Antsiranana
| Antsiranana | |
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Antsiranana
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 Antsiranana
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| Coordinates: 12°18′S 49°17′E / 12.300°S 49.283°E | |
| Country |
 Madagascar
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| Region | Diana Region |
| Area | |
| • Total | 42 km2 (16 sq mi) |
| Population (2013) | |
| • Total | 115,015 |
| • Density | 2,700/km2 (7,100/sq mi) |
| Climate | Aw |
Antsiranana (Malagasy: Antsiran̈ana Malagasy pronunciation: [antsʲˈraŋanə̥]), named Diego-Suarez prior to 1975, is a city in the far north of Madagascar.
Antsiranana is the capital of Diana Region. It had an estimated population of 115,015 in 2013.
Antsiranana is situated on Antsiranana Bay, one of the largest deep-water harbors in the Indian Ocean, but the remote location, and, until recently, a bad road to the south, rendered it unimportant for freight traffic. Arrachart Airport provides communication primarily with other parts of Madagascar.
The bay and city originally used the name Diego Suarez, named after Diogo Soares, a Portuguese navigator who visited the bay in 1543.
In the 1880s, the bay was coveted by France, which desired it as a coaling station for steamships. After the first Franco-Hova War, Queen Ranavalona III signed a treaty on December 17, 1885 granting France a protectorate over the bay and surrounding territory, as well as the islands of Nosy-Be and Ste. Marie de Madagascar.
The colony's administration was subsumed into that of Madagascar in 1896. The Second Pacific Squadron of Imperial Russia anchored and was resupplied at Diego-Suarez on its way to the Battle of Tsushima in 1905.
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