The North - Madagascar - page 541

than is normal for the west coast, and the pocket of dry climate around Antsiranana (Diego
Suarez), the weather can alter dramatically within short distances. The Antsiranana area
has seven months of dry weather, with almost all of its 90cm annual rainfall concentrated
between December and April. With changes of weather come changes of vegetation and
its accompanying fauna, making this region particularly interesting to botanists and other
naturalists.
ThisisthedomainoftheAntankaranapeople.Cutoffbyruggedmountains,theAntank-
arana were left to their own devices until the mid 1700s when they were conquered by the
Sakalava; they in turn submitted to the Merina King Radama I, aided by his military ad-
viser James Hastie, in 1823.
The road connection between Antsiranana and Tana is now reasonably good, but it is a
journey of around 1,200km so those with limited time may prefer to fly.
ANTSIRANANA (DIEGO SUAREZ)
HISTORY Forgivingly named after a 16th-century Portuguese explorer who arrived and
proceeded to murder and rape the inhabitants or sell them into slavery, this large town has
had an eventful history with truth blending into fiction. An often-told story, probably star-
ted by Daniel Defoe, is that pirates in the 17th century founded the Republic of Libertalia
here. Not true, say modern historians.
Most people still call the town Diego. The Malagasy name simply means 'port' and its
strategic importance as a deep-water harbour has long been recognised. The French in-
stalled a military base here in 1885, and the town played an important role in World War
II when Madagascar was under the control of the Vichy French (see box on Click Here ) .
To prevent Japanese warships and submarines making use of the magnificent harbour, and
thusthreateningvitalsearoutes,BritainandtheAlliescapturedandoccupiedDiegoSuarez
in 1942. There is a British cemetery honouring those killed.
ANTSIRANANA TODAY This is Madagascar's fifth-largest town and is of increasing
interest to visitors for its diverse attractions and superb location. The harbour is encircled
by hills and to the east is a large bay with a 'sugarloaf', Nosy Lonja ('conical island'), in
the middle. The port's isolation behind its mountain barrier and its long association with
non-Malagasyraceshavegivenitanunusuallycosmopolitanpopulationandlotsofcolour:
there are Arabs, Creoles (descendants of Europeans), Indians, Chinese and Comorans.
AlmosteveryoneenjoysAntsiranana.LeeMillerwrites:'TheareanorthofPlaceFochis
the old colonial sector, with an atmosphere of faded French occupation. Big brick colonial