice for the growing population. These paddy fields, of which the largest is called the Betsimitatatra, continue to produce rice.{{sfn|Callet|1908|p=522}}

[[File:Antananarivo Madagascar andohalo plaza.JPG|thumbnail|Sovereigns addressed the public at the historic town square of Andohalo.]]
Successive Merina sovereigns ruled over the [[Kingdom of Imerina]] from Analamanga through King Andriamasinavalona's reign. This sovereign gave the growing city its current name; he established the Andohalo town square outside the town gate, where all successive sovereigns delivered their royal speeches and announcements to the public, and assigned the names of numerous locations within the city based on the names of similar sites in the nearby village of Antananarivokely.{{sfn|Callet|1908|pp=654–656}} Andriamasinavalona designated specific territories for the ''[[hova (Madagascar)|hova]]'' (commoners) and each ''[[andriana]]'' (noble) subcaste, both within the neighborhoods of Antananarivo and in the countryside surrounding the capital. These territorial divisions were strictly enforced; members of subcastes were required to live within their designated territories and were not authorized to stay for extended periods in the territories reserved for others.{{sfn|Callet|1908|pp=563–565}} Numerous ''[[Fady (taboo)|fady]]'' (taboos), including injunctions against the construction of wooden houses by non-nobles{{sfn|Acquier|1997|pp=63–64}} and the presence of swine within the city limits, were imposed.{{sfn|Oliver|1886|p=221}}

Upon Andriamasinavalona's death in 1710, Imerina split into four warring quadrants, and Antananarivo was made the capital of the southern district.<ref name = UNESCO>{{cite web |title=Royal Hill of Ambohimanga |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |year=2012 |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/950 |access-date=22 September 2012 |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629070952/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/950/ |url-status=live }}</ref> During the 77-year civil war that followed, the eastern district's capital at [[Ambohimanga]] rose in prominence.{{sfn|Nativel|2005|p=30}} The last king of Ambohimanga, [[Andrianampoinimerina]], successfully conquered Antananarivo in 1793;<ref>{{cite journal |last=Berg |first=Gerald M. |year=1988 |title=Sacred Acquisition: Andrianampoinimerina at Ambohimanga, 1777–1790 |journal=The Journal of African History |volume=29 |issue=2 |pages=191–211 |doi=10.1017/S002185370002363X |s2cid=153668345}}</ref> he reunited the provinces of Imerina, ending the civil war. He moved the kingdom's political capital back to Antananarivo in 1794,<ref name = UNESCO/> and declared Ambohimanga the kingdom's spiritual capital, a role it still maintains.{{sfn|Campbell|2012|p=454}} Andrianampoinimerina created a large marketplace in Analakely, establishing the city's economic center.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=34}}

===Kingdom of Madagascar===
[[File:Detail of statue in lake anosy in Antananarivo Madagascar 2013.JPG|left|thumbnail|[[Lake Anosy]] was created in the 19th century to provide hydraulic power to industrial factories.]]

By the time Andrianampoinimerina's son [[Radama I]] had ascended the throne upon his father's death in 1810, Antananarivo was the largest and most economically important city on the island, with a population of over 80,000 inhabitants.<ref name="Stats"/> Radama opened the city to the first European settlers, artisan missionaries of the [[London Missionary Society]] (LMS) who arrived in 1820 and opened the city's first public schools.{{sfn|Ade Ajayi|1998|p=165}} [[James Cameron (missionary)|James Cameron]] introduced brickmaking to the island and created [[Lake Anosy]] to generate hydraulic power for industrial manufacturing.{{sfn|Nativel|2005|pp=76–66}} Radama established a military training ground on a flat plain called Mahamasina at the base of Analamanga near the lake. Radama's subjugation of other [[Malagasy people|Malagasy ethnic groups]] brought nearly two-thirds of the island under his control. The British diplomats who concluded trade treaties with Radama recognized him as the "ruler of Madagascar", a position he and his successors claimed despite never managing to impose their authority over the larger portion of the island's south. Thereafter, Merina sovereigns declared Antananarivo the capital of the entire island.{{sfn|Ade Ajayi|1998|p=167}}

[[File:Antananarivo07.jpg|thumb|[[Ranavalona I]] built the staircases connecting the market at Analakely to Antaninarenina (pictured) and Ambondrona in 1832.<ref name = stairs/>]]
Radama's successor [[Ranavalona I]] invited a shipwrecked craftsman named [[Jean Laborde]] to construct the tomb of Prime Minister [[Rainiharo]], and Manjakamiadana (built 1839–1841), the largest palace at the Rova. Laborde also produced a wide range of industrial products at factories in the highland village [[Mantasoa]] and a foundry in the Antananarivo neighborhood of Isoraka.{{sfn|Oliver|1886|p=78}} Ranavalona oversaw improvements to the city's infrastructure, including the construction of the city's two largest staircases at Antaninarenina and Ambondrona, which connect ''la ville moyenne'' ("the middle town") to the central marketplace at Analakely.<ref name = stairs>{{cite news |last=Rakotoarilala |first=Ninaivo |title=D'Antaninarenina à Ambondrona: Andry Rajoelina revisite son adolescence |newspaper=Madagascar Tribune |date=15 January 2013 |url=http://www.madagascar-tribune.com/Andry-Rajoelina-revisite-son,18358.html |access-date=3 June 2013 |language=fr |archive-date=February 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208164519/https://www.madagascar-tribune.com/Andry-Rajoelina-revisite-son,18358.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1867, following a series of fires in the capital, Queen [[Ranavalona II]] issued a royal decree that permitted the use of stone and brick construction in buildings other than tombs.{{sfn|Nativel|2005|pp=76–66}} LMS missionaries' first brick house was built in 1869; it bore a blend of English, Creole, and Malagasy design and served as a model for a new style of house that rapidly spread throughout the capital and across the highlands. Termed the ''trano gasy'' ("Malagasy house"), it is typically a two-story, brick building with four columns on the front that support a wooden veranda. In the latter third of the 19th century, these houses quickly replaced most of the traditional wooden houses of the city's aristocratic class.{{sfn|Nativel|2005|p=327}} The growing number of [[Christianity in Madagascar|Christians in Imerina]] prompted the construction of stone churches throughout the highlands, as well as four memorial churches on key sites of martyrdom among early Malagasy Christians under the reign of Ranavalona I.{{sfn|Nativel|2005|pp=122–124}}

[[File:Palais d'Andafiavaratra 01.jpg|thumb|left|[[Andafiavaratra Palace]] was the home of Prime Minister [[Rainilaiarivony]].]]
Until the mid-19th century, the city remained largely concentrated around the Rova of Antananarivo on the highest peak, an area today referred to as ''la haute ville'' or ''la haute'' ("upper town"). As the population grew, the city expanded to the west; by the late 19th century it extended to the northern hilltop neighborhood of Andohalo, an area of low prestige until British missionaries made it their preferred residential district and built one of the city's memorial churches here from 1863 to 1872.{{sfn|Shillington|2004|p=158}} From 1864 to 1894, Prime Minister [[Rainilaiarivony]] governed Madagascar alongside three successive queens, [[Rasoherina]], Ranavalona II and [[Ranavalona III]], effecting policies that further transformed the city. In 1881, he reinstated mandatory universal education first introduced in 1820 under Radama I, requiring the construction of numerous schools and colleges, including teacher training colleges staffed by missionaries and the nation's first pharmacy, medical college, and modern hospital.{{sfn|Ade Ajayi|1998|p=439}} Rainilaiarivony built the [[Andafiavaratra Palace]] in 1873 as his residence and office at a site near the royal palace.{{sfn|Nativel|2005|p=25}}

===French Madagascar===
[[File:Presidential office in Antananarivo Madagascar.JPG|thumbnail|The colonial French Residency serves today as a presidential office and has been renamed the [[Ambohitsorohitra Palace]].]]

