Tôlanaro
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tôlanaro | |
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| Country | Madagascar |
| Region | Anosy |
Tôlanaro or Tolagnaro is a city (commune urbaine) in Madagascar. It is the capital of the Anosy region, of the Tôlanaro district, and is in the former Toliara Province. It has a port of local importance, and currently a new port is being built in Ehoala. Formerly Fort Dauphin, it was the most durable French settlement in Madagascar.
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[edit] Geography
The city is situated on a short narrow peninsula on the southeastern edge of Madagascar.
[edit] History
It was founded in 1643 by the French East India Company who built a fort there, named in honor of the crown prince of France, the future Louis XIV. It was settled by around a hundred colonists, who found themselves involved in the local politics. The poor trade results (some ebony and little more was obtained) hardly justified the difficulties of the settlers, who suffered from tropical illnesses and other problems. After a conflict with the Antanosy people, the survivors were evacuated in 1674.
One temporary settler of this colony, Etienne de Flacourt, published, back in France, the History of the Great Isle of Madagascar and Relations, that was the main source of information on the island for Europeans until the late 19th century.
After World War II and until Didier Ratsiraka took the presidency in 1975, Fort Dauphin had a thriving community of Malagasy, French, Chinese and Indian merchants with adequate roads connecting the city to Tulear and Fianarantsoa. The port provided a means of exporting cattle to Mauritius and importing various goods from France and elsewhere. In 1975, the French businesses were nationalized, French citizen's assets frozen and the infrastructure was allowed to deteriorate. As of recently Fort Dauphin has still not recovered the vitality it had in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Fort Dauphin was the headquarters of work by Lutheran missionaries for over 100 years, during which time it hosted what was known as the "American School" and the MCH (missionary children's home) which was operated by the American Lutheran Church (see Malagasy Lutheran Church) until it briefly moved to operate alongside an NMS school in Antsirabe and then finally the remaining students began attending the American School in Antananarivo in the 1980s as the number of Lutheran missionary kids on the island declined rapidly in the early 1980s.[citation needed] American missionary families and other English-speaking families in Madagascar (including kids from other missionary organizations, NASA, and US Embassy employees living in Antananarivo) and for a time, even East Africa, sent their children to this boarding school. While most were American, there were also Malagasy, Canadians and Norwegian students who went to this school, which from the 1960s to the end of the 1970s averaged 50 to 60 students per year. Notable alumni include Dr. Carl Braaten, Lutheran Theologian, David Broncaccio of the PBS NOW program (see [[1]]), Dr. Pier Larson, Professor of African History, Johns Hopkins and Dr. Stan Quanbeck, medical missionary to Madagascar for 40 years.
The Lutheran missionaries from the US also traded land above the original Fort Dauphin harbor for what was then a sand dune, which became Libanona where the cottages on top of the hill were built as a place for R&R and to live while they were visiting their children at the school. There is also a section of the town's cemetery where quite a few American Lutheran missionaries are buried.
[edit] Modern era
For long time, there had only been a port of local importance, and no good road connections to the rest of the country. However the area is currently undergoing a massive transformation associated the development of a new ilmenite mine by the QIT Madagascar Minerals company (a subsidiary of the Rio Tinto Group) in the area[1]. A new port (Ehoala) as well as new roads are being built, these being the first investment in the region's infrastructure for many decades.
The mine is controversial however due to the predicted social upheaval and adverse environmental impact it will have. In particular, health officials fear that HIV/Aids, which to date has been almost unknown in Madagascar, could spread to the island via Tôlanaro[2].
[edit] Ecology
Andohahela National Park is within driving distance of Tôlanaro, 40 km to the North West.
[edit] See also
[edit] Gallery
 Old port |
 New port and access roads under construction in April 2007 |
 Libanona Beach, Tôlanaro in April 2007 |
 Andohahela National Park |
[edit] References
- ^ "Madagascar titanium dioxide project". Rio Tinto Group. 3 August 2005. http://www.riotinto.com/media/news_4411.asp. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
- ^ "Madagascar's ticking HIV time bomb". BBC News. July 27, 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6916454.stm.
