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'''The town of Diego Suarez is located in the north of Madagascar in the world's largest natural bay with the picturesque [[Nosy Lonja]] (sugar loaf sugarloaf island) in the middle. Diego Suarez is named after the Portuguese explorer Diego Diaz in who came to Madagascar in 1500 and the sailor Fernando Suarez who came to arrived at the bay in 1506. Unfortunately Diego Diaz was rather cruel to the locals and sold them into slavery.'''

Although since 1975 the officinal name of the town is ''Antsiranana'', literally meaning "portthat is at the seaside" in Malagasy, many people still call it refer to Diego Suarez. In 1885 the French Navy built a military base on the location, giving given the strategic importance of the a deep-water harbour. During the second world war World War II Diego Suarez was under the control of the French Vichy French. In 1942 Britain and the The Allies occupied Diego Suarez to prevent the Japanese warships and submarines from entering the harbour. Hundreds of British soldiers fell in the Battle of Madagascar. Until 1973, Diego Suarez has served as a port to the French fleet of the Indian Ocean.

Today Diego Suarez is Madagascar's 5th largest town and after the capital [[Antananarivo]] the most modern in terms of lifestyle, shops and entertainment. The locals are a vibrant mixture of Malagasy, Indians, Arabs, CreolesCreole, Chinese and Comorians. Most tourists discover only Colbert Street, which is framed by large, colourful colonial brick buildings with verandas. Most hotels, restaurants, tour operators and handicraft shops can be found on this street. The area south of [[Place Foch]] is more Malagasy, with local stores, street markets and the big fruit and food market. The entire town will go to sleep between noon and 3pm with its peak of awakeness during night time.

The climate around Diego Suarez is hot with seven months of dry weather a year. Almost all rain falls between end of November and April. In those months the landscape turns from beige and brown to lush green. Bird lovers will enjoy the dry season as more birds are more visible then.

The surroundings of Diego Suarez offer some of the most beautiful natural landscapes of Madagascar. For the active travelers travellers their are plentiful many opportunities for hiking, climbing, swimming, snorkelling, diving, kite-surfing, fishing, bicycling etc.