The [[French Madagascar|French military invaded Antananarivo]] in September 1894, prompting the queen's surrender after a cannon shell blasted a hole through a building at the Rova, causing major casualties. The damage was never repaired. Andohalo square was remodeled to feature a gazebo, walkways, and planted landscaping. Claiming the island as a colony, the French administration retained Antananarivo as its capital and transcribed its name as Tananarive.{{sfn|Appiah|Gates|2010|p=114}} They chose Antaninarenina as the site for the French Governor General's Residency; upon independence, it was renamed [[Ambohitsorohitra Palace]] and converted into presidential offices. Under the French, tunnels were constructed through two of the city's largest hills, connecting disparate districts and facilitating the town's expansion. Streets were laid with cobblestones and later paved; sewer systems and electricity infrastructure was introduced. Water, previously obtained from springs at the foot of the hill, was brought from the [[Ikopa River]].{{sfn|Shillington|2004|p=159}}

This period saw a major expansion of ''la ville moyenne'', which spread along the lower hilltops and slopes of the city centered around the French residency. Modern urban planning was applied in ''la ville basse'' ("lower town"), which expanded from the base of the city's central hills into the surrounding rice fields. Major boulevards like ''Avenue de l'Indépendance'', planned commercial areas like the arcades lining either side of the avenue, large parks, city squares, and other landmark features were built.{{sfn|Shillington|2004|p=159}} A railway system connecting Soarano station at one end of the ''Avenue de l'Indépendance'' in Antananarive with [[Toamasina]] and [[Fianarantsoa]] was established in 1897.{{sfn|McLean Thompson|Adloff|1965|p=271}} Beyond these planned spaces, neighborhoods densely populated by working-class Malagasy expanded without state oversight or control.{{sfn|Shillington|2004|p=159}}

[[File:Beautiful jacaranda Antananarivo Madagascar.jpg|thumbnail|left|Jacarandas planted during the [[French Madagascar|French colonial period]] bloom in October around [[Lake Anosy]].]]
The city expanded rapidly after [[World War II]];{{sfn|Shillington|2004|p=159}} by 1950 its population had grown to 175,000. Roads connecting Antananarivo to surrounding towns were expanded and paved. The first international airport was constructed at [[Arivonimamo]], {{cvt|45|km|0}} outside the city; this was replaced in 1967 with [[Ivato International Airport]] approximately {{cvt|15|km|0}} from the city center. The [[University of Antananarivo]] was constructed in the Ankatso neighborhood and the [[Museum of Ethnology and Paleontology]] was also built. A city plan written in 1956 created suburban zones where large houses and gardens were established for the wealthy. In 1959, severe floods in ''la ville basse'' prompted the building of large-scale embankments along the edges of the Betsimitatatra rice fields and the establishment of new ministerial complexes on newly drained land in the Anosy neighborhood.{{sfn|Shillington|2004|p=159}}

===Post-independence===
[[File:Madagascar senate.JPG|thumbnail|Senate building]]

After independence in 1960, the pace of growth increased further. The city's population reached 1.4&nbsp;million by the end of the 20th century; in 2013, it was estimated at nearly 2.1&nbsp;million.<ref name = newpop>{{cite web |title=2005 population estimates for cities in Madagascar |url=http://www.mongabay.com/igapo/2005_world_city_populations/Madagascar.html |access-date=1 April 2014 |archive-date=December 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224192039/https://data.mongabay.com/igapo/2005_world_city_populations/Madagascar.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Uncontrolled [[urban sprawl]] has challenged the city's infrastructure, producing shortages of clean water and electricity, sanitation and public health problems, and heavy traffic congestion.{{sfn|Shillington|2004|p=159}} There are more than 5,000 church buildings in the city and its suburbs, including an [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] and a [[Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Antananarivo|Roman Catholic cathedral]]. Antananarivo is the [[see city]] of Madagascar's [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Antananarivo|Roman Catholic Archdiocese]]. The city has repeatedly been the site of large demonstrations and violent political clashes, including the 1972 ''[[rotaka]]'' that brought down President [[Philibert Tsiranana]] and the [[2009 Malagasy political crisis]], which resulted in [[Andry Rajoelina]] replacing [[Marc Ravalomanana]] as head of state.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ifdczZtXnRO9VQb3h7Xm5hDhdxeA |title=AFP: Hundreds protest Madagascar mayor's sacking |date=4 February 2009 |access-date=25 March 2013 |archive-date=February 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226122257/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ifdczZtXnRO9VQb3h7Xm5hDhdxeA |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[2022 Antananarivo floods]] hit the city in January of that year, causing multiple deaths and significant damage to almost 7,000 houses.<ref name=":4">{{cite web |date=18 January 2022 |title=10 killed by floods in Madagascar |url=https://www.africanews.com/2022/01/18/10-killed-by-floods-in-madagascar/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220124230142/https://www.africanews.com/2022/01/18/10-killed-by-floods-in-madagascar/ |archive-date=24 January 2022 |access-date=18 January 2022 |publisher=[[Africanews]]}}</ref>

On 26 August 2023, at least 12 people died during a [[Crowd collapses and crushes|crush incident]] at the [[Mahamasina Municipal Stadium]], during the opening of [[Indian Ocean Island Games]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-26 |title=Several dead in Madagascar stadium crush at opening of Indian Ocean Island Games |url=https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20230826-several-dead-in-madagascar-stadium-crush-at-opening-of-indian-ocean-island-games |access-date=2023-11-21 |website=France 24 |language=en |archive-date=November 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121025739/https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20230826-several-dead-in-madagascar-stadium-crush-at-opening-of-indian-ocean-island-games |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Map of Madagascar (LMS, 1869, p.44).jpg|thumb|260px|left|Map of the Country 20 Miles [32 km] around Antananarivo, Madagascar ([[London Missionary Society|LMS]], 1869, p.44)<ref name="Fruits-LMS">{{cite book |editor1-last=London Missionary Society |title=Fruits of Toil in the London Missionary Society |date=1869 |publisher=John Snow & Co. |location=London |page=44 |url=https://archive.org/details/fruitsoftoilinth17115gut |access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref>]]
Antananarivo is situated approximately {{cvt|1280|m|ft|0}} above sea level in the Central Highlands region of Madagascar, at 18.55' South and 47.32' East.{{sfn|UN-Habitat|2012|p=7}} The city is located centrally along the north–south axis of the country, and east of the center along the east–west axis. It is {{cvt|160|km|mi}} from the east coast and {{cvt|330|km|mi}} from the west coast. The city occupies a commanding position on the summit and slopes of a long, narrow, rocky ridge extending north and south for about {{cvt|4|km|mi|0}} and rising to about {{cvt|200|m|ft|-1}} above the extensive rice fields to the west.{{sfn|Shillington|2004|p=158}}

The official boundaries of the city of Antananarivo encompass an urban area of approximately {{cvt|86.4|sqkm|sqmi}}.{{sfn|UN-Habitat|2012|p=7}} It was founded {{cvt|1480|meters|feet}} above sea level at the apex of three hill ranges that converge in a Y form, {{cvt|200|meters|feet}} above the surrounding Betsimitatatra paddy fields and the grassy plains beyond. The city gradually spread out from this central point to cover the hillsides; by the late 19th century it had expanded to the flat terrain at the base of the hills. These plains are susceptible to flooding during the rainy season; they are drained by the Ikopa River, which skirts the capital to the south and west. The western slopes and plains, being best protected from cyclone winds originating over the Indian Ocean, were settled before those to the east.{{sfn|Shillington|2004|p=158}}

Greater Antananarivo is a continuous, urbanized area spreading beyond the city's official boundaries for {{cvt|9|km|miles}} north to south between Ambohimanarina and Ankadimbahoaka, and {{cvt|6|km|miles}} west to east between the Ikopa River dike and Tsiadana.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=153}} The population of the greater Antananarivo area was estimated at 3 million people in 2012; it is expected to rise to 6&nbsp;million by 2030.<ref name = 2012report/>

===Climate===
Under the [[Köppen-Geiger climate classification system]], Antananarivo has a [[humid subtropical climate]] with dry season defined (''Cwa'', bordering on ''Cwb''), characterized by mild, dry winters and warm, rainy summers.{{sfn|UN-Habitat|2012|p = 7}} The city receives nearly all of its average annual rainfall between November and April. Frosts are rare in the city; they are more common at higher elevations. Daily mean temperatures range from {{cvt|22.1|C}} in December to {{cvt|15.6|C}} in July.

{{Weather box
|location = Antananarivo (1991–2020)
|metric first = y
|single line = y
|Jan record high C = 32.0
|Feb record high C = 31.5
|Mar record high C = 31.1
|Apr record high C = 30.9
|May record high C = 29.9
|Jun record high C = 27.4
|Jul record high C = 27.4
|Aug record high C = 29.4
|Sep record high C = 31.5
|Oct record high C = 32.9
|Nov record high C = 34.9
|Dec record high C = 32.2

|Jan high C = 26.4
|Feb high C = 26.3
|Mar high C = 26.2
|Apr high C = 25.5
|May high C = 23.5
|Jun high C = 21.3
|Jul high C = 20.4
|Aug high C = 21.6
|Sep high C = 23.9
|Oct high C = 26.0
|Nov high C = 27.1
|Dec high C = 27.1
|year high C = 24.6

|Jan mean C = 21.9
|Feb mean C = 21.9
|Mar mean C = 21.7
|Apr mean C = 20.7
|May mean C = 18.8
|Jun mean C = 16.5
|Jul mean C = 15.6
|Aug mean C = 16.3
|Sep mean C = 18.0
|Oct mean C = 20.2
|Nov mean C = 21.5
|Dec mean C = 22.1
|year mean C = 19.6

|Jan low C = 17.4
|Feb low C = 17.5
|Mar low C = 17.2
|Apr low C = 15.9
|May low C = 14.0
|Jun low C = 11.6
|Jul low C = 10.7
|Aug low C = 10.9
|Sep low C = 12.2
|Oct low C = 14.3
|Nov low C = 15.9
|Dec low C = 17.1
|year low C = 14.6

|Jan record low C = 12.8
|Feb record low C = 13.4
|Mar record low C = 12.1
|Apr record low C = 10.3
|May record low C = 6.8
|Jun record low C = 5.4
|Jul record low C = 5.0
|Aug record low C = 6.2
|Sep record low C = 6.0
|Oct record low C = 8.2
|Nov record low C = 9.6
|Dec record low C = 12.4

