City Africa
Antananarivo
Antananarivo is the capital city of Madagascar, a big island near Africa. It is high up in the island's highlands, with rice fields at its edges.
Antananarivo, once called Tananarive, is the capital of Madagascar. Madagascar's 2018 census counted 1,274,225 people in the city, almost four times as many as in Toamasina, the next city. It lies about 1,250 meters up in the island's highlands, and rice fields still mark its edges.
Antananarivo grew in the late 18th century with the Merina kingdom, around the palace (the Rova) and the market; it had 30,000 people in 1828 and 160,000 in 1948. The 2018 census counted 1,274,225 in the city, and about 40% of its area is lakes, gardens and other natural spaces.
Photo: Souvaroff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Antananarivo
Antananarivo is the capital city of Madagascar. Madagascar is a big island near Africa.
Long ago, the city was called Tananarive.
Antananarivo is the capital of Madagascar. Madagascar's 2018 census counted 1,274,225 people in the city, almost four times as many as in Toamasina, the next-biggest city.
Universalis says the city, once called Tananarive, lies in the Betsimitatatra plain at 1,250 meters above sea level, in the heart of Imerina, in the island's highlands.
City Population (Institut National de la Statistique, Madagascar) gives Antananarivo 1,274,225 people in the census of 2018 (counted from 18 May to 25 June), first ahead of Toamasina (325,857) and Antsirabe (246,354); Analamanga region had 3,623,925.
Universalis (Chantal Blanc-Pamard, Hervé Rakoto Ramiarantsoa): the urban commune, created in 1995, groups six districts; half of its people were under twenty-five.
- Country
- Madagascar (its capital)
- People in the city (census, 2018)
- 1,274,225
- Next-biggest city (same census)
- Toamasina, 325,857
- Height above the sea
- 1,250 m
City lights at night
This is Antananarivo at night. Thousands of lights twinkle across the city.
A big round sports field glows bright green in the middle.
This view over Antananarivo was taken at night on 23 September 2012, from a high spot with a railing. Lights shine from houses and streets all the way to the hills on the horizon. In the middle, a brightly lit stadium glows, and behind it lies a dark lake. Stars dot the sky.
Wikidata says the city's Mahamasina Municipal Stadium has 22,000 seats.
Commons: 'Vue sur Antananarivo de nuit' (view over Antananarivo at night), 23 September 2012, own work by Souvaroff (CC BY-SA 3.0); filed under 'Views of Antananarivo'. The record does not name the stadium, the lake or the viewpoint.
Wikidata: Mahamasina Municipal Stadium, 22,000 seats, lies about 0.7 km southeast of Lake Anosy.
- Photo
- a view over Antananarivo at night, 23 September 2012
- Mahamasina Municipal Stadium
- 22,000 seats
- Rova of Antananarivo
- a royal complex
A royal town
Long ago, a kingdom had its palace here, in the upper town. A town grew around the palace and the market.
Now it is a huge city.
Universalis says Antananarivo began to grow fast at the end of the 18th century, together with the Merina kingdom. By 1828 about 30,000 people lived there, around the palace, called the Rova, and the market.
The city kept growing, to 160,000 people by 1948. During colonial times, new planning works gave it another push. The queen's palace in the upper town has been restored.
Universalis: the agglomeration grew in the late 18th century with the Merina kingdom; 30,000 people in 1828 around the Rova and the market; 160,000 in 1948; colonial planning works gave it new momentum; the urban commune of Antananarivo was created in 1995 as part of decentralization.
The upper town keeps its symbolic role with the restored queen's palace; the lower town has been given new roads and public places since the 1990s.
- Grew quickly
- late 18th century, with the Merina kingdom
- People in 1828
- 30,000
- People in 1948
- 160,000
Upper town, lower town
Antananarivo has an upper town and a lower town. Its main street is the Avenue de l'Indépendance.
Planes land at a big airport north of the city.
Universalis says the Avenue de l'Indépendance is the city's main street, and that new roads across the plain have made it easier to reach the city center. The upper town keeps the restored queen's palace, while the lower town has grown a lot.
