Antananarivo , formerly Tananarive (/təˌnænəˈriːv/ or /təˌnɑːnəˈriːv/), is the capital and largest city in Madagascar. It is also known by its French colonial shorthand form Tana. The larger urban area surrounding the city, known as Antananarivo-Renivohitra ("Antananarivo-Mother Hill" or "Antananarivo-Capital"), is the capital of Analamanga Region. The name roughly translates to 'City of 1000 Warriors'. Antananarivo is situated in the central region of the island length-wise and in the eastern-central region of the island width-wise, 160 km (99 mi) away from the eastern coast, and 330 km (210 mi) away from the western coast. The city occupies a commanding position, being built on the summit and slopes of a long and narrow rocky ridge, which extends north and south for about 4 km (2 mi) and rises at its highest point to about 200 m (660 ft) above the extensive rice plain to the west, although the town is at about 1,275 m (4,183 ft) above sea level. It is Madagascar's largest city and is its administrative, communications, and economic center. The city is located 215 km (134 mi) west-southwest of Toamasina, the principal seaport of the island, with which it is connected by railway, and for about 100 km (62 mi) along the coastal lagoons.. Unlike most capital cities in southern Africa, Antananarivo was already a major city before the colonial era. The city was founded as Analamanga circa 1625 by Merina King Andrianjaka after he expelled the king and inhabitants of the original Vazimba town on the summit of the highest hill of the same name. Here Andrianjaka constructed a rova (fortified royal compound) that became the site of the royal palaces and the burial place of Merina royalty. Early Merina kings utilized fanampoana (statute labor) to construct a massive system of irrigated rice paddies and dikes around the city to provide adequate rice for the growing population; the largest of these rice fields, most of which are still producing rice to the present, was called the Betsimitatatra. Successive Merina sovereigns ruled over the Kingdom of Imerina from Antananarivo until the kingdom's division in the early 18th century following the death of King Andriamasinavalona, who had renamed the growing city Antananarivo and established its main square at Andohalo. The city was defended by a standing army equipped with muskets and spears, as well as numerous cannons obtained primarily through the trading of slaves and other goods with the coastal Sakalava people. Internally, it was organized into neighborhoods designated for specific Andriana (noble) and Hova (commoner) groups, who were not allowed to visit their non-assigned neighborhoods without royal authorization. Numerous fady were imposed in the city at various points in time, including injunctions against the construction of wooden houses by non-nobles or the presence of swine within the city limits. After the division of Imerina into four independent quadrants, Antananarivo remained a capital of the southernmost district for 77 years. During this period, the eastern district's capital at Ambohimanga rose in prominence. The last king of Ambohimanga, Andrianampoinimerina, successfully conquered Antananarivo in 1794 and reunited the provinces of Imerina, putting an end to nearly eight decades of civil war. He relocated the kingdom's political capital back to Antananarivo, but declared Ambohimanga the kingdom's spiritual capital, a role it maintains to the present day. He established a major marketplace in Analakely, forming the city's economic center; the market is still among the city's most important and is located at the end of Antananarivo's main thoroughfare, Independence Avenue (Avenue de l'Independence). By the time Andrianampoinimerina's son Radama I inherited the throne upon his father's death in 1810, Antananarivo was by far the most populous and economically important city on the island, with a population of over 80,000 inhabitants. Radama opened the city to the first European settlers, artisan missionaries of the London Missionary Society. This group included such influential figures as James Cameron, who introduced brick making and other technologies. He also established a military training ground on a flat plain called Mahamasina; Radama stood atop a stone near the stadium located here during his inauguration ceremony. Radama's subjugation of other 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 that he and his successors claimed despite never managing to impose their authority over the larger portion of the island's south. Antananarivo was thereafter considered the capital of the entire island. Radama's successor Ranavalona I invited a shipwrecked craftsman named Jean Laborde to further industrialize the royal army. Laborde established a