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 312.3
|Feb precipitation mm = 236.6
|Mar precipitation mm = 156.2
|Apr precipitation mm = 44.6
|May precipitation mm = 14.7
|Jun precipitation mm = 5.5
|Jul precipitation mm = 6.2
|Aug precipitation mm = 5.4
|Sep precipitation mm = 7.5
|Oct precipitation mm = 39.3
|Nov precipitation mm = 117.1
|Dec precipitation mm = 226.0
|year precipitation mm = 1171.4

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 16.8
|Feb precipitation days = 14.3
|Mar precipitation days = 11.0
|Apr precipitation days = 4.4
|May precipitation days = 2.0
|Jun precipitation days = 1.4
|Jul precipitation days = 0.9
|Aug precipitation days = 1.1
|Sep precipitation days = 1.0
|Oct precipitation days = 4.3
|Nov precipitation days = 9.0
|Dec precipitation days = 13.6
|year precipitation days = 79.8

|Jan humidity = 79
|Feb humidity = 80
|Mar humidity = 79
|Apr humidity = 77
|May humidity = 77
|Jun humidity = 77
|Jul humidity = 76
|Aug humidity = 74
|Sep humidity = 70
|Oct humidity = 69
|Nov humidity = 71
|Dec humidity = 77

|Jan sun = 210.5
|Feb sun = 178.0
|Mar sun = 199.1
|Apr sun = 220.5
|May sun = 228.8
|Jun sun = 206.1
|Jul sun = 213.9
|Aug sun = 235.0
|Sep sun = 249.5
|Oct sun = 251.0
|Nov sun = 232.7
|Dec sun = 201.1
|year sun = 2626.2
| source 1 = NOAA (sun, 1961-1990)<ref name=WMOCLINO>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230917215726/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-1-WMO-Normals-9120/Madagascar/CSV/ANTANANARIVO_67085.csv |archive-date=17 September 2023 |url=https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-1-WMO-Normals-9120/Madagascar/CSV/ANTANANARIVO_67085.csv |title=Antananarivo Climate Normals 1991–2020 |work=World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020) |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=17 September 2023}}</ref><ref name="NOAA">{{cite web |url=ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/MG/67083.TXT |title=Antananarivo Climate Normals 1961–1990 (Sunhours) |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=30 November 2013}}</ref>

| source 2 = ''Pogoda'' (humidity, 1981-2010)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/climate2/67083.htm |title=Antananarivo Climate Normals 1981–2010 (Humidity) |publisher=.pogodaiklimat |access-date=4 May 2016 |archive-date=November 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104084649/http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/climate2/67083.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

|date=May 2016}}

==Cityscape==
[[File:Antananarivo Rova-Palast.jpg|thumbnail|The [[rova of Antananarivo|royal palace]] is built on the peak of [[Twelve sacred hills of Imerina#Analamanga|Analamanga]], the city's highest hill, which dominates its skyline.]]

Antananarivo encompasses three ridges that intersect at their highest point. The Manjakamiadana royal palace is located at the summit of these hills and is visible from every part of the city and the surrounding hills. The Manjakamiadina was the largest structure within the rova of Antananarivo; its stone casing is the only remnant of the royal residences to survive a 1995 fire at the site. For 25 years, the roofless shell dominated the skyline; its west wall collapsed in 2004.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=297}} In 2009, the stone casing had been fully restored and the building was re-roofed. It is illuminated at night. Conservation and reconstruction work at the site is ongoing.<ref>{{cite news |date=2 December 2010 |language=fr |title=Patrimoine&nbsp;– La première phase des travaux terminée: Le "rova" renaît de ses cendres |newspaper=Le Quotidien de la Réunion et de l'Océan Indien |location=Antananarivo, Madagascar}}</ref> The city skyline is a jumble of colorful, historic houses and churches. More recent residential and commercial buildings and family rice fields occupy lower terrain throughout the capital. The Betsimitatatra and other rice fields surround the city.<ref name = loveme/>

The city's neighborhoods emerge from historic ethnic, religious, and caste divisions. The assignment of certain neighborhoods to particular noble sub-castes under the Kingdom of Imerina established divisions; the highest-ranking nobles were typically assigned to neighborhoods closest to the royal palace and were required to live in higher elevation portions of the city.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=12}} During and after French colonization, the expansion of the city continued to reflect these divisions. Today, the ''haute ville'' is mainly residential and viewed as a prestigious area in which to live; many of the city's wealthiest and most influential Malagasy families live there.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=12}} The part of ''la haute'' closest to the Rova contains much of the city's pre-colonial heritage and is considered it's historic part.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=16}} It includes the royal palace, Andafiavaratra Palace{{mdash}}the former residence of Prime Minister Rainilaiarivony, Andohalo{{mdash}}the principal town square until 1897, a cathedral near Andohalo built to commemorate early Malagasy Christian martyrs, the city's most intact historic entrance gate and the 19th-century houses of Merina nobles.<ref name=loveme>{{cite news |last=Hellier |first=Chris |date=Summer 1999 |title=Madagascar: Antananarivo – Love Me, Love Me Not |work=Travel Africa Magazine |url=http://www.travelafricamag.com/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=106}}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Under the Kingdom of Madagascar, the commoner class (''hova'') settled at the periphery of the noble districts,{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=12}} gradually spreading along the slopes of the lower hills during the late 19th century. This ''ville moyenne'' became increasingly populous under French colonial authority, which targeted them for redesign and development. Today, the neighborhoods in the ''ville moyenne'' are densely populated and lively, containing residences, historic sites, and businesses. The neighborhood of Antaninarenina contains the historic Hôtel Colbert, numerous jewelers' shops and other luxury goods stores, and administrative offices. In addition to Antaninarenina, the principal neighborhoods of ''la ville moyenne'' are Ankadifotsy on the eastern hills and Ambatonakanga and Isoraka to the west, all of which are largely residential.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=16}} Isoraka has developed lively nightlife, with houses converted to upscale restaurants and inns. Isoraka also houses the tomb of Prime Minister Rainiharo (1833–1852), whose sons and later Prime Ministers [[Rainivoninahitriniony]] and Rainilaiarivony are buried with him.{{sfn|Nativel|Rajaonah|2009|p=126}} Bordering these neighborhoods are the commercial areas of Besarety and Andravoahangy.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=16}}
[[File:Zoma Tananarive (3201311570).jpg|thumbnail|left|The city's historic Zoma market, established by King [[Andrianampoinimerina]] (1787–1810), was discontinued in 1997.]]

The commercial center of town, Analakely, is located on the valley floor between these two ''ville moyenne'' hill ranges.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=16}} King Andrianampoinimerina established the city's first marketplace{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=34}} on the grounds today occupied by the market's tile-roofed pavilions, constructed in the 1930s.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=297}} Andrianampoinimerina decreed Friday (''Zoma'') as market day,{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=34}} when merchants would erect stalls shaded with white parasols, which extended throughout the valley forming what has been called the largest open-air marketplace in the world.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=312}} The market caused traffic congestion and safety hazards prompting government officials to divide and relocate the Friday merchants to several other districts in 1997.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=79}} The city's other main commercial and administrative neighborhoods, which spread out from Analakely and extend into the adjacent plain, were established by the French, who drained and filled in the extant rice fields and swampland to create much of the area's design and infrastructure.  The ''Avenue de l'Indépendance'' runs from the gardens of Ambohijatovo south of the market pavilions, through Analakely to the city's railroad station at Soarano. To the west of Soarano lies the dense commercial district of Tsaralalana; it is the only district to be built on a grid{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=16}} and is the center of the city's South Asian community.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=221}} Behoririka, to the east of Soarano, is built around a lake of the same name and abuts the sprawling Andravoahangy district at the eastern edge of the city. Antanimena borders Soarano and Behoririka to the north. A tunnel built by the French in the early 20th century cuts through the hillside; it connects Ambohijatovo with Ambanidia and other residential areas in the south of the city.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=16}}

Since pre-colonial times the lower classes, including those descended from the slave class (''andevo'') and rural migrants, have occupied the flood-prone lower districts bordering the Betsimitatatra rice fields to the west of the city.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=12}} This area is connected to Analakely by a tunnel constructed by the French in the early 20th century. The tunnel opens toward Lake Anosy and the national Supreme Court buildings and provides access to the residential neighborhood of Mahamasina and its stadium. The bordering neighborhood of Anosy was developed in the 1950s to house most of the national ministries and the Senate.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=16}} Anosy, the planned residential district of ''Soixante-Sept Hectares'' (often abbreviated to "67") and the neighborhood of Isotry are among the city's most densely populated, crime-ridden and impoverished neighborhoods.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=232}} Approximately 40 percent of inhabitants with electricity in their homes in the ''ville basse'' obtain it illegally by splicing into city power lines. In these areas, houses are more vulnerable to fires, flooding, and landslides, which are often triggered by the annual cyclone season.{{sfn|UN-Habitat|2012|p=8}}

===Architecture===
[[File:Antananarivo houses architecture.JPG|thumbnail|Nineteenth-century ''[[Architecture of Madagascar|trano gasy]]'' houses predominate in the historic ''haute ville''.]]

