Tatamarina Lake in Betafo Betafo ("many roofs") is a town and urban municipality in

Vakinankaratra Vakinankaratra is a region in central Madagascar. The capital of the region is Antsirabe. Vakinankaratra covers an area of , and had a population of 2,074,358 in 2018. History The kingdom of Vakinankaratra, known as the kingdom of the river Andra ...

Region in the Central Highlands of

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 ...

. It is surrounded by volcanic peaks and is situated 22 km from

Antsirabe Antsirabe () is the 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 cool climate (like the rest of the central region), it ...

. It is a typical

Merina The Merina people (also known as the Imerina, Antimerina, or Hova) are the largest ethnic group in Madagascar.Merina ...

town in the Central Highlands. The town had an estimated population of 34,336 in 2018 and is the administrative centre of

Betafo District Betafo is a district in Vakinankaratra Region, Madagascar. The administrative centre of the district is the town of Betafo. However the district has subsequently been divided by the creation of the new Mandoto District from former parts of Betafo ...

Geography

Betafo is situated at an altitude of above sea level, in the central highlands of Madagascar. The town lies along the RN34 national road to

Miandrivazo Miandrivazo is a town and commune ( mg, kaominina) in Madagascar. It is situated at the Mahajilo River and belongs to the district of Miandrivazo, which is a part of Menabe Region. The population of the commune was estimated to be approximately 1 ...

, west of

and from the country's capital,

Antananarivo Antananarivo ( French: ''Tananarive'', ), also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana, is the capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the city, known as Antananarivo-Renivohitra ("Antananarivo-Mother Hill" or "An ...

Religion

* FLM - Fiangonana Loterana Malagasy (

Malagasy Lutheran Church The Malagasy Lutheran Church (in Malagasy it is known as FLM: ''Fiangonana Loterana Malagasy'') is one of the most important Christian churches in Madagascar, established in 1950 by the unification of 1,800 Lutheran congregations in central and so ...

) The first Lutheran church in Madagascar was built in Betafo the Norwegian missionaries John Engh et

Nils Nielsen Nils Herbert Kromann Nielsen (born 3 November 1971) is a Danish football manager. Since 14 November 2018, he is the head coach of the Switzerland women's national football team. Nielsen is best known for his tenure with the Denmark women's natio ...

in 1867. * FJKM - Fiangonan'i Jesoa Kristy eto Madagasikara (

Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar The Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar ( mg, Fiangonan'i Jesoa Kristy eto Madagasikara; FJKM) is the second-largest Christian denomination in Madagascar. The current officers include the Rev. Ammi Irako Andriamahazosoa, President; the Rev. Jean ...

) * Roman Catholic Diocese of Betafo

UNESCO World Heritage Site

The irrigated rice paddies of the area are emblematic of this technology throughout the Malagasy highlands and were nominated to the Tentative List of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Sites in Madagascar The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention. The sites of natural and cult ...

in 1997.

History

In the 19th century it was the capital of

. The first Lutheran church in Madagascar was built in Betafo the Norwegian missionaries John Engh et

in 1867.Betafo
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Sports

The

AS Standon Betafo As, AS, A. S., A/S or similar may refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * A. S. Byatt (born 1936), English critic, novelist, poet and short story writer * "As" (song), by Stevie Wonder * , a Spanish sports newspaper * , an academic male voice ...

is the local football club. It plays in the Vakinankaratra regional liga.

References

Sights

* Tatamarina Lake * Antafofo Falls * Tombs of Kings of Betafo Populated places in Vakinankaratra {{Vakinankaratra-geo-stub