Fianarantsoa is a city (commune urbaine) in south 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 ...

, and is the capital of

Haute Matsiatra Haute Matsiatra (in Malagasy: Matsiatra Ambony) is a region in Madagascar. It borders Amoron'i Mania region in north, Vatovavy-Fitovinany in east, Ihorombe in south and Atsimo-Andrefana in west. The capital of the region is Fianarantsoa, and the ...

Region.

History

It was built in the early 19th century by the

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

as the administrative capital for the newly conquered

Betsileo The Betsileo are a highland ethnic group of Madagascar, the third largest in terms of population. They chose their name, meaning "The Many Invincible Ones", after a failed invasion by King Ramitraho of the Menabe kingdom in the early 19th centu ...

kingdoms. Fianarantsoa means "Good education" in

Malagasy Malagasy may refer to: *Someone or something from Madagascar *Malagasy people *Malagasy language *Malagasy Republic *Related to the culture of Madagascar See also *Madagascar (disambiguation) Madagascar is an island country located off the east ...

. It is a cultural and intellectual center for the whole island. It is home to some of the oldest

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

and

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

cathedrals on the island, the oldest theological seminary (also Lutheran), as well as the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

Archdiocese of Fianarantsoa The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Fianaranintsoa is one of the five Catholic Metropolitan Latin Archdioceses in Madagascar, yet depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Its cathedral archiepiscopal see is Ca ...

(seated in the Cathedral of the Holy Name of Jesus). The city of "good education" also boasts a university named after it and built in 1972. Fianarantsoa is considered to be the capital of wine in

, because of the presence of many wine industries in the city.

Geography

It is at an average altitude of , and has a population of 191,766. The town is linked to the rest of the country by the National road 7, one of the main highways in Madagascar. The distance is 411 km to the capital

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

, 192 km to

Ihosy Ihosy is a city (commune urbaine) with 283,047 inhabitants (2015) in Ihorombe Region in central south Madagascar. Ihosy is the capital of Ihorombe Region, as well as of the district of Ihosy. Geography Ihosy is an important crosspoint for t ...

, 518 km to

Tulear Toliara (also known as ''Toliary'', ; formerly ''Tuléar'') is a city in Madagascar. It is the capital of the Atsimo-Andrefana region, located 936 km southwest of national capital Antananarivo. The current spelling of the name was adopted ...

Ranomafana National Park Ranomafana National Park is in the southeastern part of Madagascar in Haute Matsiatra and Vatovavy. With more than 41,600 hectares (161 square miles) of tropical rainforest, it is home to several rare species of flora and fauna including th ...

is a nature park popular among tourists that lies 65 km to the northeast of Fianarantsoa.

Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as

subtropical highland An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

(Cwb).

Rivers

Two rivers cross this town: the Mandranofotsy in the West, and the Tsiandanitra in the East. Both are affluents of the

Matsiatra The Matsiatra is a river in Haute Matsiatra region, is located in central and western Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de ...

river.

Transport

The city is at the endpoint of the Fianarantsoa-Côte Est Railway to

Manakara Manakara is a city in Madagascar. It is the capital Fitovinany Region and of the district of Manakara Atsimo. The city is located at the east coast near the mouth of the Manakara River and has a small port. The bridge over the Manakara River ...

. There is also an

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

. The city lies on the Route Nationale 7, which goes from the capital in Antananarivo to the coastal city of Toliara.

Education

Collège Saint François Xavier Fianarantsoa

* Université de Fianarantsoa * Faculté de médecine de Fianarantsoa French international schools: * Collège français René-CassinHome pageArchive
. Collège français René-Cassin. Retrieved on May 7, 2015.

Sports

* Football: the

ASF Fianarantsoa ASF Fianarantsoa is a Malagasy football club based in Madagascar who currently plays in the Malagasy Second Division. In 1990 the club has won the THB Champions League. Achievements *THB Champions League: 1 :: 1990 Performance in CAF competiti ...

is the local football team.

Personalities

Odon Razanakolona Odon Marie Arsène Razanakolona (born 24 May 1946, in Fianarantsoa) is the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Antananarivo in Antananarivo, Madagascar. He was ordained priest on 28 December 1975 and earned a doctorate in canon law from the Po ...

(born 1946), archbishop *

Pety Rakotoniaina Pety Rakotoniaina (born 14 October 1962Pety Rakotoniaina et « Tambatra »
Union (Madagascar) ...

(born 1962), politician

References

External links

The World Monuments Fund's Watch Page for Fianarantsoa
{{Authority control Cities in Madagascar Populated places in Haute Matsiatra Regional capitals in Madagascar