Ivato Airport, Madagascar's main airport, lies about 15 kilometers north-northwest of the Rova.
Universalis: the Avenue de l'Indépendance, the main artery, has been made more attractive; road works in the plain have eased access to the center; the lower town was seen by some as 'soulless' after the Friday market (Zoma) disappeared in 1997, before big improvements.
Wikidata: Ivato Airport, 'main airport of Madagascar', 15.3 km NNW of the Rova.
- Main avenue
- Avenue de l'Indépendance
- Ivato Airport
- Madagascar's main airport, about 15 km north-northwest of the Rova
- Friday market (Zoma)
- disappeared in 1997
Wet summers, dry winters
Antananarivo gets lots of rain from November to March. From May to September it is dry and cooler.
The World Meteorological Organization's averages for Antananarivo (1981–2010) give about 1,199 millimeters of rain in a year. January is the wettest month, with about 326 millimeters, while June has only about 4.
The city is high up, and July nights average only about 10 °C. Days stay between about 20 and 27 °C all year.
WMO World Weather Information Service, Antananarivo (1981–2010): rainfall 1,198.5 mm on about 117 days with at least 0.1 mm; January 325.5 mm, February 254.5 mm, December 211.7 mm; June 4.0 mm. Average highs 20.5 °C (July) to 26.9 °C (November); average lows 10.5 °C (July) to 17.4 °C (February).
December to February bring 791.7 mm, about two-thirds of the year's rain.
- January rainfall (WMO, 1981–2010)
- 325.5 mm
- June rainfall (same table)
- 4.0 mm
- July, average low (same table)
- 10.5 °C
Rice fields, lakes and gardens
Rice fields still grow at the edges of the city. Antananarivo also has lakes, gardens and a park where birds come to nest.
Universalis says Antananarivo mixes city and countryside: rice fields still form its edges, and about 40% of the city is natural space, such as lakes and gardens. Tsarasaotra park is a protected Ramsar wetland where migratory birds nest.
The Tsimbazaza botanical garden is one of the most important in Africa south of the Sahara. Old monuments, new buildings, brick houses, little shops and shopping centers stand side by side.
Universalis: rice fields still form the city's limits; about 40% natural spaces; Tsarasaotra park, a Ramsar site favorable to nesting migratory birds; Tsimbazaza botanical garden; free-trade zones on the outskirts since the 1990s; a green plan launched in 2005.
Wikidata: Botanical and Zoological Garden of Tsimbazaza, 0.96 km SW of the Rova; Lake Anosy 1.46 km NW.
- Natural spaces
- about 40% of the city (lakes, gardens and more)
- Tsarasaotra park
- a Ramsar wetland where migratory birds nest
- Tsimbazaza
- botanical and zoological garden
Antananarivo on the map
Find Africa on the globe. To the east, across the sea, is the big island of Madagascar. Antananarivo is up in its highlands.
Antananarivo lies at about 18.9° south, in the highlands of Madagascar. Measured from the Rova, the Mahamasina stadium is about 800 meters northwest, Lake Anosy about 1.5 kilometers northwest and Tsimbazaza about 1 kilometer southwest.
Ivato Airport, Madagascar's main airport, is about 15 kilometers north-northwest. Universalis places the city in the Betsimitatatra plain, in the heart of the Imerina region.
Antananarivo lies at about 18.91° S and 47.53° E. From the Rova (Wikidata points): Mahamasina Municipal Stadium 0.77 km NW, Tsimbazaza 0.96 km SW, Lake Anosy 1.46 km NW, the city's own point 1.69 km NNW, Ivato Airport 15.3 km NNW.
Universalis: in the Betsimitatatra plain at 1,250 m, in the heart of Imerina.
- Latitude
- about 18.9° south
- Longitude
- about 47.5° east
- Setting
- the Betsimitatatra plain, in the Imerina highlands
Amazing facts
-
Rice fields grow right at the edge of Antananarivo!
