Fianarantsoa

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Fianarantsoa (fyänäräntsōō´ə, –tsō´ə), town (1993 pop. 99,005), S central Madagascar, in the central highlands. It is the chief commercial center of a fertile agricultural region producing rice, coffee, potatoes, tobacco, and wine. Food processing is the town's chief industry. A railroad connects Fianarantsoa with Manakara, a small port on the Indian Ocean.