formerly TANANARIVE, city, capital of Madagascar and of Antananarivo Province. It is situated in the central part of the island of Madagascar, on the slopes of a rocky ridge that rises to about 1435 m (about 4700 ft). The largest city in the country, Antananarivo is Madagascar’s chief economic, cultural, and administrative center. It is the trade center for a rice-growing region, and industries here manufacture processed food, tobacco products, textiles, and leather goods. The city has an international airport and has rail links with Toamasina, a seaport on the Indian Ocean. The University of Antananarivo (1961), the country’s principal institution of higher education, is located here, as are numerous research institutes and an astronomical observatory. Antananarivo is also the site of Madagascar’s leading libraries and museums including the National Library (1961), the libraries of the university and of the Académie Malgache, the Historical Museum (1897), and the Museum of Art and Archaeology (1970).

The city was founded as a fortress in the early 17th century by the rulers of the Merina, a people of Malay origin, who made it their chief residence in the 1790s; their large palace, overlooking the city from the top of the ridge, was gutted by fire in November 1995. The community grew in importance as the Merina dynasty, notably Radama I (c. 1793–1828), gained control of most of the island in the 19th century. The French captured the city in 1895, and subsequently it became the capital of the French dependency of Madagascar. It continued as capital when the country achieved independence in 1960. The city was known as Tananarive until 1977. Pop. (1993) 1,052,835.