Merina
- proper noun
- It is generally assumed that the first durable Malagasy state was created by the Merina in the central highlands, in part as a defense against slave raids from the coastal areas.
- Merina kingdom
- Merina royal
Examples
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The transformation of the highlands landscape by the Merina (the people who inhabit the central highlands) was central to the formation of the Merina kingdom, as were the social meanings embedded in landscape elements, including water, wood, and stone.
Academic text (2005) -
In the distance are hills, many of which were the seats of the former principalities that were unified by Andrianampoinimerina under the Merina Kingdom.
Academic text (2005) -
He built a palace on the site, which became the political seat of royal Merina power.
Academic text (2005) -
Merina Queen's palace, which burned down in late 1995.
Academic text (2003) -
They came in search of land for grazing their cattle and to escape threats from the Merina invaders.
Academic text (2002) -
This paper focuses on some of the key roles that landscape played in the historical development of the Merina kingdom in the central highlands of Madagascar during the early nineteenth century.
Academic text (2005) -
A Merina royal procession on the east side of Antananarivo (ca. 1856).
Academic text (2005) -
For example, when the powerful eighteenth-century Merina king Andrianampoinimerina was expanding his empire, the Betsileo king Andriamanalina refused to submit to his authority.
Academic text (2003) -
The Merina people established a powerful kingdom in Madagascar's central highlands during the 18th century.
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In Antananarivo, the capital, visitors can explore the history of the Merina kingdom that dominated the region.
Surface Forms
Etymology
Merina comes from the Malagasy name Imerina, which refers to the island's central 'highlands'. The kingdom called Merina was the state of the people of that highland region, so the name now points to that historic kingdom.