Before the mid-19th century, all houses and marketplaces in Antananarivo, and throughout Madagascar, were constructed of woods, grasses, reeds, and other plant-based materials viewed as appropriate for structures used by the living. Only family tombs were built from stone, an inert material viewed as appropriate to use for the dead. British missionaries introduced brick-making to the island in the 1820s, and French industrialist Jean Laborde used stone and brick to build his factories over the next few decades. It was not until the royal edict on construction materials was lifted in the 1860s that stone was used to encase the royal palace. Many aristocrats, inspired by the royal palace and the two-story, brick houses with wrapped verandas and divided interior spaces built by British missionaries, copied the British model for their own large homes in the ''haute ville''. The model, known as ''[[Architecture of Madagascar|trano gasy]]'' ("Malagasy house"), rapidly spread throughout the Central Highlands of Madagascar, where it remains the predominant house construction style.<ref name="Testa, J.P.">{{cite news |last=Andriamihaja |first=Nasolo Valiavo |title=Habitat traditionnel ancien par JP Testa (1970), Revue de Madagascar: Evolution syncrétique depuis Besakana jusqu'au trano gasy |newspaper=L'Express de Madagascar |location=Antananarivo |date=5 July 2006 |url=http://www.madatana.com/article-trano-gasy.php |access-date=1 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714013648/http://www.madatana.com/article-trano-gasy.php |archive-date=July 14, 2011 |language=fr |url-status=dead |df=mdy}}</ref>

Since 1993, the ''Commune urbaine d'Antananarivo'' (CUA) has increasingly sought to protect and restore the city's architectural and cultural heritage. In 2005, CUA authorities partnered with the city planners of the [[Île-de-France]] to develop the ''Plan Vert{{spaced ndash}}Plan Bleu'' strategy for creating a classification system for ''Zones de Protection du Patrimoine Architectural, Urbain et Paysager'', areas of the city benefiting from legal protection and financial support for their historic and cultural heritage. The plan, which is being implemented by the ''Institut des Métiers de la Ville'', prevents the destruction of historic buildings and other structures, and establishes construction codes that ensure new structures follow historic aesthetics. It also provides for awareness-raising campaigns in favor of historic preservation and undertakes projects to restore dilapidated historic buildings and sites. Under this plan, 19th-century sites, like the Ambatondrafandrana tribunal and the second residence of Rainilaiarivony, have been renovated.<ref name = 2012report/>

==Demographics==
Antananarivo has been the largest city on the island since at least the late 18th century, when its population was estimated at 15,000.{{sfn|Appiah|Gates|2010|p=114}} By 1810, the population had grown to 80,000, before declining dramatically between 1829 and 1842 during the reigns of Radama I and especially Ranavalona I. Because of a combination of war, forced labor, disease and harsh measures of justice, the population of Imerina fell from 750,000 to 130,000 during this period.<ref name="Stats">{{cite journal |last=Campbell |first=Gwyn |date=October 1991 |title=The state and pre-colonial demographic history: the case of nineteenth-century Madagascar |journal=Journal of African History |volume=23 |issue=3 |pages=415–445 |doi=10.1017/S0021853700031534}}</ref> In the final years of the Kingdom of Imerina, the population of Antananarivo had recovered to between 50,000 and 75,000; most of the population were slaves who were largely captured in provincial military campaigns.{{sfn|Appiah|Gates|2010|p=114}} In 1950, Antananarivo's population was around 175,000.{{sfn|Shillington|2004|p=159}} By the late 1990s the population of the metropolitan area had reached 1.4&nbsp;million, and – while the city itself now has a population of 1,275,207 (at the 2018 Census)<ref name="ReferenceA">Institut National de la Statistique, Madagascar.</ref> – with suburbs lying outside the city limits it had grown to almost 2.3&nbsp;million in 2018.<ref name = newpop/> The metropolitan area is thus home to nearly 10 percent of the island's 25.68&nbsp;million residents. Rural migration to the capital propels this growth; the city's population exceeds that of the other five provincial capitals combined.{{sfn|Appiah|Gates|2010|p=114}}

As the historic capital of Imerina, Antananarivo is centrally located in the homeland of the Merina people, who comprise about 24 percent of the population and are the largest [[Malagasy people|Malagasy ethnic group]]. The city's history as the island's major center for politics, culture, and trade has ensured a cosmopolitan mix of ethnic groups from across the island and overseas.{{sfn|Appiah|Gates|2010|p=114}} Most Antananarivo residents have strong ties to their ''tanindrazana'' (ancestral village), where the extended family and typically a family tomb or burial place is located; many older residents leave the city upon retirement to return to their rural area of origin.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=171}}

===Crime===
Despite ongoing efforts by the Ministry of Domestic Security, crime has worsened in Antananarivo since 2009. Between 1994 and 1998, the city had an average of eight to twelve police officers for every 10,000 inhabitants; large cities typically have closer to fifteen.{{sfn|UN-Habitat|2012|p=8}} Under the mayorship of Marc Ravalomanana (1998–2001), street lights were installed or repaired throughout the city to improve night-time safety. He increased the number of police officers on the streets, leading to a drop in crime.<ref name=economist2000>{{cite news |title=Madagascar's presidential election: Will the yoghurt tycoon take over? |newspaper=The Economist |date=20 December 2001 |url=http://www.economist.com/node/917556 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225070304/http://www.economist.com/node/917556 |archive-date=December 25, 2012 |access-date=2 December 2012 |url-status=live |df=mdy}}</ref> {{As of|2012}}, the city lacks a comprehensive strategy for reducing crime. The recent{{when|date=August 2024}} increase in crime and the inadequate response from the CUA has prompted the growth of private security firms in the city.{{sfn|UN-Habitat|2012|p=8}}

The [[Antanimora Prison]] is located in the Antanimora district of the city. The facility has a maximum capacity of 800 inmates and has been reported to be severely overcrowded, at times housing more than 4000 detainees.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/ImprovingprisonconditionsinMadagascar.aspx |title=OHCHR {{!}} Humanizing the prison world: A diplomatic victory in Madagascar |website=www.ohchr.org |language=en-US |access-date=2020-04-28 |archive-date=June 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605180530/https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/ImprovingprisonconditionsinMadagascar.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Economy==
[[File:Avenue de l'Independence Antananarivo Madagascar.JPG|thumbnail|left|''L'Avenue de l'Indépendance'', the city's main thoroughfare, is bordered on both sides by shopping arcades built by the French in the 1930s.]]

Agriculture is the mainstay of the Malagasy economy. The land is used for the cultivation of rice and other crops, raising of [[zebu]] and other livestock, the fabrication of bricks, and other traditional livelihoods. Access to land is guaranteed and protected by law for every resident of the city. The CUA manages requests to lease or purchase land, but demand dramatically outstrips supply, and much of the unallocated land fails to meet the requisite criteria for parceling, such as land where floodwater runoff is diverted. Much of this marginal land has been illegally occupied and developed by land-seeking residents, creating shantytown slums in pockets throughout the lower portions of the city. This uncontrolled development poses sanitation and safety risks to residents in these areas.{{sfn|UN-Habitat|2012|p=7}}

Industry accounts for around 13 percent of Madagascar's [[gross domestic product]] (GDP) and is largely concentrated in Antananarivo. Key industries include soap production, food and tobacco processing, brewing, textiles, and leather manufacturing, employing around 5.5 percent of the workforce.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=12}} The city's extensive infrastructure and its role as the economic center of the country make it a favorable location for large businesses. Business owners are drivers of growth for the city; in 2010, 60 percent of all new buildings in the country were located in Antananarivo, most of which were built for commercial purposes. Unemployment and poverty are also growing, fueled in part by an inadequately skilled and unprofessional workforce and the lack of a comprehensive national strategy for economic development since 2009.{{Sfn|UN-Habitat|2012|p=8}} Formal sector job growth has not kept pace with population growth, and many residents earn their livelihood in the informal sector as street vendors and laborers.{{sfn|Appiah|Gates|2010|p=115}}  Under Ravalomanana, construction in the capital increased sharply; twelve new supermarkets were constructed in two years.<ref name = economist2000/>

