Marovoay

Marovoay lies beside the Betsiboka River in the low country of northwestern Madagascar. The river runs toward Bombetoka Bay and the Mozambique Channel through a broad landscape of wetlands and cultivated land. Marovoay was associated with the Sakalava rulers of Boina, whose royal and sacred centre stood inland from the trading port of Mahajanga. The river connected their seat with the coast, where merchants and ships participated in Indian Ocean commerce.