Merina people
The term "Hova" originally applied to all members of the Merina people who arrived in the central highlands around the 15th century and absorbed the existing population of Vazimba. Andriamanelo (1540–1575) consolidated the power of the Hova when he united many of the Hova chiefdoms around Antananarivo under his rule. The term Hova remained in use through the 20th century, though some foreigners transliterated that word to be "Ankova", and increasingly used since the 19th century.