  The inner $\sim$200 pc region of the Galaxy contains a 4 million M$_{\odot}$
supermassive black hole (SMBH), significant quantities of molecular gas, and
star formation and cosmic ray energy densities that are roughly two orders of
magnitude higher than the corresponding levels in the Galactic disk. At a
distance of only 8.2 kpc, the region presents astronomers with a unique
opportunity to study a diverse range of energetic astrophysical phenomena, from
stellar objects in extreme environments, to the SMBH and star-formation driven
feedback processes that are known to influence the evolution of galaxies as a
whole. We present a new survey of the Galactic center conducted with the South
African MeerKAT radio telescope. Radio imaging offers a view that is unaffected
by the large quantities of dust that obscure the region at other wavelengths,
and a scene of striking complexity is revealed. We produce total intensity and
spectral index mosaics of the region from 20 pointings (144 hours on-target in
total), covering 6.5 square degrees with an angular resolution of 4$"$,at a
central frequency of 1.28 GHz. Many new features are revealed for the first
time due to a combination of MeerKAT's high sensitivity, exceptional
$u,v$-plane coverage, and geographical vantage point. We highlight some initial
survey results, including new supernova remnant candidates, many new
non-thermal filament complexes, and enhanced views of the Radio Arc Bubble, Sgr
A and Sgr B regions. This project is a SARAO public legacy survey, and the
image products are made available with this article.
