Country University University of Toliara | Region Population 148,500 | |
Toliara (also known as Toliary, formerly Tuléar) is a city in Madagascar.
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Map of Toliara
It is the capital of the Atsimo-Andrefana region, located 936 km south-west of Antananarivo.
The current spelling(s) of the name was adopted in the 1970s, and reflects the orthography of the Malagasy language. Many geographic place names were similarly altered in this time from their previous French spellings following Malagasy independence in 1960.
The city has a population of 148,500. As a port town it acts as a major import/export hub for commodities such as sisal, soap, hemp, cotton, rice, and peanuts.
Air Madagascar operates scheduled flights to here.
Geography and Climate
Toliara is located on a broad coastal plain, surrounded by dunes and mangroves, near the Tropic of Capricorn in the Mozambique Channel. A nearby barrier reef (the Great Reef) is 18 km long and 3 km wide. The beach area is extended by an underwater beach along the continental shelf that slopes gently seaward. To the north lies the Delta Fiherenana.
Toliara is nicknamed the "City of the Sun" because it has a hot climate (28 °C average) and is semi-arid (Köppen BSh), with less than 400 mm annual rainfall. The city is constantly swept by a strong prevailing wind, the Tsiokatimo ("South Wind").
History
In the 17th century, French buccaneers landed in the bay of St. Augustine near the Tropic of Capricorn, and founded the city to maintain commercial relations It was not until the colonial period, after 1897, when the city really grew: with the efforts of Joseph Gallieni to install French administrative services, previously isolated on the island of Nosy Ve, to form the regional capital. Tulear grew along a grid pattern of cross streets, with wide avenues and public monuments.
Economy and production
Culture and Religion
Regional cultural highlights include:
Toliara is the seat of a Catholic archbishop.