INTRODUCTION

This post discusses the regions of Madagascar starting from the early autonomous provinces to the dissolving of the provinces to creating the new regions.

The geography of Madagascar can be divided into five regions: the East Coast, the Central Highlands, the Tsaratanana Massif, the West Coast and the Southwest. Madagascar is divided into 22 regions (faritra). These formerly second-tier administrative divisions became first-level administrative divisions when the former six provinces were dissolved on 4 October 2009.

Madagascar was once divided into six autonomous provinces (Malagasy: faritany mizakatena):

Antananarivo Province

Antsiranana Province

Fianarantsoa Province

Mahajanga Province

Toamasina Province

Toliara Province

The provinces were dissolved following the regional subdivision and the constitutional referendum of 2007. A time frame of thirty months (until October 2009) was allowed for the transition. But in the 2010 constitution, six autonomous provinces were listed.

Read: POLITICAL HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR

In 2005, a new entity called “districts” (distrika) was created by presidential decree 2005-012, replacing the department level of 1994. There are 116 districts. They have the same boundaries as the old “Sous-préfectures” or “ex-Fivondronampokontany”. They are defined as subdivisions of the regions, and contain one or more “Arrondissements Administratifs”. The chief of a district is designated by the chief of the region.

In the 2007 Constitution the autonomous provinces have been removed. Instead, the regions, the communes and the fokontany (but not the districts) are included. Elections for the regional councils were held on 16 March 2008.

The 22 regions of Madagascar that replaced the former 6 provinces:

No.	Regions	Capital	Provinces
1	Diana	Antsiranana/ Diégo Suarez	Antsiranana
2	Sava	Sambava	Antsiranana
3	Itasy	Miarinarivo	Antananarivo
4	Analamanga	Antananarivo/ Tananarive	Antananarivo
5	Vakinankaratra	Antsirabe	Antananarivo
6	Bongolava	Tsiroanomandidy	Antananarivo
7	Sofia	Antsohihy	Mahajanga
8	Boeny	Mahajanga/ Majunga	Mahajanga
9	Betsiboka	Mahevatanana	Mahajanga
10	Melaky	Maitirano	Mahajanga
11	Alaotra Mangoro	Ambatondrazaka	Toamasina
12	Atsinanana	Toamasina/ Tamatave	Toamasina
13	Analanjorofo	Fenoarivo Atsinanana/ Fenerive est	Toamasina
14	Amoron’i Mania	Ambositra	Fianarantsoa
15	Haute Matsiatra	Fianarantsoa	Fianarantsoa
16	Vatovavy Fitovinany	Manakara	Fianarantsoa
17	Atsimo Atsinanana	Farafangana	Fianarantsoa
18	Ihorombe	Ihosy	Fianarantsoa
19	Menabe	Morondava	Toliara
20	Atsimo Andrefana	Toliara/ Tuléar	Toliara
21	Androy	Ambovombe Androy	Toliara
22	Anosy	Tôlagnaro	Toliara