Ambositra

Ambositra
Ambositra
	View of Ambositra
	Ambositra Location in Madagascar
	Coordinates: 20°31′0″S 47°15′0″E / 20.51667°S 47.25000°E
Country	Madagascar
Region	Amoron'i Mania
District	Ambositra
Area
• Total	15.2 km2 (5.9 sq mi)
Elevation	1,342 m (4,403 ft)
Population (2018 census)
• Total	41,078
• Density	2,700/km2 (7,000/sq mi)
Postal code	306

Ambositra [amˈbusʲʈʂə̥] is a city (commune urbaine) in central Madagascar.

Ambositra is the capital of the Amoron'i Mania region, and of Ambositra District.

Geography

It is situated at the RN 7 (Antsirabe - Tulear) and the RN 41 to Fandriana. It is situated 255 km south of the country's capital Antananarivo.

Rivers

Ambositra is situated at the Isaha River, an affluent of the Mania.

Religion

The Diocese of Ambositra is seated in the town (Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary), led by Bishop Fidelis Rakotonarivo.

Arts and Crafts

Ambositra is the centre of Madagascar's' wood-carving industry due to the presence of the Zafimaniry tribe, a subgroup of the Betsileo tribe.^[1] There are many shops selling wooden household equipment, boxes, chessboards and figurines. Various woodworking firms and workshops can be visited. In Madagascar Ambositra has got the nickname "Capital of Woodworking (Capitale du travail sur bois)".

Sights

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Cathédrale du Cœur Immaculé de Marie) on the Rue de Commerce street, is one of the largest churches in Madagascar. It was built in the first quarter of the 20th century.^[2] Various colonial houses with carved wooden balconies are preserved in the city centre.^[3] A memorial from 1947 dedicated to the victims of the Malagasy Uprising is located on the Rue de Commerce close to the representative Grand Hotel dating from 1912.^[4] Nuns sell cheese, honey and jam in a red-brick Benedictine Monastery founded in 1934.^[5]

Typical street scene in Ambositra
Market scene in Ambositra
Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Monument of Malagasy Uprising (1947)
Colonial architecture: Grand Hotel
Colonial architecture
Woodworking plant

References

^ Carambole éditions: Guide de la Route nationale 7, p. 16, no date.
^ "Ambositra, Cathédrale du Cœur-Immaculé de Marie | Colonial Architecture Project".
^ Carambole éditions: Guide de la Route nationale 7, p. 29, no date.
^ Heiko Hooge: Madagaskar, p.67. Ostfildern 2023
^ Antony Ham et al.: Madagascar, p. 69. Lonely Planet 2020