Antsirabe

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For other places with the same name, see Antsirabe (disambiguation).

Location of Antsirabé in Madagascar

Antsirabe is the third largest city in Madagascar and has a population of approximately 183,000. It's the capital of the Vakinankaratra region. The altitude is about 1 500 m, so the climate is rather cool.

Antsirabe is the home of Tiko (milk and other food products), Star Brasseries (beverages), Cotona (textiles) and Kobama (grain).

The city is at the end of the TA (Tananarive-Antsirabe) railway, currently only with freight trains. The line has been extended southwards through Vinaninkarena, but the extension is not used. National road 7 connects the city to Antananarivo (North), Fianarantsoa and Toliara (South).

There are warm springs and a thermal bath, which was especially famous in the 19th century.

The city was founded by a Norwegian missionary to serve as a retreat center because of the climate. The name of the city translates into "the place of much salt". ^[1]