Tsiribihina River
| Mouth of the watercourse | Mozambique Channel  |
|---|---|
| Tributary | Mahajilo River, Mania River |
| Country | Madagascar |
| Coordinate location | 19°53′0″S 44°27′0″E, 19°52′0″S 44°25′0″E |
| Connects with | Komanaomby lake, Hima lake |
De Tsiribihina[1] be river wey dey western Madagascar.
De main tributaries be de Mahajilo, Manandaza, Mania, den Sakeny rivers. Ein basin get an area of 49,800 km2. 7,025 km2 dey insyd de basin of de Sakeny River, 14,500 km2 insyd dat of de Mahajilo River, den 18,565 km2 insyd dat of de Mania River.[2]
De headwaters be on Madagascar ein Central Highlands. De tributary streams dey flow generally westwards except for de Sakeny, wich dey flow northwards. As dem dey leave de highlands den dey enter de north–south running Betsiriry Plain, de tributary rivers converge to form de Tsiribihina - de Mahajilo den Manandaza from de north, den de Mania den Sakeny from de south. Der be extensive seasonal wetlands den shallow lakes wer de rivers converge on de plain.[3][4] De rich alluvial soils of de Betsiriry Plain make am one of de most suitable regions for agriculture insyd western Madgagascar.[5] De plain ein wetlands den lakes be important habitat give waterbirds.[6]
De Tsiribihina then dey flow westward, wey dey cut a steep den winding gorge thru de Bemaraha Plateau, a limestone formation wey dey extend north den south along de western edge of de Betsiriry Plain.[3] As de river dey emerge from de Bemaraha Plateau e dey widen den dey meander.[3] Der be several shallow lakes along de lower course, wey dey include Lake Kimanomby near Ambohibary den Lake Masoarivo near Masoarivo.[6]
De river delta be large, wey dey extend about 35 km north to south.[3] E dey include coastal beaches den dunes, mudflats, salt flats, mangroves, den freshwater marshes. De mangroves generally be 2–4 meters high, den de predominant trees be species of Avicennia, Rhizophora, Ceriops, Bruguiera, den Sonneratia. De saltflats often dey flood during de rainy season. De freshwater marshes den lakes of de lower Tsiribihina be dominated by de sedges Cyperus spp, de reed Phragmites, den non-native water-hyacinth Eichhornia.[6] De mouth of de river be near Belon'i Tsiribihina, wer e dey empty into de Mozambique Channel.[7]
82 species of birds be recorded from de Tsiribihina River den ein delta, 22 of wich be endemic to Madagascar. Bernier's teal (Anas bernieri) breeds insyd de mangroves. De Madagascar pratincole (Glareola ocularis) dey congregate in large numbers on de banks of de river, den one of Madagascar ein largest congregations of de Madagascar subspecies of white-backed duck (Thalassornis leuconotus insularis) dey occur at Lake Masoarivo. A few pairs of Madagascar fish eagle (Haliaeetus vociferoides) dey live along de river.[6]
De Menabe Antimena protected area dey cover de south bank of de lower Tsiribihina along plus de delta den mangroves. De Tsiribihina Delta be designated a wetland of international importance under de Ramsar Convention, den de Tsiribihina River den ein delta be designated an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International.[6]
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ Andrew, David; Blond, Becca; Parkinson, Tom; Anderson, Aaron (2008). Madagascar & Comoros 6. Lonely Planet. p. 149. ISBN 978-1-74104-608-3. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
- ↑ Aldegheri, M. (1972), Battistini, R.; Richard-Vindard, G. (eds.), "Rivers and Streams on Madagascar", Biogeography and Ecology in Madagascar (in English), Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, pp. 261–310, doi:10.1007/978-94-015-7159-3_8, ISBN 978-94-015-7159-3, retrieved 2026-06-26
- 1 2 3 4 Aldegheri, M. (1972). Rivers and Streams on Madagascar. In: Battistini, R., Richard-Vindard, G. (eds) Biogeography and Ecology in Madagascar. Monographiae Biologicae, vol 21. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-7159-3_8
- ↑ Andriambeloson, Johary & Calmant, Stéphane & Paris, Adrien & Rakotondraompiana, Solofo. (2020). Re-initiating depth-discharge monitoring in small-sized ungauged watersheds by combining remote sensing and hydrological modelling: a case study in Madagascar. Hydrological Sciences Journal/Journal des Sciences Hydrologiques. 65. 10.1080/02626667.2020.1833013.
- ↑ Vololona, Mireille & Kyotalimye, Miriam & Thomas, Timothy & Waithaka, Michael. (2013). Madagascar. In Michael Waithaka, Gerald C. Nelson, Timothy S. Thomas, and Miriam Kyotalimye, eds. East African agriculture and climate change. IFPRI, pp. 213–246. 10.13140/2.1.4432.5766.
- 1 2 3 4 5 BirdLife International (2022) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Wetlands of the Tsiribihina delta and upper Tsiribihina river. Accessed 20 November 2022.
- ↑ Bradt, Hilary (17 May 2011). Madagascar: The Bradt Travel Guide. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-84162-341-2. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
External links
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