To fully discover Madagascar it is important to know that very recently the country has acquired new geographical distributions. Madagascar tourism therefore invites you to discover the “Red Island” in this new aspect. Many sites dealing with Malagasy tourism have not yet integrated this new situation. So, so as not to confuse you, Madagascar tourism will also refer to the old names which are mainly “Provinces”.
Provinces of Madagascar
Madagascar was administratively divided into six provinces (faritany), which subsequently became autonomous provinces for 5 of them (faritany mizakatena). Although dissolved and subdivided into regions which subdivided them, they still exist as geographical entities, and were named after the name of the seat city of the provincial prefecture.
Former subdivisions of Madagascar
At the time of the second Malagasy republic (1975-1991), the country was divided into five levels:
- 1. 6 faritany (provinces), which became faritany mizakatena (autonomous provinces)
- 2. the fivondronana (or fivondronampokontany, former prefectures and sub-prefectures)
- 3. the firaisana (or firaisampokontany, former cantons)
- 4. fokontany (villages, hamlets or neighborhoods)
- 5. the fokonolona (old traditional village communities)
Today there are four levels of subdivisions
- 1. 22 faritra (regions, created by subdivision of the 6 former autonomous provinces)
- 2. 112 departemanta (departments or districts, replacing the former prefectures and sub-prefectures)
- 3. 1,395 kaominina (communes, reorganized replacing the old cantons)
- 4. 17,454 fokontany (villages, hamlets or neighborhoods, unchanged)
The village communities disappear, as do the 6 provinces on the administrative level (although they remain significant on the geographical level, as simple groups of regions).
From provinces to regions
Madagascar is divided into 22 regions resulting from the division of the 6 former provinces (which became autonomous provinces then dissolved):
Former provinces
Map of Madagascar indicating its division into 6 provinces, or faritany.
- (1) former province of Antananarivo
Itasy region (3)
Analamanga region (4)
Vakinankaratra region (5)
Bongolava region (6)
- (2) former province of Antsiranana
Diana region (1)
Sava region (2)
- (3) former province of Fianarantsoa
Amoron’i Mania region (14)
Haute Matsiatra region (15)
Vatovavy-Fitovinany region (16)
Atsimo-Atsinanana region (17)
Ihorombe region (18)
- (4) former province of Mahajanga
Sofia region (7)
Boeny region (8)
Betsiboka region (9)
Melaky region (10)
- (5) former province of Toamasina
Alaotra-Mangoro region (11)
Atsinanana region (12)
Analanjirofo region (13)
- (6) former province of Toliara
Menabe region (19)
Atsimo-Andrefana region (20)
Androy region (21)
Anosy region (22)