The Merina are the dominant "highlander" Malagasy ethnic group in Madagascar, and one of the country's eighteen official ethnic groups. Their core territory corresponds to the former Antananarivo Province in the center of the island. Beginning in the late 18th century, Merina sovereigns extended political domination over the rest of the island, ultimately uniting it under their rule. The French colonized Madagascar in 1895–96 and abolished the Merina monarchy in 1897.