foundry in the neighborhood of Isoraka and built the artificial Lake Anosy in the center of town to provide water for the foundry's hydraulics. Ranavalona oversaw improvements to the city's infrastructure, including the construction of the city's two largest staircases at Antaninarenina and Ambondrona, which lead down to the market at Analakely. In the mid-19th century a royal decree was issued that permitted the use of stone and brick construction to be expanded from tombs to other types of buildings. The exterior of Manjakamiadana, the largest palace at the Rova, was encased in stone by Cameron. In addition, the model of the wooden Tranovola palace at the Rova of Antananarivo and the first brick LMS missionary house, both bearing a blend of English, Creole and Malagasy design, 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 was typically two stories high, built of brick, and featured four columns on the front that supported a wooden veranda. Over the latter third of the 19th century, these houses quickly replaced most of the traditional wooden houses of the city's aristocratic class. The growing number of Christians in the highlands also prompted the construction of stone churches throughout the highlands, as well as four memorial cathedrals on key sites of martyrdom among early Malagasy Christians under the reign of Ranavalona I. Prime Minister Rainilaiarivony governed Madagascar alongside three successive queens, Rasoherina, Ranavalona II and Ranavalona III, affecting policies that further transformed the city. He reinstated mandatory universal education first introduced under Radama I in 1820, requiring the construction of numerous schools and colleges, including teacher training colleges staffed by missionaries and the nation's first medical college and modern hospitals. Rainilaiarivony built the Andafiavaratra Palace as his residence and office at a site near the royal palace. A railway system was established to connect major highland cities and coastal port towns, with Antananarivo's train depot located at the heart of the city near the Analakely commercial district. By the end of the 19th century, the population of Antananarivo had grown to 100,000 inhabitants. 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 French Residency in Antaninarenina today serves as presidential offices and has been renamed Ambohitsorohitra Palace. Under the French, tunnels were constructed through two of the city's largest hills, connecting disparate districts and facilitating expansion of the town. Major boulevards were constructed, as well as planned commercial areas such as the arcades lining either side of Independence Avenue. Roads between major cities and towns were expanded and increasingly paved. The first international airport was constructed at Arivonimamo, some 45 kilometres (28 miles) outside of Antananarivo, later replaced with the Ivato International Airport approximately 15 kilometres (9 miles) from Analakely. By 1950 the population of Antananarivo had grown to 175,000. Andohalo square was remodeled to feature a gazebo, walkways and planted landscaping. Water, previously obtained from springs at the foot of the hill, was brought from the Ikopa River which skirts the capital to the south and west. The University of Antananarivo was constructed in the Ankatso neighborhood, and Museum of Ethnology and Paleontology was also built. After independence in 1960 the pace of growth increased rapidly. The city's population reached 1.4 million by the end of the 20th century. Industries include food products and textiles. Including an Anglican and a Roman Catholic cathedral (this is the see city of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Antananarivo), there are more than 5,000 church buildings in the city and its suburbs. Michele Ratsivalaka is currently serving as mayor of Antananarivo, a position previously occupied by political figures Andry Rajoelina and Marc Ravalomanana. The city of Antananarivo was the site of large demonstrations and violent clashes during the 2009 Malagasy political crisis, which resulted in Rajoelina replacing Ravalomanana as head of state. Antananarivo has a temperate climate. Under the Köppen-Geiger climate classification system, the city features a subtropical highland climate (Cwb)[2] and is the coldest city in Madagascar.[3] Owing to its high elevation of 1,300 to 1,400 metres (4,265 to 4,593 ft) above sea level, the city is known for its mild climate. Antananarivo receives practically all of its average annual rainfall between November and April. The dry season is usually mild and sunny, however the nights are chilly. Although frosts are rare in Antananarivo, they are more common at higher elevations. Means range from 20.7 °C (69.3 °F) to 14.1 °C (57.4 °F).