Ambositra

Ambositra
View of Ambositra
Ambositra Location in Madagascar
Coordinates:20°31′0″S47°15′0″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 centralMadagascar.

Ambositra is the capital of theAmoron'i Maniaregion, and ofAmbositra District.

Geography

It is situated at theRN 7(Antsirabe-Tulear) and theRN 41toFandriana. It is situated 255 km south of the country's capitalAntananarivo.

Rivers

Ambositra is situated at theIsaha River,an affluent of theMania.

Religion

TheDiocese of Ambositrais seated in the town (Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary), led by BishopFidelis Rakotonarivo.

Arts and Crafts

Ambositra is the centre of Madagascar's' wood-carving industry due to the presence of theZafimanirytribe, a subgroup of theBetsileotribe.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 theRue de Commercestreet, is one of the largest churches in Madagascar. It was built in the first quarter of the 20th century.Various colonial houses with carved wooden balconies are preserved in the city centre.A memorial from 1947 dedicated to the victims of theMalagasy Uprisingis located on theRue de Commerceclose to the representative Grand Hotel dating from 1912.Nuns sell cheese, honey and jam in a red-brick Benedictine Monastery founded in 1934.

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