The Republic of Madagascar (Madagasikara in Malagasy) occupies the world's fourth-largest island, lying parallel to the the southeastern coast of Africa. By the early 1800s the island was united by the Merina Kingdom. Beginning in 1883 France invaded the country and by 1897 it had become a French colony. Madagascar recovered its independence in 1960. Separated from any other continent for about 90 million years the mini-continent of Madagascar is famous for its unusual plants and wildlife. The lighthouses of Madagascar, a heritage from France, deserve more attention than they have received in the past. The lack of photos is disappointing since many of the lighthouses are accessible near coastal towns. Current reports are needed; it appears that many of the historic coastal lights have been abandoned, although harbor lights are being maintained. Malagasy and French are official languages in Madagascar. French place names in Madagascar have been replaced officially by names in the Malagasy language. However, the traditional French names also remain in common use. Until 2009 Madagascar was divided into six provinces; now it is subdivided into 22 regions (faritra). This page includes lighthouses of the former provinces of Toamasina, Fianarantsoa, and Toliara, located respectively on the east coast, southeast coast and southwest coast of the island. There is a separate page covering the northern portion of the country. The common Malagasy word for lighthouse, fara, is adapted from the French word phare. In Malagasy nosy is an island, tanjona is a cape, ranomasina is a bay or sea, renirano is a river, and seranana is a harbor. Lighthouses in Madagascar are operated by the national port authority, the Agence Portuaire, Maritime et Fluviale (APMF). ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume D of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112.
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Analanjirofo Region Lighthouses
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Atsinanana Region Lighthouses
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Nosy Alanana (Île aux Prunes) Light, Toamasina unattributed photo from 1000lonelyplaces.com |
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Vatovavy Region Lighthouses
Fitovinany Region Lighthouses
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Atsimo-Atsinanana Region Lighthouses
Anosy Region Lighthouses
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Evatra Light, 2007 photo copyright A. Hovestadt; used by permission |
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Port d'Ehoala Range Front Light, Port d'Ehoala photo copyright Erich Hartmann; used by permission |
Androy Region Lighthouses
Atsimo-Andrefana Region Lighthouses
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Menabe Region Lighthouses
Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Northern Madagascar | East: Réunion | West: Mayotte
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key
Posted November 14, 2005. Checked and revised January 8, 2024. Lighthouses: 35. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.