Madagascar – Madagascar's capital is Antananarivo

(Pronounced Mad-uh-gas-ker and ahn-tuh-nah-nau-ree-voh)

To remember the capital of Madagascar, use the following mnemonic:

I'm mad at the gas the car (Madagascar) gives off – the driver is an ant that just sits there eating a banana and revving the engine (Antananarivo).

Interesting facts about Antananarivo:

- Thousand Hills: The city is dramatically built across a steep cluster of twelve sacred hills, with its historic center rising to the top of Analamanga at an elevation of over 1,400 meters.

- Royal Origins: Founded in the early 17th century, the name translates from Malagasy as “City of the Thousand,” named after the ten thousand soldiers assigned by a Merina monarch to guard the settlement.

- Palace Skyline: The urban landscape is dominated by the imposing Rova of Antananarivo, a historic royal complex of palaces and tombs that sits at the highest point of the city, overlooking the vast plains below.