Ambohiby Massif, Volcanic massif in Bongolava region, Madagascar.
The Ambohiby Massif is an alkaline ring complex covering about 225 km2 (87 sq mi) in Tsiroanomandidy District, Bongolava, Madagascar. Its rim is cut by closely spaced ridges and gullies, and the extinct crater inside is roughly 15 km wide. French botanist Jacques Désiré Leandri noted two peaks dominating it, one called Andapa, used as a geodetic point.
The massif formed during the Late Cretaceous period, roughly 90 million years ago, when Madagascar and India separated and volcanic activity shaped the region. The subsequent collapse of volcanic structures created the present ring landscape with its two remaining peaks.
French botanist Jacques Désiré Leandri recorded in 1935 that the area's indigenous people called the crater Andranomangatsiaka, meaning "at the place of cold water"; he noted it should not be confused with the current namesake further south. The crater holds a settlement of Betsileo citrus farmers and merchants, Anosibe Ambohiby, established in 2008.
The massif lies in Tsiroanomandidy District, Bongolava. The nearest settlement is Antaniditra, 8 km away, and the nearest city, Tsiroanomandidy, is 18 km away. The settlement of Anosibe Ambohiby sits inside the ring, almost entirely isolated from the rest of the region.
Anosibe Ambohiby, the settlement inside the massif, was founded in 2008 by Betsileo citrus farmers and merchants. Its roughly 300 residents live almost entirely cut off from the rest of the region: the nearest village, Antaniditra, lies 8 km away, and Tsiroanomandidy, the district's main town, is 18 km off.
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