Along with the other five provinces, it was abolished in 2007 after a referendum in favour of creation of smaller regions to help in development was approved.

The province was administered by a provincial council whose members were elected by the local citizens for a term of five years.

[5] During 1993 to 2001 the rate of people below poverty line in the province decreased steadily from 63.4% in 1993 to 61.8% in 1997, then to 57.1% in 1999 and finally 48.3% in 2001.

[7] Since it lies in Southern Hemisphere the province experiences winter season from April to October and humid summers during the rest of the year.

[9] This is the home province of the noted politicians Didier Ratsiraka, Norbert Ratsirahonana and Marc Ravalomanana.

[12] The province was dominated in population by the Merina,[4] the island's largest and most politically prominent ethnic group.

In 2002 a state of emergency was proclaimed by the then president Didier Ratsiraka after Marc Ravalomanana announced that he had won a majority in the presidential election held in December 2001.

Ratsiraka left the country and fled to France once the news of plans to assassinate him surfaced.

[13][14] The President (PDS – Président de la Délégation Spéciale) of the province was Emile Rakotomalala.

[15] Antananarivo Province was divided into four regions of Madagascar - Analamanga, Bongolava, Itasy and Vakinankaratra.