The residents of urban areas{{mdash}}in particular Antananarivo{{mdash}}have been hardest hit by economic downturns and economic policy shifts. The national economic crisis in the mid-1970s and early 1980s, and the [[World Bank]]'s imposition of a [[Structural adjustment|structural adjustment program]] lowered living standards for the average resident of the city. The end of state subsidies, rapid inflation, higher taxes, widespread impoverishment, and the decline of the middle class was especially evident in Antananarivo, as was the growing wealth of a tiny political and economic elite in the city.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=12}} In 2007, two-thirds of Antananarivo residents had access to electricity,{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=275}} while ten percent of households owned a scooter, car or another motor vehicle.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=317}} Running water was installed in fewer than 25 percent of homes, small restaurants, and businesses in 2007, necessitating the collection of water from household wells or neighborhood pumps{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=275}} and the use of outdoor [[pit toilet]]s detached from the main building. In 2007, 60 percent of households were using shared public latrines.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=279}} Most homes use charcoal for daily cooking; stocks of charcoal and rice are kept in the kitchen.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|pp=267–268}} The average city household spends just under half of its budget on food.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=106}} Owing to its increasingly high cost, consumption of meat by city residents has sharply declined since the 1970s; the urban poor eat meat on holidays only once or twice a year.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=104}}

==Culture==
In Antananarivo and throughout the highlands, Merina and Betsileo families practice the ''[[famadihana]]'', an ancestor reburial ceremony. This ceremony typically occurs five to seven years after the death of a relative and is celebrated by removing the relative's ''[[lamba (garment)|lamba]]''-wrapped remains from the family tomb, rewrapping it with fresh silk shrouds and returning it to the tomb. Relatives, friends, and neighbors are invited to take part in the music, dancing, and feasting that accompanies the event. The ''famadihana'' is costly; many families sacrifice higher living standards to set aside money for the ceremony.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=141}}

===Historic sites and museums===
[[File:Palais de Justice d'Ambatondrafandrana.jpg|thumb|Palais de Justice d'Ambatondrafandrana, Court of Justice located "At the stone of Rafandrana". The site contains the stone erected by the ancient king Rafandrana but is now the location of the [[Ionic column]] court, open on three sides per Radama's order that all trials be open to public view.  Nearby is the Ampamarinana, "Place of hurling", a precipice where Christians were martyred in 1849.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tacchi |first1=A. |editor1-last=Sibree |editor1-first=J. |editor2-last=Baron |editor2-first=R. |title=King Andrianampoinimerina, and the Early History of Antananaviro and Ambohimanga, in The Antananarivo Annual and Madagascar Magazine |date=1892 |publisher=Press of the L.M.S. |location=London |pages=486–487 |edition=Vol. IV 1889–1892 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OoIcAAAAMAAJ |access-date=27 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Brown |first1=Mervyn |title=A History of Madagascar |date=2006 |publisher=Markus Wiener Publishers |location=Princeton |isbn=9781558762923 |pages=163, 186}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Ellis |first1=William |title=The Martyr Church: a Narrative of the Introduction, Progress and Triumph of Christianity in Madagascar |date=1870 |publisher=John Snow and Co. |location=London |page=[https://archive.org/details/martyrchurchana00elligoog/page/n200 172] |url=https://archive.org/details/martyrchurchana00elligoog |access-date=27 July 2019}}</ref>]]
The city has numerous monuments, historic buildings, sites of significance, and traditions related to the customs and history of the Central Highlands people.{{sfn|UN-Habitat|2012|p=8}} The city skyline is dominated by the Rova of Antananarivo. The nearby Andafiavaratra Palace was the home of 19th-century Prime Minister Rainilaiarivony and contains a museum featuring historic artifacts of the Kingdom of Imerina, including items saved from the fire at the Rova. Downhill from the palaces is Andohalo square, where Merina kings and queens delivered speeches to the public. Tsimbazaza Zoo displays many of the island's unique animal species and a complete skeleton of the extinct [[elephant bird]]. Other historic buildings include the Ambatondrafandrana tribunal where Ranavalona I dispensed judgment, the second residence of Rainilaiarivony with its indigenous medicinal plant garden,<ref name = 2012report/> the recently renovated Soarano railroad station, four late 19th-century memorial churches built to commemorate early Malagasy Christian martyrs, the tomb of Prime Minister Rainiharo, and the early 20th century pavilions of the Analakely market. Open-air markets include Le Pochard and the artisan market at Andravoahangy. The [[University of Madagascar's Museum of Art and Archaeology|Museum of Art and Archaeology]] in the Isoraka neighborhood features exhibits on the history and cultures of Madagascar's diverse ethnic groups.{{sfn|Bradt|Austin|2011|pages=162–163}} The Pirates Museum in Tsaralalàna explains the history of maritime pirates and the story of the pirates in Madagascar and their mysterious Republic of Libertalia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Piratenmuseum Madagaskar - Musée de Pirates Madagascar - Pirate Museum Madagascar |url=https://piratenmuseum.ch/ |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=piratenmuseum.ch |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104022946/https://piratenmuseum.ch/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> 

===Arts===
[[File:Cinemas in Antananarivo Madagascar.JPG|thumbnail|left|Cinemas Rex and Ritz]]

The arts scene in Antananarivo is the largest and most vibrant in the country. Madagascar's diverse [[Music of Madagascar|music]] is reflected in the many concerts, cabarets, dance clubs, and other musical venues throughout Antananarivo. In the dry season, outdoor concerts are regularly held in venues including the Antsahamanitra amphitheater and Mahamasina Stadium.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=69}} Concerts and nightclubs are attended mainly by young people of the middle to upper classes who can afford the entrance fees.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=69}} More affordable are performances of traditional ''vakindrazana'' or Malagasy operettas at Isotry Theater and ''[[hiragasy|hira gasy]]'' at the city's outdoor ''cheminots'' theater or ''Alliance française''; these performances are more popular with older and rural audiences than among urban youth.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=70}} Nightlife is the most animated in the ''ville moyenne'' neighborhoods of Antaninarenina, Tsaralalana, Behoririka, Mahamasina, and Andohalo.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=180}}

The ''Palais des Sports'' in the Mahamasina neighborhood is the country's only indoor performance space built to international standards. It was built in 1995 by the [[Government of China]]; it regularly hosts concerts, dance, and other arts performances, expositions, and novelty events like monster truck rallies. The city lacks a dedicated classical music performance space, and concerts by international artists are infrequent. Performances of classical, jazz, and other foreign musical genres, modern and contemporary dance, theater, and other arts occur at cultural arts centers funded by foreign governments or private entities. Among the best-known of these is the ''Centre Culturel [[Albert Camus]]'' and ''[[Alliance française|Alliance française d'Antananarivo]]'', both funded by the [[Cabinet of France|French government]].{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=69}} the ''Cercle Germano-Malgache'', a branch of the [[Goethe-Institut]] funded by the [[Government of Germany|German government]];<ref>{{cite web |title=Qui Sommes Nous? |year=2013 |url=http://www.goethe.de/ins/mg/ant/uun/frindex.htm |publisher=Goethe Institut Antananarivo |access-date=8 December 2013 |archive-date=December 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211212217/http://www.goethe.de/ins/mg/ant/uun/frindex.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The American Center is funded by the [[United States Department of State|United States government]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rakotoharimanana |first1=Volana |last2=Saraléa |first2=Judicaëlle |title=American center: Le high tech au service de la culture |language=fr |date=7 January 2012 |url=http://www.lexpressmada.com/5117/american-8200-center-madagascar/30745-le-8200-high-8200-tech-8200-au-8200-service-8200-de-8200-la-8200-culture.html |publisher=L'Express de Madagascar |access-date=8 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214010205/http://www.lexpressmada.com/5117/american-8200-center-madagascar/30745-le-8200-high-8200-tech-8200-au-8200-service-8200-de-8200-la-8200-culture.html |archive-date=December 14, 2013}}</ref> Antananarivo has two dedicated [[Cinema of Madagascar|cinemas]], the Rex and the Ritz, both of which were built in the colonial era. These venues do not show international releases but occasionally screen Malagasy films or are used for private events and religious services.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=69}}

===Sports===
[[Rugby union in Madagascar|Rugby Union]] is considered the national sport of Madagascar.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.irb.com/newsmedia/regional/newsid=53025.html |access-date=24 July 2012 |title=Madagascar take Sevens honours |date=23 August 2007 |publisher=International Rugby Board |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024222252/http://www.irb.com/newsmedia/regional/newsid=53025.html |archive-date=October 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref> The [[Madagascar national rugby union team|national rugby team]] is nicknamed the Makis after the local word for the indigenous [[ring-tailed lemur]]. The team trains and plays domestic matches at Maki Stadium in Antananarivo. Constructed in 2012, the stadium has a capacity of 15,000 and houses a gym and administrative offices for the team.{{cn|date=August 2024}}

