Vakinankaratra is a

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

in central

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

. The capital of the region is Antsirabe. Vakinankaratra covers an area of , and had a population of 2,074,358 in 2018.

History

The kingdom of Vakinankaratra, known as the kingdom of the river Andrantsay, was founded at the beginning of the 17th century by Andrianony, a prince originally from

Alasora Alasora is a rural commune in Analamanga Region, in the Central Highlands (Madagascar) , Central Highlands of Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Antananarivo-Avaradrano (district), Antananarivo Avaradrano. It is located in the East of Ant ...

, south of

Antananarivo Antananarivo (French language, French: ''Tananarive'', ), also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the city, known as Antananarivo-Renivohitra ("An ...

. The capital of the kingdom used to be Fivavahana in today's

Betafo file:Lac Tatamarina.jpg, Tatamarina Lake in Betafo Betafo ("many roofs") is a town and urban municipality in Vakinankaratra Region in the Central Highlands (Madagascar), Central Highlands of Madagascar. It is surrounded by volcanic peaks and is si ...

District. The last ruler of the Kingdom of Andrantsay was Andriamanalinarivo who was on the throne when

Imerina The Merina Kingdom, or Kingdom of Madagascar, officially the Kingdom of Imerina (–1897), was a pre-colonial state off the coast of Southeast Africa that, by the 19th century, dominated most of what is now Madagascar. It spread outward from I ...

king

Andrianampoinimerina Andrianampoinimerina () (1745–1810) ruled the Kingdom of Imerina on Madagascar from 1787 until his death. His reign was marked by the reunification of Imerina following 77 years of civil war, and the subsequent expansion of his kingdom into n ...

conquered the area with the help of the young prince Radama at the beginning of the 19th century. The territory was integrated into the Merina Kingdom under the new name Vakinankaratra. During the colonial period the centre of the region shifted to Antsirabe.

Population

Vakinankaratra is the second most populous region of Madagascar and it has the second highest population density, only beaten by Analamanga, where the national capital and biggest city,

, is located. In 2018, Vakinankaratra had a population of 2,074,358 and an average density of 117.0 people per km². The vast majority of the population belongs to the

Merina The Merina people (also known as the Imerina, Antimerina, or Hova) are the largest ethnic group in Madagascar.Merina ...

ethnic group.

Economy

Vakinankaratra generates 10% of the PIB of Madagascar. There is an important textile industry and it is the principal bassin of legume production of the island. It also supplies 65% of the milk produced in Madagascar. in French): https://lexpress.mg/08/09/2020/filiere-lait-loffre-loin-de-la-demande/ lexpress.mg Filiere Lait/ref>

Geography

Vakinankaratra is situated in the central highlands of Madagascar. The region covers an area of , making it the third least extensive region in Madagascar. It borders the region of Bongolava in the northwest,

Itasy Itasy is a region in central Madagascar. It borders Analamanga region in northeast, Vakinankaratra in south and Bongolava in northwest. The capital of the region is Miarinarivo, and the population was 897,962 in 2018. It is the smallest of all the ...

in the north, Analamanga in the northeast,

Alaotra Mangoro Alaotra-Mangoro is a region in eastern Madagascar. It borders Sofia Region in north, Analanjirofo in northeast, Atsinanana in east, Vakinankaratra in southwest, Analamanga in west and Betsiboka in northwest. The capital of the region is Ambatondr ...

and

Atsinanana Atsinanana is a coastal region in eastern Madagascar. It borders Analanjirofo region in the north, Alaotra-Mangoro in the west, Vakinankaratra and Amoron'i Mania in the southwest, and Vatovavy and Fitovinany in south. The region contains over 285 ...

in the east,

Amoron'i Mania Amoron'i Mania is a region in central Madagascar bordering Vakinankaratra Region in north, Atsinanana in northeast, Vatovavy-Fitovinany in southeast, Haute Matsiatra in south, Atsimo-Andrefana in southwest and Menabe in west. The capital of the r ...

in the south, and

Menabe Menabe is a region in western Madagascar, with its capital at Morondava. It covers an area of , and its population was 700,577 in 2018. The population mostly belongs to the Sakalava ethnic group. The region is named after the 18th-century Sakalav ...

to the west. A number of precious minerals are found in Vakinankaratra, including Ferrocolumbite,

Liddicoatite Fluor-liddicoatite is a rare member of the tourmaline group of minerals, elbaite subgroup, and the theoretical calcium endmember of the elbaite-fluor-liddicoatite series; the pure end-member has not yet been found in nature. Fluor-liddicoatite is ...

, and Londonite.

Protected Area

Manjakatompo Ankaratra Manjakatompo is a town and commune in Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Ambatolampy, which is a part of Vakinankaratra Region. The population of the commune was estimated to be approximately 6,000 in 2001 commune census. The town is sit ...

New Protected Area

Administrative divisions

Vakinankaratra Region is divided into seven districts, which are sub-divided into 89 communes. * Ambatolampy District - 19 communes *

Antanifotsy District Antanifotsy is a district in Vakinankaratra Region, Madagascar. The district has a total population estimated to 354.933 in 2018. The seat of the district administration is the town of Antanifotsy. Communes The district is further divided into ...

- 13 communes * Antsirabe I District - 1 commune *

Antsirabe II District Antsirabe II is a rural district in Vakinankaratra Region, Madagascar. The district surrounds the urban district and city of Antsirabe. It also borders the district of Faratsiho to the north, Antanifotsy to the east and Betafo to the west, in add ...

- 20 communes *

Betafo District Betafo is a district in Vakinankaratra Region, Madagascar. The administrative centre of the district is the town of Betafo. However the district has subsequently been divided by the creation of the new Mandoto District from former parts of Betafo ...

- 18 communes *

Faratsiho District Faratsiho is a town in Vakinankaratra Region, Madagascar. It is the capitol of the district of Faratsiho The district covers an area of 2,015 km2, with a total population estimated at 222,922 in 2018. The seat of the district administration is t ...

- 9 communes * Mandoto District - 9 communes

Transport

Airport

* Antsirabe Airport

References

External links

Région Vakinankaratra
Official site in French.
Tourism
Official tourism site of Vakinankaratra. {{Authority control Regions of Madagascar