Maintirano

Maintirano lies on Madagascar's western coast, facing the Mozambique Channel in Sakalava country. To the east the land rises towards the limestone forests of Beanka, where sharp tsingy formations cut the plateau. The coast belongs to a region in which Sakalava rulers built kingdoms stretching along western Madagascar. River mouths and bays link the dry interior with waters travelled by sailors and traders from the African coast and beyond.