Universalis says rice fields still form the limits of Antananarivo, a city that mixes town and countryside.
Universalis: 'Antananarivo associe ... la ville et la campagne'; rice fields still form the city's limits.
-
Birds fly a long way to nest in a park in Antananarivo.
Tsarasaotra park in Antananarivo is a protected Ramsar wetland where migratory birds nest.
Universalis: Tsarasaotra park, a Ramsar-listed wetland, favorable to the nesting of migratory birds.
-
Antananarivo has an important garden with plants and animals.
Universalis says the Tsimbazaza botanical garden in Antananarivo is one of the most important in Africa south of the Sahara.
Universalis: the Tsimbazaza botanical garden is one of the most important in sub-Saharan Africa; Wikidata lists it as a botanical and zoological garden.
-
Lots of young people live in Antananarivo!
Universalis says Antananarivo's population is young: half of its people were under twenty-five.
Universalis: the population is young, half being under 25 (urban commune, 2005 context).
Words to know
- highlands
- high, hilly land, far above the sea
- rice field
- a flooded field where rice is grown
- wetland
- land that is soaked with water, like a marsh or swamp
- Ramsar site
- a wetland listed under an international agreement to protect it
- migratory bird
- a bird that travels long distances each year between places
- kingdom
- a country or land ruled by a king or queen
Discovery challenge
-
Antananarivo is the capital of which island country?
Antananarivo is the capital of which big island country near Africa?
Antananarivo, in the Imerina highlands, is the capital of which country?
- Madagascar
- Iceland
- Japan
Show the answer
Madagascar
Madagascar!
Madagascar.
Madagascar.
-
What kind of fields grow at the edges of Antananarivo?
Which fields still form the edges of Antananarivo?
Universalis says which farmland still marks the city's limits?
- Wheat fields
- Rice fields
- Cotton fields
Show the answer
Rice fields
Rice fields!
Rice fields.
Rice fields (rizières).
-
What was Antananarivo called before?
What was Antananarivo's former name?
Under which former name does Universalis also list Antananarivo?
- Tananarive
- Toamasina
- Timbuktu
Show the answer
Tananarive
Tananarive!
Tananarive.
Tananarive.
-
Which month is the rainiest in Antananarivo?
Which month has the most rain in Antananarivo?
In the WMO table (1981–2010), which month has 325.5 mm?
- January
- June
- September
Show the answer
January
January!
January.
January.
-
Long ago, the palace in the upper town belonged to which kingdom?
The town grew in the late 18th century around the Rova palace. Which kingdom did it grow with?
Antananarivo grew with which kingdom in the late 18th century?
- The Merina kingdom
- The Roman Empire
- The Viking kingdoms
Show the answer
The Merina kingdom
The Merina kingdom!
The Merina kingdom.
The Merina kingdom.
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Antananarivo in the highlands of Madagascar.
- Describe how a city can mix town and countryside.
- Read a rainfall table and find the wet and dry seasons.
- Compare the city's population in 1828, 1948 and 2018.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Antananarivo still has rice fields at its edges. What farms or green spaces are near your town?
- Migratory birds nest in a city park. Why might wetlands in cities matter to birds?
- The city grew from 30,000 to more than a million people. What changes when a town grows that much?
Try at home or in class
- Rain chart: plot Antananarivo's monthly rainfall and shade the dry months.
- Growth bars: draw bars for 1828, 1948 and 2018 to compare the city's size.
- Rice field model: plant a few rice grains or seeds in a tray of wet soil and keep it flooded.
Key vocabulary: highlands, rice field, wetland, Ramsar site, migratory bird, kingdom
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- Madagascar: Regions and Cities , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), from the Institut National de la Statistique
- Antananarivo , Encyclopaedia Universalis (Chantal Blanc-Pamard, Hervé Rakoto Ramiarantsoa)
- Antananarivo: climatological information , World Meteorological Organization, World Weather Information Service (Madagascar)
- File:Tana De nuit.jpg (Souvaroff, 23 September 2012) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.