Ambatondrazaka

Ambatondrazaka lies south of Lake Alaotra, Madagascar's largest lake, in the country of the Sihanaka. Marshes and rice fields surround the shallow lake, whose waters occupy a basin at the northeastern edge of the central plateau. The Sihanaka are associated with this lake country, between the highlands and the forests of the eastern escarpment. In the early nineteenth century Merina rulers extended their power over Alaotra. Sihanaka resistance included a stand on an island in the lake, but Merina forces prevailed. King Radama placed a governor at Ambatondrazaka, making it a centre of his authority over the region.