Several soccer teams are based in Antananarivo; [[AS Adema]] Analamanga and [[Ajesaia]] are associated with the Analamanga region; [[USCA Foot]] is associated with the CUA and the [[AS Saint Michel]] has been affiliated since 1948 with the historic secondary school of the same name. All four teams train and play local games in [[Mahamasina Municipal Stadium]], the largest sporting venue in the country. The men's basketball teams Challenger and SOE (''Équipe du Stade olympique de l'Emyrne'') are based in Antananarivo and play in the ''Palais des Sports'' at Mahamasina.<ref name="sportsassoc">{{cite web |year=2009 |title=Association Sportive Malgache |url=http://www.sport-madagascar.com/association-sportive-malgache.html |publisher=Sport Madagascar |access-date=8 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181231143916/http://www.sport-madagascar.com/association-sportive-malgache.html |archive-date=December 31, 2018 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

The sports facilities of the [[University of Antananarivo]] were used to host the official [[2011 African Basketball Championship]].

== Places of worship == 
[[File:Antananarivo Church.jpg|thumbnail|160px|right|[[Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Antananarivo]]]]
Among the [[places of worship]], they are predominantly [[Christianity|Christian]] churches and temples : [[Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar]] ([[World Communion of Reformed Churches]]), [[Malagasy Lutheran Church]] ([[Lutheran World Federation]]), [[Assemblies of God]], [[Association of Bible Baptist Churches in Madagascar]] ([[Baptist World Alliance]]), [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Antananarivo]] ([[Catholic Church]]).<ref>J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, ''Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices'', ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 1768</ref> There are also [[Islam|Muslim]] mosques.

==Government==
[[File:Hotel de Ville town hall of Antananarivo Madagascar.JPG|thumbnail|left|The new ''Hôtel de Ville'' was completed in 2009 and replaced the original town hall burned in the 1972 ''[[rotaka]]'' protests.]]

Antananarivo is the capital of Madagascar, and the federal governance structures, including the [[Senate of Madagascar|Senate]], [[National Assembly (Madagascar)|National Assembly]], the Supreme Court, and the presidential office are housed there. The [[Iavoloha Palace|main presidential offices]] are located {{cvt|15|km|miles}} south of the city. The city hosts diplomatic missions of 21 countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.embassypages.com/madagascar |title=Madagascar: Embassies and Consulates |publisher=Embassypages.com |date=22 August 2014 |access-date=27 August 2014 |archive-date=October 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006080753/http://www.embassypages.com/madagascar |url-status=live }}</ref>

The CUA is divided into six numbered ''[[arrondissement]]s'' (administrative sub-districts); it has historically been administered by an elected mayor and associated staff.{{sfn|UN-Habitat|2012|p=7}}  Since the 2009 political crisis, in which the [[Mayor of Antananarivo]], Andry Rajoelina, unconstitutionally seized power as head of state, the CUA has been administered by a ''délégation spéciale'' ([[Special delegation (France)|special delegation]]) composed of a president and ''de facto'' mayor with the support of two vice presidents, all of whom are appointed by the president.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rakotomalala |first=Mahefa |title=Commune d'Antananarivo: Olga Rasamimanana nommée vice-pds |newspaper=L'Express de Madagascar |date=3 December 2013 |url=http://www.lexpressmada.com/commune-d-antananarivo-madagascar/48620-olga-rasamimanana-nommee-vice-pds.html |access-date=10 December 2013 |language=fr |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214025028/http://www.lexpressmada.com/commune-d-antananarivo-madagascar/48620-olga-rasamimanana-nommee-vice-pds.html |archive-date=December 14, 2013}}</ref> The position of President of the Special Delegation has been held by Ny Hasina Andriamanjato since March 2014.<ref>{{cite news |last=Radasimalala |first=Vonjy |title=Antananarivo – Les neuf défis d'Andriamanjato |newspaper=L'Express de Madagascar |date=21 March 2014 |url=http://www.lexpressmada.com/blog/actualites/antananarivo-les-neuf-defis-dandriamanjato-7539 |access-date=27 August 2014 |language=fr |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903103814/http://www.lexpressmada.com/blog/actualites/antananarivo-les-neuf-defis-dandriamanjato-7539 |archive-date=September 3, 2014}}</ref>

The mayoral administration of the CUA is empowered to govern the city with ''de jure'' autonomy; a wide range of mechanisms have been established to facilitate governance, although they are of limited effectiveness. An urban master plan guides major policies for city management but personnel within the mayoral office commonly lack the urban planning and management ability to effectively implement the plan in response to long-term and immediate needs. This challenge is compounded by the high turnover rate of mayors and staff that frequently disrupts initiatives begun by previous CUA administrations.{{sfn|UN-Habitat|2012|p=7}} A mayor under former President [[Didier Ratsiraka]] created "red zones"; areas where public gathering and protests were prohibited. On 28 June 2001, Ravalomanana abolished these areas, liberalizing freedom of assembly.{{sfn|Vivier|2007|p=13}}

Antananarivo has suffered from debt and mismanagement. The CUA estimated in 2012 that the cost of running the city to international standards would reach {{USD|100 million}} annually, while annual revenues average around $12&nbsp;million. In good years, the CUA can reserve $1–2&nbsp;million to spend on city improvement projects.<ref name = 2012report/> By 2008, the city's treasury had accumulated 8.2&nbsp;billion Malagasy ''[[ariary]]''{{mdash}}approximately {{USD|4.6 million}}{{mdash}}in debts under previous mayors.<ref>{{cite news |last=Randria |first=N. |title=Andry Rajoelina hérite de 41 milliards fmg de dettes |newspaper=Madagascar Tribune |date=22 December 2007 |url=http://www.madagascar-tribune.com/Andry-Rajoelina-herite-de-41,3713.html |access-date=6 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019105247/http://www.madagascar-tribune.com/Andry-Rajoelina-herite-de-41,3713.html |archive-date=October 19, 2013 |language=fr |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref> In 2008, water was cut off at public pumps, and there were regular [[Brownout (electricity)|brownouts]] of city street lights because of 3.3&nbsp;million ariary of unpaid debts to the [[Jirama]] public utility company by the City of Antananarivo. In response, Mayor Rajoelina undertook an audit that identified and sought to address long-standing procedural irregularities and corruption in the city's administration.<ref>{{cite news |first=N. |last=Randria |title=La CUA et les coupures d'eau et d'électricité: Antananarivo est-elle sanctionnée? |newspaper=Madagascar Tribune |date=7 January 2008 |url=http://www.madagascar-tribune.com/Antananarivo-est-elle-sanctionnee,3929.html |access-date=10 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019103740/http://www.madagascar-tribune.com/Antananarivo-est-elle-sanctionnee,3929.html |archive-date=October 19, 2013 |language=fr |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref> The CUA continues to be challenged by a shortage of revenues relative to its expenses caused by the high cost of retaining a large number of CUA personnel, weak structures for managing revenues from public rents and inadequate collection of tax revenues from city residents and businesses.{{sfn|UN-Habitat|2012|p=7}}

