Antsiranana
Province
Antsiranana is a town in the north of Madagascar and the capital of Diana Region. By 1975 the town's name was Diégo - Suarez; today the short form Diego is in use.
General
The city has about 100 000 inhabitants, which is different FOKO, ethnic groups and nations attribute: Around 20 % of the population are Comorians, 15 % Sakalava, 15 % Antanakarana, 10 % Antandroy, 5% Merina, 15 % Indians and Pakistanis, 10 % Chinese, and 10% of Yemenis and Somalis.
History
The place is named after the Portuguese explorer Diego Suarez, who landed here in 1543. According to another theory, he was named after sailors Diégo slides and Fernan Soares.
In the 1880s, France was interested in the bay to establish a coaling station for steamships here. On December 17, 1885 signed Queen Ranavalona III. a treaty that the French protectorate over the bay, the surrounding countryside and the islands Nosy Be and Ste. Marie de Madagascar transferred. After the complete takeover of Madagascar by France in 1896, the area of the management of the entire island was assumed.
In the aftermath Diégo - Suarez was one of the main bases of the French Navy in the Indian Ocean. During the Russo -Japanese War, the Russian Baltic fleet here in 1904 opened the way to Tsushima halt.
After the French collapse in June 1940, the French administration remained in the hands of Vichy - loyal forces and closed not open de Gaulle France to. It gave the Allies feared Japan would be one way to bring the naval base under his control, which is why Diégo - Suarez was occupied in May 1942 by British troops (Operation Ironclad ). In fact it was only on 30 May 1942 an attack of Japanese midget submarines that damaged the British battleship HMS Ramillies. More events failed to materialize, however. The British handed over the site in 1946 to France. The French forces took Diégo - Suarez until June 1974.
After the independence of Madagascar 1960, the port lost its original meaning, but continues to play for the civil shipping a role and is the third largest port in the country. The city became a tourist destination and is visited by cruise ships. With their large stone houses and wide streets, it offers a pleasant atmosphere that makes it different from other cities in Madagascar.