Antananarivo

Antananarivo is the capital city of Madagascar. It is the largest city in the country. The city is the administrative, communications and economic center of Madagascar.

Antananarivo has a population of over 1.4 million people. Including an Anglican cathedral and a Roman Catholic cathedral, there are about fifty churches in the city and its suburbs. There is also a Muslim mosque. Antananarivo is home of the University of Madagascar and the Collège Rural d'Ambatobe.

 History 
Antananarivo was founded in about 1625 by King Andrianjaka. The name, Antananarivo, means the City of the Thousand. It comes from the number of soldiers Andrianjaka used to guard the city.

Until 1869 all buildings in the city were of wood or rushes. Since the introduction of stone and brick, the whole city has been rebuilt. It now has many notable structures. For example, the royal palaces, the Anglican and Roman Catholic cathedrals, several stone and brick churches, colleges, schools, hospitals, courts of justice and other government buildings.

The city was captured by the French in 1895. Since then, good roads have been built in the city.

References

 Other websites 
Antananarivo Renivohitra website 

Category:1610 establishments
Category:1625 establishments
Category:17th-century establishments in Africa
Category:Establishments in Madagascar
Category:Geography of Madagascar
Category:National capitals in Africa