Fianarantsoa | |
|---|---|
 Upper town Fianarantsoa | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Fianarantsoa Location of Fianarantsoa inMadagascar | |
| Coordinates:21°27′13″S047°05′09″E / 21.45361°S 47.08583°E /-21.45361; 47.08583 | |
| Country |  Madagascar |
| Province | Fianarantsoa |
| Region | Haute Matsiatra |
| District | Fianarantsoa |
| Founded | 1830 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Dr. RATSIMBAZAFY Sahondramalala Esther |
| Area | |
• Total | 86.05 km2 (33.22 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,200 m (3,900 ft) |
| Population (2018) | |
• Total | 191,776 |
| • Density | 2,200/km2 (5,800/sq mi) |
| [1] | |
| Time zone | East Africa Time (GMT+3) |
| Postal code | 301 |
| Climate | Cwb |
| Website | http://fianara.cufianarantsoa.mg/ |
Fianarantsoa is a city (commune urbaine) in south centralMadagascar, and is the capital ofHaute Matsiatra Region.
It was built in the early 19th century by theMerina as the administrative capital for the newly conqueredBetsileo kingdoms.
Fianarantsoa means "Good education" inMalagasy. It is a cultural and intellectual center for the whole island. It is home to some of the oldestProtestant andLutheran cathedrals on the island, the oldest theological seminary (also Lutheran), as well as theRoman CatholicArchdiocese of Fianarantsoa (seated in theCathedral 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 inMadagascar, because of the presence of many wine industries in the city.
It is at an average altitude of 1,200 metres (3,900 ft), and has a population of 191,766.
The town is linked to the rest of the country by theNational road 7, one of the main highways in Madagascar. The distance is 411 km to the capitalAntananarivo, 192 km toIhosy, 518 km toTulear.
Ranomafana National Park is a nature park popular among tourists that lies 65 km to the northeast of Fianarantsoa.Another hot spot of tourism is theIsandra geolocical formations, roughly 30 km Northwest of Fianarantsoa. It can be accessed by theunpaved National road 42 from Fianarantsoa.
Two rivers cross this town: theMandranofotsy in the West, and theTsiandanitra in the East. Both are affluents of theMatsiatra river.
The city is at the endpoint of theFianarantsoa-Côte Est Railway toManakara. There is also anairport. The city lies on the Route Nationale 7, which goes from the capital in Antananarivo to the coastal city of Toliara.Also theunpaved National road 42 takes its origins in Fianarantsoa.
French international schools:
In the Upper Town (Haute Ville), Fianarantsoa's historical centre, where many brick houses were renovated in the original style, various churches onRue du Rova street are worth a visit. The oldest church in Fianarantsoa is Eglise Antranobiriky dating from 1859.[5] Fahazavana Church was built at the end of the 19th century in aneoromanesque style.[6] Fiangonana Trinité Masombahoaka is a Protestantneogothic church dating from 1885. The largest church, the cathedralCathédrale du Saint-Nom-de-Jésus de Fianarantsoa, was built from 1871 to 1890.
The train station in the busy district Lower Town (Basse Ville) was inaugurated in 1935.[7] In front of the train station, in the middle ofPlace de la gare square, a memorial dedicated to the victims of theMalagasy Uprising of 1947 was erected.
Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate assubtropical highland (Cwb).[9]
| Climate data for Fianarantsoa (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 33.4 (92.1) | 32.0 (89.6) | 31.9 (89.4) | 32.2 (90.0) | 29.9 (85.8) | 27.3 (81.1) | 28.5 (83.3) | 33.0 (91.4) | 32.5 (90.5) | 35.2 (95.4) | 34.8 (94.6) | 34.0 (93.2) | 35.2 (95.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 26.8 (80.2) | 26.5 (79.7) | 26.4 (79.5) | 25.4 (77.7) | 23.5 (74.3) | 21.2 (70.2) | 20.3 (68.5) | 21.9 (71.4) | 24.1 (75.4) | 26.2 (79.2) | 27.6 (81.7) | 27.7 (81.9) | 24.8 (76.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 22.5 (72.5) | 22.3 (72.1) | 22.0 (71.6) | 20.7 (69.3) | 18.7 (65.7) | 16.4 (61.5) | 15.5 (59.9) | 16.4 (61.5) | 18.1 (64.6) | 20.4 (68.7) | 22.0 (71.6) | 22.7 (72.9) | 19.8 (67.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 18.1 (64.6) | 18.0 (64.4) | 17.5 (63.5) | 16.0 (60.8) | 13.9 (57.0) | 11.6 (52.9) | 10.7 (51.3) | 11.0 (51.8) | 12.1 (53.8) | 14.6 (58.3) | 16.3 (61.3) | 17.6 (63.7) | 14.8 (58.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 12.2 (54.0) | 12.8 (55.0) | 11.8 (53.2) | 9.4 (48.9) | 5.6 (42.1) | 2.0 (35.6) | 2.9 (37.2) | 4.1 (39.4) | 5.0 (41.0) | 7.0 (44.6) | 10.0 (50.0) | 11.5 (52.7) | 2.0 (35.6) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 259.3 (10.21) | 218.5 (8.60) | 139.6 (5.50) | 44.3 (1.74) | 25.3 (1.00) | 16.4 (0.65) | 24.3 (0.96) | 12.5 (0.49) | 9.9 (0.39) | 39.3 (1.55) | 117.5 (4.63) | 180.1 (7.09) | 1,087 (42.81) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 17.4 | 15.3 | 12.3 | 7.0 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 6.7 | 3.8 | 1.9 | 4.9 | 9.3 | 14.4 | 102.5 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 191.1 | 171.0 | 175.4 | 184.8 | 186.0 | 165.9 | 163.5 | 191.1 | 220.5 | 230.4 | 208.0 | 190.1 | 2,277.8 |
| Source: NOAA (sun, 1961-1990)[10][11] | |||||||||||||
Fianarantsoa travel guide from Wikivoyage
Capital:Fianarantsoa | ||
| Ambalavao (17) - 303 |  | |
| Ambohimahasoa (17) - 305 | ||
| Fianarantsoa (1) - 301 | ||
| Ikalamavony (8) - 314 | ||
| Isandra (13) - 314 | ||
| Lalangina (13) - 303 | ||
| Vohibato (15) - 305 | ||
Total: 7 districts; 84 communes | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
