Ambositra is a city (commune urbaine) in central

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

. Ambositra is the capital of the

Amoron'i Mania Amoron'i Mania (''Translated: Banks of the Mania'') is a region in central Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. ...

region, and of

Ambositra District Ambositra District is a Districts of Madagascar, district in central Madagascar. It is part of Amoron'i Mania Regions of Madagascar, Region. Its capital is Ambositra. The district has an area of , and the estimated population in 2020 was 314,968. ...

Geography

It is situated at the RN 7 (

Antsirabe Antsirabe () also known as Ville d'eau is the list of cities in Madagascar, third largest city in Madagascar and the capital of the Vakinankaratra region, with a population of 265,018 in 2014. In Madagascar, Antsirabe is known for its relatively ...

Tulear Toliara (also known as ''Toliary'', ; formerly ''Tuléar'') is a city in southern Madagascar. It is the capital of the Atsimo-Andrefana region, located 936 km southwest of the national capital Antananarivo. The current spelling of the name ...

) and the RN 41 to

Fandriana Fandriana is an urban commune in Central Highlands (Madagascar), Central Highlands of Madagascar. It belongs to the Districts of Madagascar, district of Fandriana District, Fandriana, which is a part of Amoron'i Mania Region. It has a population o ...

. It is situated 255 km south of the country's capital

Antananarivo Antananarivo (Malagasy language, Malagasy: ; French language, French: ''Tananarive'', ), also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the city, known ...

Rivers

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

Mania Mania, also known as manic syndrome, is a Psychiatry, psychiatric Abnormality (behavior), behavioral syndrome defined as a state of Abnormality (behavior), abnormally elevated arousal, affect (psychology), affect, and energy level. During a mani ...

Religion

The

Diocese of Ambositra The Diocese of Ambositra is a Roman Catholic Diocese under the Archdiocese of Fianarantsoa in Madagascar. It is based in the town of Ambositra and was erected on 3 June 1999. It performs the Latin Rite. The Diocese covers approximately . As of 20 ...

is seated in the town (Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary), led by Bishop

Fidelis Rakotonarivo Fidelis Rakotonarivo (born 28 August 1956 in Ambohimahazo) is the head of the Diocese of Ambositra in Ambositra, Madagascar. He was ordained priest on 15 August 1992 by the Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ) ...

Arts and crafts

Ambositra is the centre of Madagascar's wood-carving industry due to the presence of the

Zafimaniry The Zafimaniry are a sub-group of the Betsileo ethnic group of Madagascar. They live in the forested mountains of the southern central highlands southeast of Ambositra, between the neighboring Betsileo and Tanala peoples. There are approximat ...

, a subgroup of the

Betsileo people The Betsileo are a highland ethnic group of Madagascar, the third largest in terms of population. They chose their name, meaning "The Many Invincible Ones", after a failed invasion by King Ramitraho of the Menabe kingdom in the early 19th cent ...

. There are many shops selling wooden household equipment, boxes, chessboards and figurines. Various woodworking firms and workshops can be visited. In Madagascar, Ambositra has received 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. Various colonial houses with carved wooden balconies are preserved in the city centre. A memorial from 1947 dedicated to the victims of the

Malagasy Uprising The Malagasy Uprising (; ) was a Malagasy nationalist rebellion against French colonial rule in Madagascar, lasting from March 1947 to February 1949. Starting in late 1945, Madagascar's first French National Assembly deputies, Joseph Raseta, ...

is located on the ''Rue de Commerce'' close to the representative Grand Hotel dating from 1912. Nuns sell cheese, honey and jam in a red-brick Benedictine Monastery founded in 1934.Antony Ham et al.: ''Madagascar'', p. 69. Lonely Planet 2020 Ambositra 03.jpg, Typical street scene in Ambositra Ambositra.JPG, Market scene in Ambositra AmbositraCathedral.jpg, Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary AmbositraMonument.jpg, Monument of Malagasy Uprising (1947) AmbositraGrandHotel.jpg, Colonial architecture: Grand Hotel AmbositraColonialArchitecture.jpg, Colonial architecture AmbositraWoodworkingPlant.jpg, Woodworking plant

References

Cities in Madagascar Populated places in Amoron'i Mania Regional capitals in Madagascar {{Amoron'iMania-geo-stub