===Twin towns and sister cities===
Antananarivo has established [[Twin towns and sister cities|sister city]] agreements with four cities. The city was twinned with [[Yerevan]], Armenia in 1981.<ref name="Yerevan twinnings 2">{{cite web |url=http://www.yerevan.am/en/partner/sister-cities/ |title=Yerevan – Twin Towns and Sister Cities |access-date=14 November 2013 |year=2013 |publisher=Yerevan Municipality |archive-date=October 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031192729/http://www.yerevan.am/en/partner/sister-cities/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The city is also twinned with [[Vorkuta]], Russia;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://inserbia.info/news/2013/04/world-sister-cities-day/ |title=World Sister Cities Day |publisher=In Serbia |date=28 April 2013 |last=Stoiljkovic |first=Milena |access-date=12 January 2014 |archive-date=January 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112123453/http://inserbia.info/news/2013/04/world-sister-cities-day/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Suzhou, Jiangsu|Suzhou]], China;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.capfa.org.cn/en/city_js.asp?id=354&fatherid=297 |title=Sister Cities |publisher=Chinese-African People's Friendship Association |year=2014 |access-date=12 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112143659/http://www.capfa.org.cn/en/city_js.asp?id=354&fatherid=297 |archive-date=January 12, 2014 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref> and [[Montreal|Montreal, Quebec]], Canada.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vivre-au-quebec.com/montreal-city/villes-jumelages-de-montreal.html |title=Villes-jumelages de Montréal |publisher=Vivre au Québec |year=2014 |access-date=12 January 2014 |language=fr |archive-date=January 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112123203/http://www.vivre-au-quebec.com/montreal-city/villes-jumelages-de-montreal.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> A sister city relationship between Antananarivo and [[Nice]], France, established in 1962, is not active.<ref name="Nice Jumellage">{{cite web |url=http://www.nice.fr/Collectivites/La-municipalite/Villes-jumelees-avec-la-Ville-de-Nice |title=Villes jumelées avec la Ville de Nice |access-date=24 June 2013 |publisher=Ville de Nice |language=fr |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029114949/http://nice.fr/Collectivites/La-municipalite/Villes-jumelees-avec-la-Ville-de-Nice |archive-date=October 29, 2012 |df=mdy}}</ref> In 2019, the Mayor of the Commune Urbaine Antananarivo was inviting the City of [[Kota Kinabalu]] in Malaysia to enter into a sister relationship with the City of Antananarivo.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/132966/madagascar-council-wants-to-bring-more-tourists-to-sabah/ |title=Madagascar Council wants to bring more tourists to Sabah |publisher=Daily Express |date=27 March 2019 |access-date=26 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926021512/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/132966/madagascar-council-wants-to-bring-more-tourists-to-sabah/ |archive-date=September 26, 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Education==
[[File:Université d'Antananarivo.jpg|thumbnail|The [[University of Antananarivo]] was founded in 1958.]]
Most of Madagascar's public and private universities are located in Antananarivo.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mesupres.gov.mg/IMG/pdf/LISTE_DES_INSTITUTIONS_SUPERIEURES_HABILITEES_PAR_LE_MESUPRES_17_fevrier_2014.pdf |title=Liste des institutions supérieures dont les offers de formation ont reçu l'habilitation du MESUPRES |publisher=MESUPRES |year=2014 |access-date=30 August 2014 |language=fr |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903094845/http://www.mesupres.gov.mg/IMG/pdf/LISTE_DES_INSTITUTIONS_SUPERIEURES_HABILITEES_PAR_LE_MESUPRES_17_fevrier_2014.pdf |archive-date=September 3, 2014}}</ref> This includes the country's oldest higher education institute, the College of Medicine established under the Merina monarchy and the [[University of Antananarivo]], established under the French colonial administration. The Centre National de Télé-Enseignement de Madagascar (CNETMAD) is located in Antananarivo.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cntemad.mg/ |title=CNTEMAD – Centre National du Télé-Enseignement de Madagascar<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=February 3, 2021 |archive-date=January 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116173330/http://www.cntemad.mg/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> The city hosts many private pre-primary, primary and secondary schools and the national network of public schools.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.instat.mg/pdf/ensomd-2012-2013_2.pdf |title=Enquête Nationale sur le Suivi des indicateurs des Objectifs du Millénaire pour le Développement (ENSOMD) |publisher=INSTAT |year=2014 |access-date=30 August 2014 |language=fr |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904162616/http://www.instat.mg/pdf/ensomd-2012-2013_2.pdf |archive-date=September 4, 2014}}</ref> The city houses multiple French international schools, including [[Lycée Français de Tananarive]], [[Lycée La Clairefontaine]], [[Lycée Peter Pan]],<ref>"[https://www.aefe.fr/reseau-scolaire-mondial/rechercher-un-etablissement/madagascar-tananarive-lycee-peter-pan Lycée Peter Pan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705151802/https://www.aefe.fr/reseau-scolaire-mondial/rechercher-un-etablissement/madagascar-tananarive-lycee-peter-pan |date=July 5, 2018 }}." [[AEFE]]. Retrieved on 5 July 2018.</ref> and [[École de l'Alliance française d'Antsahabe]].<ref>"[https://www.aefe.fr/reseau-scolaire-mondial/rechercher-un-etablissement/madagascar-tananarive-ecole-de-lalliance École de l'Alliance française d'Antsahabe] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705151139/https://www.aefe.fr/reseau-scolaire-mondial/rechercher-un-etablissement/madagascar-tananarive-ecole-de-lalliance |date=July 5, 2018 }}." [[AEFE]]. Retrieved on 5 July 2018.</ref> It also houses an American school, [[American School of Antananarivo]], and a Russian school, the [[Russian Embassy School in Antananarivo]] ({{langx|ru|основная общеобразовательная школа при Посольстве России на Мадагаскаре}}).<ref>[http://scooltana.ucoz.ru/ Home] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705233049/http://scooltana.ucoz.ru/ |date=July 5, 2018 }}. Russian Embassy School in Antananarivo. Retrieved on 6 July 2018.</ref>

The nation's most prestigious dance school, ''K'art Antanimena'', is located in Antananarivo. Other major dance schools based in the city include ''Le Club de Danse de l'[[Université Catholique de Madagascar]]'', ''Club de danse Kera arts'space à Antanimena'' and ''Le Club Mills''.<ref name = sportsassoc/>

==Health and sanitation==
In general, the availability and quality of health care are better in Antananarivo than elsewhere in Madagascar, although it remains inadequate across the country relative to that in more developed countries. One of Madagascar's two medical schools is located in Antananarivo; most medical technicians and specialists are trained there.{{sfn|Sharp|Kruse|2011|p=64}} Neonatal{{sfn|Sharp|Kruse|2011|p=74}} and antenatal care are significantly better in Antananarivo than elsewhere on the island.{{sfn|Sharp|Kruse|2011|p=40}} Despite the presence of facilities and trained personnel, the high cost of health care places it beyond the reach of most residents of Antananarivo. Pharmaceuticals are imported, making them particularly unaffordable; traditional herbal medicines remain popular and are readily available in local markets frequented by most of the population.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=107}}

The large population in Antananarivo and the high density of its residential zones pose challenges to public health, sanitation, and access to clean drinking water. Processing and disposal of industrial and residential waste are inadequate. Wastewater is often discharged directly into the city's waterways. Air pollution from vehicle exhaust, residential coal-burning stoves, and other sources is worsening.{{sfn|UN-Habitat|2012|p=8}} While the city has set up clean water pumps, they remain inadequate and are not distributed according to population density, with poor access in the poorest and most populous parts of the city.{{sfn|UN-Habitat|2012|p=8}} Antananarivo is one of the two urban areas in Madagascar where [[bubonic plague]] is endemic.{{sfn|Sharp|Kruse|2011|p=19}}

In 2017, Antananarivo was ranked as the 7th worst city for particulate-matter air pollution in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://cleantechnica.com/2017/08/11/air-pollution-ranking-32-cities-measure/ |title=Air Pollution Ranking in 32 Cities â€" How Does Yours Measure Up? (State of Pollution Series) |date=2017-08-11 |website=CleanTechnica |language=en-US |access-date=2019-01-18 |archive-date=January 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119121253/https://cleantechnica.com/2017/08/11/air-pollution-ranking-32-cities-measure/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.midi-madagasikara.mg/a-la-une/2018/10/31/rapport-de-loms-antananarivo-parmi-les-villes-les-plus-polluees-au-monde/ |title=Rapport de l'OMS : Antananarivo, parmi les villes les plus polluées au monde – Midi Madagasikara |last=Madagasikara |first=Redaction Midi |date=October 31, 2018 |language=fr-FR |access-date=2019-01-18 |archive-date=January 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119121228/http://www.midi-madagasikara.mg/a-la-une/2018/10/31/rapport-de-loms-antananarivo-parmi-les-villes-les-plus-polluees-au-monde/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

These problems were diminished but not eliminated under the mayoral administration of [[Marc Ravalomanana]], who prioritized sanitation, security, and public administration. He obtained funds from international donors to establish garbage collection and disposal systems, restore dilapidated infrastructures such as roads and marketplaces, and replanted public gardens.<ref name=PDGRepublique>{{cite web |last=Geslin |first=Jean-Dominique |title=Ravalomanana le PDG de la République |publisher=Jeune Afrique |date=15 January 2007 |url=http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/LIN14017ravaleuqilb0/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126014659/http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/LIN14017ravaleuqilb0/ |archive-date=January 26, 2012 |language=fr |access-date=25 June 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy}}</ref> To improve sanitation in the city, he constructed public latrines in densely populated and highly frequented areas.<ref name=SFGATE>{{cite news |last=Robinson |first=Katya |title=AFRICA / Madagascar Magician / But some ask if cleanup campaign by capital's mayor is only skin deep |newspaper=SFGate |date=21 August 2000 |url=http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/AFRICA-Madagascar-Magician-But-some-ask-if-2743041.php |access-date=6 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020091651/http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/AFRICA-Madagascar-Magician-But-some-ask-if-2743041.php |archive-date=October 20, 2013 |url-status=live |df=mdy}}</ref>

==Transport==
[[File:Soarano train station Antananarivo Madagascar.JPG|thumbnail|left|The Soarano train station is located at the end of ''L'Avenue de l'Indépendance''.]]

