Antsiranana     

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Geography

The city is at the level of the Cape d' Ambre (Tanjon' I Bobaomby) in the North of Madagascar to co-ordinates 12.16 S and 49.17 E with in the West the Channel of Mozambique and the East the Indian Ocean.

It is one of most beautiful bays of the world and the larger second (156 km of coasts) after that of Rio de Janeiro.
The bay of Diégo-Suarez is in fact made up of 4 bays of smaller size :

• the bay of the Thunder.
• the bay of White Stones.
• the Bottom of Welsh Bag.
• the bay of the French (where is located the headland city of Diégo-Suarez).

This specificity coupled to an ideal position (proximity with the African coasts, Mayotte, the archipelago of the Comoros and the archipelago of Seychelles) make a strategic place of it explaining sharp the interêt French forces for the site.

Toponymy

There are two theses being able to explain the name of the city :

• the discovery of bay by the navigators Diego Dias and Fernando Soares and which gave him their names.

• the discovery of bay in 1543 by the Portuguese explorer of the same name Diégo Suarez.

With the malgachisation the city was repabtisée "Antsiranana" or "where one finds a little salt to the feet of the brèdes".
Nevertheless, the old name remains always in force and of everyday usage.

• The very first name of Diégo-Suarez or Antsiranana is Antomboko, which means "perforated, perforated" due to this natural bay which S’extends on 156 km. C’is the 2nd larger bay in the world after that of Rio de Janeiro, it has also its sugar loaf called Nosy Lonjo.

History

• XVIe century : discovered bay by Portuguese explorers (cf two theories)
• XVII century : Republic of Libertalia.
• December 17, 1885 : signature of a treaty granting to France a protectorate on the surrounding territories Diégo Suarez, like on the island of Nosy Be and Sainte-Marie-de-Madagascar by the queen Ranavalona III.
• August 28, 1895 : Catch of the fort of Ambohimarina (Antananarivo) marking does it French forwarding in Madagascar and the beginning of the colonization of the island.
• January 28, 1896 : decree attaching the colony to the general government of Madagascar.
• May 5 at May 7, 1942 : Operation "Iron Clad", the British seize Diégo-Suarez to the hands of the Vichystes troops fearing that these last do not support the Japanese forces (allies of German).
• 1946 : the British troops reassign the city in France.
• June 3, 1974 : withdrawal of the last French troops (foreign legion)

Population

The city counts approximately 80 000 inhabitants.
In spite of the fact that it is supposed being the capital of the ethnos group Antakarana "those of cliffs", Antsiranana is a cosmopolitan city where the diversity of its population is striking :

• Comorians (20%)
• Sakalava (15%)
• Antankarana (15%)
• Indo-Pakistani (Karana) (15%)
• Antandroy (10%)
• Chinese (10%)
• Yemenis and Somalis (10%)
• Europeans (5%) : French, Italians as a majority

Town planning

As one can see it with the toponymy of the streets and the places, the town planning of the city is strongly marked by the French presence.

The urbanization was done in three phases :

• The hypercentre

The village D’Antombouck or Antsirane can be regarded as the core of the city or hypercentre. It was made up D’a score of paillottes Malagasy and was discovered by François de Mahy in 1885. This village makes from now on place at a city which S’extends from now on more and more towards the south.

• The new city
  With colonization, the village became city. This one is directed towards North-North Is and is divided into two parts :
  • L’old city colonial or "Low City" old creole district, harbour installations, Refrigerator, around cathedral etc goes down gently towards the sea.
  • The new districts of extension to the South (Tanambao I with V, Lazaret, Large Bulwark, SCAMA, Ambalavola, Mahatsara, Morafeno etc are as many districts which gain more and more until worms Anamakia and Arrachard).