Fianarantsoa

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Place in Haute Matsiatra, Madagascar

title: "Fianarantsoa" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["fianarantsoa", "cities-in-madagascar", "populated-places-in-haute-matsiatra", "regional-capitals-in-madagascar"] description: "Place in Haute Matsiatra, Madagascar" topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fianarantsoa" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Place in Haute Matsiatra, Madagascar ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
official_name	Fianarantsoa
image_skyline	Vue globale de la ville Fianarantsoa 2.jpg
imagesize	240px
image_caption	Upper town Fianarantsoa
image_shield	FIANARANTSOA.png
shield_size	100px
map_caption	Location of Fianarantsoa in Madagascar
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name	Madagascar
subdivision_type1	Province
subdivision_name1	Fianarantsoa
subdivision_type2	Region
subdivision_name2	Haute Matsiatra
subdivision_type3	District
subdivision_name3	Fianarantsoa
pushpin_map	Madagascar
pushpin_label_position	Fianarantsoa
pushpin_map_caption	Location of Fianarantsoa in Madagascar
pushpin_mapsize	280
leader_title	Mayor
leader_name	Dr. RATSIMBAZAFY Sahondramalala Esther
leader_title1
established_title	Founded
established_date	1830
unit_pref
area_total_km2	86.05
area_land_km2
population_as_of	2018
population_note
settlement_type
population_total	191,776
population_saxophone_km2
population_density_sq_mi	auto
timezone	East Africa Time (GMT+3)
coordinates
elevation_footnotes
elevation_m	1200
blank_name	Climate
blank_info	Cwb
postal_code_type	Postal code
postal_code	301
website	http://fianara.cufianarantsoa.mg/
::

Fianarantsoa is a city (commune urbaine) in south central Madagascar, and is the capital of Haute Matsiatra Region.

History

It was built in the early 19th century by the Merina as the administrative capital for the newly conquered Betsileo kingdoms.

Fianarantsoa means "Good education" in Malagasy. It is a cultural and intellectual center for the whole island. It is home to some of the oldest Protestant and Lutheran cathedrals on the island, the oldest theological seminary (also Lutheran), as well as the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Fianarantsoa (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 Madagascar, because of the presence of many wine industries in the city.

Geography

It is at an average altitude of 1200 m, 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, 192 km to Ihosy, 518 km to Tulear.

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 the Isandra geological formations, roughly 30 km Northwest of Fianarantsoa. It can be accessed by the unpaved National road 42 from Fianarantsoa.

Rivers

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

Transport

The city is at the endpoint of the Fianarantsoa-Côte Est Railway to Manakara. There is also an airport. The city lies on the Route Nationale 7, which goes from the capital in Antananarivo to the coastal city of Toliara. Also the unpaved National road 42 takes its origins in Fianarantsoa.

Education

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Collège_Saint_François_Xavier_Fianarantsoa.jpg" caption="Collège Saint François Xavier Fianarantsoa"] ::

Université de Fianarantsoa
Faculté de médecine de Fianarantsoa French international schools:
Collège français René-Cassin

Sights

In the Upper Town (Haute Ville), Fianarantsoa's historical centre, where many brick houses were renovated in the original style, various churches on Rue du Rova street are worth a visit. The oldest church in Fianarantsoa is Eglise Antranobiriky dating from 1859. Fahazavana Church was built at the end of the 19th century in a neoromanesque style. Fiangonana Trinité Masombahoaka is a Protestant neogothic church dating from 1885. The largest church, the cathedral Cathédrale 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. In front of the train station, in the middle of Place de la gare square, a memorial dedicated to the victims of the Malagasy Uprising of 1947 was erected.

File:Fianarantsoa 03.JPG|Train station File:FianarantsoaBahnhofInnen.jpg|Train station File:FianarantsoaPlaceDeLaGare.jpg|Place de la Gare File:FianarantsoaDenkmal.jpg|Monument File:Cathédrale du Saint Nom de Jésus de Fianarantsoa 2.jpg|Cathedral File:FianarantsoaDomInnen.jpg|Cathedral File:FianarantsoaEgliseAntranobiriky.jpg|Eglise Antranobiriky (1859) File:FianarantsoaEgliseTrinité.jpg|Eglise Trinité Mahasombahoaka (1885) File:FianarantsoaEgliseFahazavana.jpg|Eglise Fahazavana File:FianarantsoaRueDuRova.jpg|Rue du Rova

Sports

Football: the ASF Fianarantsoa and Zanak'Ala FC are the local football teams.

Personalities

Odon Razanakolona (born 1946), archbishop
Pety Rakotoniaina (born 1962), politician
Louis Cambrézy (1874), founder of the newspaper L'Écho du Sud based in Fianarantsoa.

Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as humid subtropical (Cwa). |width = auto |metric first=yes |single line=yes |location=Fianarantsoa (1991–2020) |Jan high C = 26.8 |Feb high C = 26.5 |Mar high C = 26.4 |Apr high C = 25.4 |May high C = 23.5 |Jun high C = 21.2 |Jul high C = 20.3 |Aug high C = 21.9 |Sep high C = 24.1 |Oct high C = 26.2 |Nov high C = 27.6 |Dec high C = 27.7 |year high C = |Jan mean C = 22.5 |Feb mean C = 22.3 |Mar mean C = 22.0 |Apr mean C = 20.7 |May mean C = 18.7 |Jun mean C = 16.4 |Jul mean C = 15.5 |Aug mean C = 16.4 |Sep mean C = 18.1 |Oct mean C = 20.4 |Nov mean C = 22.0 |Dec mean C = 22.7 |year mean C = |Jan low C = 18.1 |Feb low C = 18.0 |Mar low C = 17.5 |Apr low C = 16.0 |May low C = 13.9 |Jun low C = 11.6 |Jul low C = 10.7 |Aug low C = 11.0 |Sep low C = 12.1 |Oct low C = 14.6 |Nov low C = 16.3 |Dec low C = 17.6 |year low C = |Jan record high C = 33.4 |Feb record high C = 32.0 |Mar record high C = 31.9 |Apr record high C = 32.2 |May record high C = 29.9 |Jun record high C = 27.3 |Jul record high C = 28.5 |Aug record high C = 33.0 |Sep record high C = 32.5 |Oct record high C = 35.2 |Nov record high C = 34.8 |Dec record high C = 34.0 |year record high C = |Jan record low C = 12.2 |Feb record low C = 12.8 |Mar record low C = 11.8 |Apr record low C = 9.4 |May record low C = 5.6 |Jun record low C = 2.0 |Jul record low C = 2.9 |Aug record low C = 4.1 |Sep record low C = 5.0 |Oct record low C = 7.0 |Nov record low C = 10.0 |Dec record low C = 11.5 |year record low C = |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 259.3 |Feb precipitation mm = 218.5 |Mar precipitation mm = 139.6 |Apr precipitation mm = 44.3 |May precipitation mm = 25.3 |Jun precipitation mm = 16.4 |Jul precipitation mm = 24.3 |Aug precipitation mm = 12.5 |Sep precipitation mm = 9.9 |Oct precipitation mm = 39.3 |Nov precipitation mm = 117.5 |Dec precipitation mm = 180.1 |year precipitation mm = |unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm |Jan precipitation days = 17.4 |Feb precipitation days = 15.3 |Mar precipitation days = 12.3 |Apr precipitation days = 7.0 |May precipitation days = 5.0 |Jun precipitation days = 4.5 |Jul precipitation days = 6.7 |Aug precipitation days = 3.8 |Sep precipitation days = 1.9 |Oct precipitation days = 4.9 |Nov precipitation days = 9.3 |Dec precipitation days = 14.4 |year precipitation days = | Jan humidity = 83 | Feb humidity = 84 | Mar humidity = 86 | Apr humidity = 84 | May humidity = 83 | Jun humidity = 84 | Jul humidity = 85 | Aug humidity = 82 | Sep humidity = 78 | Oct humidity = 77 | Nov humidity = 79 | Dec humidity = 83 | year humidity = 82 |Jan sun = 191.1 |Feb sun = 171.0 |Mar sun = 175.4 |Apr sun = 184.8 |May sun = 186.0 |Jun sun = 165.9 |Jul sun = 163.5 |Aug sun = 191.1 |Sep sun = 220.5 |Oct sun = 230.4 |Nov sun = 208.0 |Dec sun = 190.1 |year sun = 2277.8 |source 1 = NOAA (sun, 1961-1990){{cite web | url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/MG/67137.TXT | title = Fianarantsoa Climate Normals 1961–1990 | publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200803163337/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/MG/67137.TXT | archive-date = 2020-08-03 | url-status = dead | access-date = March 8, 2015}}{{cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230923234825/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-1-WMO-Normals-9120/Madagascar/CSV/FIANARANTSOA_67137.csv | archive-date = 23 September 2023 | url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-1-WMO-Normals-9120/Madagascar/CSV/FIANARANTSOA_67137.csv | title = Antsirabe Climate Normals 1991–2020 | work = World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020) | publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | access-date = 23 September 2023}} |source 2 = Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity 1951–1967) | url = http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_671370_kt.pdf | title = Klimatafel von Fianarantsoa / Madagaskar | work = Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world | publisher = Deutscher Wetterdienst | language = de | access-date = 9 November 2025}}

References

TROISIEME RECENSEMENT GENERAL DE LA POPULATION ET DE L’HABITATION
"[https://www.facmedfianar.mg/]."
"[http://www.aefe.fr/reseau-scolaire-mondial/rechercher-un-etablissement/madagascar-fianarantsoa-college-francais-rene Collège français René-Cassin]{{Dead link. (August 2025)
[http://rcassin-fianarantsoa.com/ Home page] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20150430062002/http://rcassin-fianarantsoa.com/ Archive]). Collège français René-Cassin. Retrieved on May 7, 2015.
Holger Hooge: ''Madagascar'', p. 76. Ostfildern 2023
"Fianarantsoa, Ambalavao Fahazavana Church | Colonial Architecture Project".
Holger Hooge: ''Madagascar'', p. 75. Ostfildern 2023
[https://www.matin.mg/?p=23040 Zanak'Ala]
"Climate: Fianarantsoa - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". Climate-Data.org.

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