Toamasina (), meaning "like salt" or "salty", unofficially and in French Tamatave, is the capital of the

Atsinanana Atsinanana is a coastal region in eastern Madagascar. It borders Analanjirofo region in the north, Alaotra-Mangoro in the west, Vakinankaratra and Amoron'i Mania in the southwest, and Vatovavy and Fitovinany in south. The region contains over 285 ...

region on the east coast of

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

on the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...

. The city is the chief seaport of the country, situated northeast of its capital and biggest city Antananarivo. In 2018 Toamasina had a population of 325,857.

History

Under French rule, Toamasina was the seat of several foreign consuls, as well as of numerous French officials, and was the chief port for the capital and the interior. Imports consisted principally of piece-goods, farinaceous foods, and iron and steel goods; main exports were gold dust, raffia, hides, caoutchouc (

natural rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...

) and live animals. Communication with Europe was maintained by steamers of the Messageries Maritimes and the Havraise companies, and also with

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...

, and thence to Sri Lanka, by the British

Union-Castle Line The Union-Castle Line was a British shipping line that operated a fleet of passenger liners and cargo ships between Europe and Africa from 1900 to 1977. It was formed from the merger of the Union Line and Castle Shipping Line. It merged with ...

. During the colonial period, owing to the character of the soil and the formerly crowded native population, the town was often plagued by

epidemic An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time. Epidemics of infectious ...

s; the plague broke out in 1898, and again in 1900. Since the draining of the neighboring marshes, there is some improvement, although there are still outbreaks of malaria and other diseases, as

chikungunya Chikungunya is an infection caused by the ''Chikungunya virus'' (CHIKV). Symptoms include fever and joint pains. These typically occur two to twelve days after exposure. Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, and a ra ...

Geography

Toamasina owes its importance to the existence of a

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. C ...

which forms a spacious harbour, entered by two openings. The city center is built on a sandy peninsula which projects at right angles from the general coastline. South of the town there is the mouth of the

Ivondro River The Ivondro River in Alaotra-Mangoro and Atsinanana regions, is located in central-eastern Madagascar. It drains to the eastern coast. It flows into the Canal des Pangalanes and the Indian Ocean south of Toamasina. A hydro-power station will be ...

in the Indian Ocean.

Transport

The town is the railhead for the line to the capital. Pousse-pousse (bicycle rickshaws), tuk-tuk (motorized rickshaws), and taxis are available throughout Toamasina to get around the city. Toamasina is the northern end of the

Canal des Pangalanes The Canal des Pangalanes is a canal that consists of a series of natural rivers, waterways and human-made lakes that extends for over and runs down the east coast of Madagascar from Mahavelona to Farafangana. It is used primarily for transpor ...

. The port of Toamasina serves as

's most important gateway to the

and to the world. The city is served by Ambalamanasy Airport, which has limited domestic and international service. The city is the country's main seaport for international shipping.

Roads

* National Road 2 leads westwards to Antananarivo * National Road 5 leads northwards to

Maroantsetra Maroantsetra , formerly Louisbourg, is a market town and domestic seaport in Analanjirofo Region, Madagascar, at the northern end of the Bay of Antongil. In 2005 it had a population of 42,529 people. History Maurice Benyovszky arrived in Maroant ...

Education

The University of Toamasina was founded in 1977. There is also a Lycée Français de Tamatave, a French international school.

Hospitals

The CHU Morafeno is the university hospital of Toamasina.

Places of worship

Among the

places of worship A place of worship is a specially designed structure or space where individuals or a group of people such as a congregation come to perform acts of devotion, veneration, or religious study. A building constructed or used for this purpose is somet ...

, they are predominantly Christian churches and temples :

Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar The Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar ( mg, Fiangonan'i Jesoa Kristy eto Madagasikara; FJKM) is the second-largest Christian denomination in Madagascar. The current officers include the Rev. Ammi Irako Andriamahazosoa, President; the Rev. Jea ...

Malagasy Lutheran Church The Malagasy Lutheran Church (in Malagasy it is known as FLM: ''Fiangonana Loterana Malagasy'') is one of the most important Christian churches in Madagascar, established in 1950 by the unification of 1,800 Lutheran congregations in central and so ...

, Assemblies of God, Association of Bible Baptist Churches in Madagascar, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toamasina (

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

seated in the Cathedral of St. Joseph) and Iglesia ni Cristo.J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, ''Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices'', ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 1768 There are also Muslim mosques.

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Toamasina is twinned with: * Saint-Étienne, France * Le Port, RéunionLe Port est jumelé à quatre villes portuaires

Notes

References

External links

Map

University of Toamasina

Regional Tourist information office - Toamasina

Regional Harbour of Toamasina

City Hall of toamasina

Association of the native of toamasina
{{Atsinanana, state=collapsed Cities in Madagascar Populated places in Atsinanana Regional capitals in Madagascar Port cities in Africa Ports and harbours of the Indian Ocean Populated coastal places in Madagascar