Ambositra is a city (commune urbaine) in central

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

. Ambositra is the capital of the

Amoron'i Mania Amoron'i Mania is a region in central Madagascar bordering Vakinankaratra Region in north, Atsinanana in northeast, Vatovavy-Fitovinany in southeast, Haute Matsiatra in south, Atsimo-Andrefana in southwest and Menabe in west. The capital of the r ...

region, and of

Ambositra District Ambositra District is a district in central Madagascar. It is part of Amoron'i Mania Region. Its capital is Ambositra. Communes The district is further divided into 21 communes: * Alakamisy Ambohijato * Ambalamanakana * Ambatofitorahana * Amb ...

. It 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 people, Betsileo ethnic groups of Madagascar, ethnic group of Madagascar. They live in the forested mountains of the southern central highlands southeast of Ambositra, between the neighboring Betsile ...

tribe, a subgroup of the

Betsileo The Betsileo are a highland ethnic groups of Madagascar, 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 king ...

tribe. There are many shops selling wooden boxes, chessboards and figurines.

Infrastructure

It is situated at the RN 7 ( Antsirabe -

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

);

Religion

The

Diocese of Ambositra In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

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

Fidelis Rakotonarivo Bishop 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 , image = Ihs-logo.svg , imag ...

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