Paved and unpaved roadways, as well as railways, provide the main forms of transport in Madagascar. Madagascar has approximately 31,640 km (19,660 mi) of paved roads and 836 km of rail lines. In 2010, Madagascar had 432 km (270 mi) of navigable waterways.
Antananarivo, 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, is the capital of Analamanga region. The city sits at 1,280 m (4,199 ft) above sea level in the center of the island, making it the highest national capital by elevation among the island countries. It has been the country's largest population center since at least the 18th century. The presidency, National Assembly, Senate, and Supreme Court are located there, as are 21 diplomatic missions and the headquarters of many national and international businesses and NGOs. It has more universities, nightclubs, art venues, and medical services than any city on the island. Several national and local sports teams, including the championship-winning national rugby team, the Makis, are based here.
Antananarivo Province is a former province of Madagascar with an area of 58,283 square kilometres (22,503 sq mi). It had a population of 5,370,900 in 2004. Its capital was Antananarivo, which is also the capital of the country. Established in 1965, it was the most important province of Madagascar in terms of industrial production. It was one of the most literate provinces and was dominated by the Merina people. Along with the other five provinces, it was abolished in 2007 after a referendum in favour of creation of smaller regions to help in development was approved. It was badly affected by plagues in the 20th century. In 2002 a state of emergency was proclaimed by the then president Didier Ratsiraka. The events that followed led to the other five provinces announcing the creation of a new republic that would have excluded Antananarivo Province. Peace was restored only when Marc Ravalomanana was installed as the country's president.
Toamasina, meaning "like salt" or "salty", unofficially and in French Tamatave, is the capital of the Atsinanana region on the east coast of Madagascar on the Indian Ocean. The city is the chief seaport of the country, situated 215 km (134 mi) northeast of its capital and biggest city Antananarivo. In 2018 Toamasina had a population of 325,857.
Vacoas-Phoenix also known as French: Villes Jumelles, is a town in Mauritius, located in the Plaines Wilhems District, the eastern part also lies in the Moka District. The town is administered by the Municipal Council of Vacoas-Phoenix. The town lies between Quatre Bornes and Curepipe.
Fianarantsoa is a city in south central Madagascar, and is the capital of Haute Matsiatra Region.
Antsirabe is the third largest city in Madagascar and the capital of the Vakinankaratra region, with a population of 265,018 in 2014. In Madagascar, Antsirabe is known for its relatively cool climate, its industry and the high concentration of pulled rickshaws or pousse-pousse. It attracts around 30,000 tourists a year.
Morondava is a city located in Menabe Region, of which it is the capital, in Madagascar. It is located in the delta of the Morondava River at 20°17′5″S44°19′3″E. Its population as of the 2018 census, was 53,510.
Vakinankaratra is a region in central Madagascar. The capital of the region is Antsirabe. Vakinankaratra covers an area of 16,599 kilometres, and had a population of 2,074,358 in 2018.
Ankaratra is a cinder cone volcano range located about 50 km (30 mi) southwest of Antananarivo, the capital city of Madagascar. It lies between the towns of Arivonimamo to the north, Ambatolampy to the east, Faratsiho to the west and Betafo to the south. It is located in the Central Highlands. The highest peak in Ankaratra is Mount Tsiafajavona, at 2,644 metres (8,668 ft.) above sea level. Some trace of activity remains in the southernmost part of the range, creating hot springs in the area around Antsirabe. The last eruption of Ankaratra took place in the very recent Quaternary.
Three Horses Beer is a pale lager that has been brewed by Star Breweries of Madagascar since 1958. It is the highest-selling beer in Madagascar and has been described as emblematic of the country. THB is sold nationwide and, since 2005, has been exported to such markets as France, Reunion Island, Comoros, and Mayotte. The Malagasy beer is produced at two breweries in Madagascar, the first centrally located in Antsirabe and the other in the northern city of Antsiranana. THB Pilsener, the most common variant of THB, has a light taste and is produced from mostly local barley, corn, and hops. Star Breweries also produces THB Fresh, THB Special, and THB Lite. Recent investments in Star Brewery infrastructure have allowed a 20% increase in production since 2011.
Analamanga is a region in central Madagascar, containing the capital Antananarivo and its surrounding metropolitan area. The region has an area of 17,488 square kilometres, and had a population of 4,325,226 in 2018.
Betafo is a town and urban municipality in Vakinankaratra Region in the Central Highlands of Madagascar. It is surrounded by volcanic peaks and is situated 22 km from Antsirabe. It is a typical Merina town in the Central Highlands.
Districts are second-level administrative divisions of Madagascar below the regions. There are 114 districts in Madagascar. Districts are themselves divided into communes; while some of the districts in urban areas and offshore islands each consist of only one commune, most of the districts are divided typically into 5–20 communes.
The Malagasy Lutheran Church is one of the most important Christian churches in Madagascar, established in 1950 by the unification of 1,800 Lutheran congregations in central and southern Madagascar. The oldest of these congregations was founded in the early 19th century with the arrival of missionaries from the Norwegian Missionary Society (NMS).
The history of rail transport in Madagascar began at the end on the nineteenth century, with the construction of industrial and military Decauville lines in the north of the country, centred on the port of Diego-Suarez.
Mahaleo is a folk-pop band from Madagascar that is widely viewed as the most popular Malagasy group of all time. The band was founded by Dama with six of his classmates after first performing together during the rotaka student protests at their high school on 13 May 1972. Mahaleo's lyrics draw upon the indirect language of traditional hainteny and ohabolana to expose contemporary political and social issues and invite listeners to identify their own solutions.
Jean Verdi Salomon Razakandraina (1913–1978), commonly known as Dox, was a Malagasy writer and poet considered one of the most important literary figures in the country's history. He is principally renowned for his poetry and plays, but was also a painter, wrote and performed musical compositions, and translated several major French and English language works into Malagasy. His works have formed part of the language arts curriculum in Madagascar at every grade level since the country regained independence in 1960.
The Association of Bible Baptist Churches in Madagascar is a Baptist Christian denomination, affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance, in Madagascar. The headquarters is in Ankadivato, Antananarivo, Madagascar.
The road network of Madagascar, comprising about 4,500 unique roads spanning 31,640 kilometers (19,660 mi), is designed primarily to facilitate transportation to and from Antananarivo, the Malagasy capital. Transportation on these roads, most of which are unpaved and two lanes wide, is often dangerous. Few Malagasy own private vehicles; long-distance travel is often accomplished in taxi brousses, which may be shared by 20 or more people.
Madagascar 
