14 
MADAGASCAR 
Mangoro, the Matitatana which issues from the moun¬ 
tain range in a stately waterfall 450 ft. high, the Mana- 
nara, and the Manamboro in the extreme south. 
One peculiarity of the eastern side is that the mouths 
of the rivers are encumbered with sand bars produced 
by the breakers. These give rise to large shore lagoons or 
even regular lakes, which are much used by the natives 
for fishing. They lie in a chain extending for 225 miles 
and could easily be connected by canals so as to form 
a valuable waterway. 
The east coast, although fertile and displaying a quite 
astonishing wealth of vegetation, is singularly poor in 
bays, and is thus not of very easy access for ships. 
From Foule Point to Fort Dauphin in the south there 
are only open roadsteads, for the coast runs almost in 
a straight line for a stretch of 500 miles. There are, 
on the other hand, larger bays in the north, as the great 
Bay of Antongil, at which settlements may perhaps arise 
such as existed in old times. 
Vohemar possesses a small well-protected harbour 
with healthy surroundings, and is regularly visited by the 
steamers of the Zanzibar line. Quite in the north lies 
the Bay of Diego Suarez, six miles each way, with good 
anchorage. The entrance is easy and yet narrow enough 
to afford protection against the force of the waves during 
a storm. The margin of the bay, grown over with 
mangrove forests, gives it a strategic importance, as men- 
qf-war could easily be concealed there. The land around, 
however, is desolate and exposed to every wind. Imme¬ 
diately behind the edge of the coast, the land is flat, 
but towards the interior the transition to the mountain 
region is formed by undulating hills. The eastern portion 
of the island has undoubtedly an important future for 
colonising enterprise. Tamatave, a town of 20,000 in¬ 
habitants, is the only seaport. 
The Central Regio 7 i is a chaos of mountains and valleys. 