The majority of the city's residents move about Antananarivo on foot. The CUA sets and enforces rules that govern a system of 2,400 franchised private minibuses running on 82 numbered routes throughout the city. An additional 2,000 minibuses managed by the Ministry of Transportation run along 8 lines into the neighboring suburbs. These interlinked bus systems served around 700,000 passengers each day.<ref name = 2012report/> These minibuses often fail to meet safety standards or air quality requirements and are typically overcrowded with passengers and their cargo. Police and ''gendarmes'' assist in regulating traffic at peak periods in the morning and evening, or around special events and holidays. Private licensed and unlicensed taxis are common; most vehicles are older [[Renault]]s or [[Citroën|Citroens]]. Newer vehicles congregate near hotels and other locales frequented by foreigners willing or able to pay higher prices for better services.<ref name=2012report>{{cite web |title=Actes du séminaire international sur le développement urbain |publisher=Commune Urbaine d'Antananarivo |date=March 2012 |url=http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/LIN14017ravaleuqilb0/ |language=fr |access-date=31 August 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126014659/http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/LIN14017ravaleuqilb0/ |archive-date=January 26, 2012}}</ref>

The city is encircled by a ring road and connected by direct ''routes nationales'' (national highways) to [[Mahajanga]], [[Toliara]], [[Antsirabe]], [[Fianarantsoa]] and [[Toamasina]]. Branches and feeder roads from these major highways connect the city to the national road network. Antananarivo was connected by train to Toamasina to the east and [[Manakara]] to the southeast via Antsirabe and Fianarantsoa, but since 2019 passenger trains have not been operated anymore. The city's principal railway station is centrally located at Soarano at one end of the ''Avenue de l'Indépendance''. [[Ivato International Airport]] is located approximately {{convert|15|km|0|abbr=off}} from the center of the city, connecting Antananarivoto to all national airports. Ivato is the hub of the national airline [[Air Madagascar]],{{sfn|Shillington|2004|p=159}} and is the only airport on the island hosting long-haul carriers. Direct flights connect Antananarivo to cities in South Africa and Europe.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=65}}

==Media==
[[File:Antananarivo Madagascar people reading news.JPG|thumbnail|Newspaper vendor]]
Government television and radio broadcasting centers, and the headquarters of numerous private stations are located in Antananarivo. Eighty percent of households in Antananarivo own a radio; the medium is popular across social classes. Stations like ''[[Fenon'ny Merina]]'' appeal to Merina listeners of all ages by playing traditional and contemporary music of the highlands region. Youth-oriented stations play a blend of Western artists and Malagasy performers of Western genres, as well as fusion and coastal musical styles. Evangelical broadcasts and daily international and local news are available in Malagasy, French, and English.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|pp=275–276}} Forty percent of Antananarivo residents own a television receiver.{{sfn|Fournet-Guérin|2007|p=276}} All major Malagasy newspapers are printed in the city and are widely available. Communications services in Antananarivo are the best in the country. Internet and mobile telephone networks are readily available and affordable, although service disruptions occur periodically. The [[Paositra Malagasy|national postal service]] is headquartered in Antananarivo, and private international shipping companies like [[FedEx]], [[DHL Express]], and [[United Parcel Service]] provide services to the city.{{sfn|Bradt|Austin|2011|pages=105, 159}}

==Notable people==
* [[Lucile Allorge]] (born 1937), botanist

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
{{See also|Timeline of Antananarivo#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Antananarivo}}
* {{cite book |last=Acquier |first=Jean-Louis |title=Architectures de Madagascar |publisher=Berger-Levrault |location=Berlin |year=1997 |isbn=978-2-7003-1169-3 |language=fr}}
* {{Cite book |last=Ade Ajayi |first=Jacob Festus |title=General history of Africa: Africa in the nineteenth century until the 1880s |publisher=UNESCO |location=Paris |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-520-06701-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VC7kKcXdDhkC |access-date=February 3, 2011}}
* {{cite book |last1=Appiah |first1=Anthony |last2=Gates |first2=Henry |title=Encyclopedia of Africa, Volume 1 |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2010 |location=London |isbn=978-0-19-533770-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A0XNvklcqbwC}}
* {{cite book |last1=Bradt |first1=Hilary |last2=Austin |first2=Daniel |title=Madagascar |edition=10th |publisher=The Globe Pequot Press Inc |year=2011 |location=Guilford, Connecticut |isbn=978-1-84162-341-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uTRPnMlOcwgC}} 
* {{cite book |last=Callet |first=François |year=1908 |title=Tantara ny andriana eto Madagasikara (histoire des rois) |publisher=Imprimerie catholique |location=Antananarivo |language=fr}} 
* {{cite book |last=Campbell |first=Gwyn |title=David Griffiths and the Missionary "History of Madagascar" |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden, the Netherlands |year=2012 |isbn=978-90-04-20980-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7pDNL4apVpgC}}
* {{Cite book |last=Desmonts |title=Madagascar |publisher=Editions Olizane |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x57t6B-wo6kC |location=New York |year=2004 |isbn=978-2-88086-387-6 |language=fr}} 
* {{cite book |last=Fournet-Guérin |first=Catherine |title=Vivre à Tananarive: géographie du changement dans la capitale malgache |publisher=Karthala Editions |year=2007 |location=Paris |isbn=978-2-84586-869-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U_NHlyeI3mcC}} 
* {{cite book |author=Government of France |year=1898 |language=fr |chapter=L'habitation à Madagascar |title=Colonie de Madagascar: Notes, reconnaissances et explorations |volume=4 |publisher=Imprimerie Officielle de Tananarive |location=Antananarivo, Madagascar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jp3FAAAAMAAJ}}
* {{cite book |title=The Malagasy Republic: Madagascar today |first1=Virginia |last1=McLean Thompson |first2=Richard |last2=Adloff |publisher=Stanford University Press |year=1965 |isbn=978-0-8047-0279-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Nativel |first=Didier |year=2005 |language=fr |title=Maisons royales, demeures des grands à Madagascar |publisher=Karthala Éditions |location=Antananarivo, Madagascar |isbn=978-2-84586-539-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8IOZLvSrspIC}} 
* {{cite book |last1=Nativel |first1=D. |first2=F. |last2=Rajaonah |title=Madagascar revisitée: en voyage avec Françoise Raison-Jourde |publisher=Karthala Editions |year=2009 |location=Paris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6NHOFJJHOc0C |isbn=978-2-8111-0174-9 |language=fr}}
* {{cite book |last=Oliver |first=Samuel |year=1886 |title=Madagascar: An Historical and Descriptive Account of the Island and its Former Dependencies |volume=1 |publisher=Macmillan and Co |location=New York |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lKtBAAAAIAAJ}} 
* {{cite book |last=Shillington |first=Kevin |title=Encyclopedia of African History, Volume 1 |publisher=CRC Press |year=2004 |location=New York |isbn=978-1-57958-245-6}}
* {{cite book |last1=Sharp |first1=Maryanne |last2=Kruse |first2=Joana |title=Health, Nutrition, and Population in Madagascar, 2000–09 |publisher=World Bank |year=2011 |location=New York |isbn=978-0-8213-8538-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CzyjH7BgdlcC}}
* {{cite book |last=UN-Habitat |title=Madagascar: Profil urbain d'Antananarivo |publisher=UNON |location=Nairobi, Kenya |year=2012 |isbn=978-92-1-132472-3 |language=fr |url=http://www.unhabitat.org/pmss/getElectronicVersion.aspx?nr=3371&alt=1 |access-date=December 7, 2013 |archive-date=December 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211152033/http://www.unhabitat.org/pmss/getElectronicVersion.aspx?nr=3371&alt=1 |url-status=dead}} 
* {{cite book |last=Vivier |first=Jean-Loup |title=Madagascar sous Ravalomanana: La vie politique malgache depuis 2001 |publisher=Editions L'Harmattan |location=Paris |year=2007 |isbn=978-2-296-18554-8 |language=fr |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4rGifG26P4IC}}

==See also==
* [[Antananarivo City Hall]]

==External links==
{{Commons category|Antananarivo}}
{{Wikivoyage|Antananarivo}}
{{EB1911 poster|Antanànarìvo}}
{{Portal|Madagascar}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070330230740/http://www.antananarivo.mg/ Antananarivo Renivohitra] – official website {{in lang|fr}} (archived 30 March 2007)
* {{Cite NSRW |short=x |wstitle=Tananarivo}}

{{Antananarivo}}
{{List of African capitals}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Antananarivo| ]]
[[Category:Capitals in Africa]]
[[Category:Cities in Madagascar]]
[[Category:Populated places in Analamanga]]
[[Category:Regional capitals in Madagascar]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 1620s]]
[[Category:1620s establishments in Africa]]