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CHAPTER IX. 
THE GREAT NORTH-EAST. 
The north-eastern province of Madagascar is less 
known than Imerina; and until very recently our 
information as to the physical conformation of the 
territory, or the peculiar manners and habits of 
the population, was very limited. This absence 
of information may partly be accounted for by 
the difficulty of access to the district—there 
being no known way through it except the direct 
route from the capital. Traders and adventurers 
have from time to time touched at some of the 
seaports, but have not penetrated many miles 
into the interior. The European name of the 
province is Vohimare; but the Malagasy call 
it Vohimarinana (from vohitsa, village, and 
marina, level). The whole of this region is well 
supplied with streams, which flow eastward from 
the central range of hills, as is the almost invari¬ 
able rule of all the great rivers of Madagascar. 
The general aspect of the north-east of the 
