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ANTANANARIVO, |
 | | The University of Antananarivo (1961), the country’s principal institution of higher education, is located here, as are numerous research institutes and an astronomical observatory. |
 | | Antananarivo is also the site of Madagascar’s leading libraries and museums including the National Library (1961), the libraries of the university and of the Académie Malgache, the Historical Museum (1897), and the Museum of Art and Archaeology (1970). |
 | | The city was founded as a fortress in the early 17th century by the rulers of the Merina, a people of Malay origin, who made it their chief residence in the 1790s; their large palace, overlooking the city from the top of the ridge, was gutted by fire in November 1995. |
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