10th to 13th Centuries • possible evidence of human consumption of
Aepyornis eggs near Talaky at the Manambovo rivermouth • Manda ("enclosure") Civilization, which arose in the 10th Century and fell in the 13th, had towns near
Bekily and
Bekitro, Andaro on a tributary of the Linta near Fotadrevo, east of Lanany river's junction with the Manambovo, west of Vohimena, north of Vohipary and at Bebajine. Based on archeological finds, several of these towns appear to have been involved in trade by sea with
Zimbabwe,
Mozambique and the
Swahili Coast (sites of "pre-Tandroy" inhabitants identified by stone-and earth-walled enclosures).
14th to 15th Centuries • population in Androy fell dramatically, as did imports, with most settlements located for defense of villagers (one of the largest at that time, Ampahijoloke, was defended on three sides by river cliffs).
16th Century • Royal center of the Andriamanare (Zafimanara), Tandroy's royal clan/dynasty (who dominated Androy till the 18th century), at Ampotake. There were also royal centers located in Montefeno and Anjampanorora (25 km south of Ambaro). • beginning of expansion of the Antandroy kingdom • 1529 - July 28, East of False Cape, Manambovo River mouth. Landing of Raoul and
Jean Parmentier, captains of
le Sacre and
la Pensée ships.
17th Century • 1648 -
Étienne de Flacourt reaches the Mandrare river and carves two words on a stone: "Cave Incolas". • 1649 - Ancient royal settlement at Montefeno, ruled by King Andrianmififarivo, king of Ampatres, was visited by soldiers sent by Governor Étienne de Flacourt from
Fort Dauphin). • late 1600s - King Andrianjoma, who lived near Ambaro, became the founding ancestor of the Tekonda line of Andriamañare.
18th Century • early 1700s - Menarandra area of southwestern Androy annexed by Maroserana dynasty • 1703 - Shipwreck of the
Degrave, an English East Indiaman, at Belitsaky (25 km from Ambovombe?).
Robert Drury (sailor) visited the royal capital of Fenoarivo (Ambaro) shortly thereafter. His crew is massacred by the Antandroy and he is kept as a slave till 1709. [For more information see] • different clans from the east, north and northwest invaded Androy and put an end to the ruling dynasty of the Andriamañar • beginning of the development of what Mike Pearson et al. described as the "megalithic and monumental" Antandroy tombs • 1769 - Introduced in Fort Dauphin during a settlement French attempt, spiny prickly pear cactus
Opuntia dillenii spreads throughout the Androy region.
19th Century • Androy remained independent of the expanded
Imerina Kingdom • further expansion of number of communities in Androy, especially near Faralambo where the Afomarolahy clan settled
20th Century • 1901-1903 - French conquered Androy, though area remained in a State of Emergency due to continued Antandroy resistance to French rule • 1916 - famine in Androy. • 1917 - State of Emergency in Androy ended. • 1920 - Drought and famine in Androy. • 1924 - Introduction of a
Cochineal insect
Coccus cacti by Botanist H.Perrier de la Bâthie, in an attempt to ensure biological control of the invasive
Opuntia dillenii cactus, called raketa gasy. Though cacti were beneficial - staple feed for human beings and cattle - it was getting difficult to save farmlands in order to grow crops. • 1928 - Henry de Heaulme arrives in Fort Dauphin, having driven down from Tananarive in a Harley Davidson motorcycle with his wife and son in the side car. His intent was to export mica from Anosy and sisal from Androy through Fort Dauphin. This family also gets involved in conservation efforts and later also gets into the tourism business. • 1928-29 - Droughts and a pastoral farming crisis due to the destruction of
Opuntia dillenii cactus by cochineal beetle (had been introduced near Toliary in 1925 and spread east, north and south at a rate of 100 km per year, leading to the death of somewhere between 10,000 and 100,000 cattle, turning the countryside gray and leading to extensive deforestation and emigration of Antandroy people. • 1930-31 - Deadly famine, exacerbated by droughts and a pastoral farming crisis because of the destruction of prickly pear cactus
Opuntia dillenii by cochineal beetle. This cactus, previously introduced in Fort Dauphin, spread over
Anosy and Androy regions:it had provided protection to herders and their cattle as well as both fruit and water to people and cattle. Eminent damages on local species of
Castor oil plant are also observed. This resulted in half the population of in the Tsihombe district decreasing by half, though the number of dead versus those who emigrated out of the area is unclear. Furthermore, a cricket invasion took place. • 1932 - Hosting the Opuntia cacti, a mite
Dactylopius tomentosus is noticed. • 1936 - Drought. Also, the first sisal plantations near
Berenty Reserve are close to
Amboasary Sud (
Anosy). Amboasary-Sud (
Anosy) is established by Établissements Gallois. Henri de Heaulme established his sisal plantation and the
Berenty Reserve. • 1937 - Hydrographic assignment of Aviso
Bougainville in the South:to chart the exact positions of the two brothers capes-the "True" and the "False"-so called by the mariners.The true one -Southernmost point of Madagascar- is named
Cape Saint Marie.Latitude 25°35'S. • 1940 - Vichy France takes over control of Madagascar. • 1941-1944 : great famine named
marotaola (that means: many human bones). • 1943-44 - Up to half of those in Androy emigrated due to the severe famine. Another 15,000 died. • 1945 - massive sacrifices of zebus for rain falls, in partnership with the colonial administration. • 1955 - Plantation on 4.000 ha of
Opuntia stricta, a spineless cactus, is completed. Twenty thousand hectares planned in the so-called
Raketa operation. The Opuntia with a red prickly pear fruit is called raketamena. • 1955-56 - In the Androy district, the indigenous production of food crops was : cassava 18.000t, corn 4.000t, grain sorghum 1.000t, beans 800t, groundnuts 700t . • 1956 - Drought. • 1956 - Amboliandro Atsimo (commune:
Tsihombe) was set up a water pumping
windmill - wheel diameter 6m - on a 15m high tower: it pumps out 10 cubic meters/hr water from a 45m deep well. • 1957 - Erection of a 414m long steel bridge, designed by Anciens Ets
Eiffel -
Pont du Mandrare - insures the first all-year-long road link between the Androy and
Anosy regions (RIG 13). The Antandroy-so called
Grand Pont is one of the last impressive steel bridges, built in the nineties, just before the technological move to the prestressed concrete works. • 1950s-60s - Boetchi (Swiss), de Heaulme and Jenny families and the Lyonnaise and Marseillaise companies exported wild beans of
Castor oil plant (1220 tons in 1957), cattle (10-30,000/year), mica and sisal, much of it from Androy. • 1958 -
Monja Jaona formed the Madagasikara Otronin'ny Malagasy (
MO.NI.MA.)--Madagascar for the Malagasy—party which he led till his death. This became a significant regional party which represented both radical intellectuals and peasants from the south (especially Androy). • 1960 - Madagascar declared its independence from France. • 1971 - Monja Jaona claimed authorship of April armed insurrection by impoverished peasants in Androy who were upset by the corruption of government tax collectors at a time when their cattle herds were being ravaged by disease. There were also frustrations due to the failure of the government to provide disaster relief in response to a serious drought which was followed by floods. On April 1–2 more than 1,000 armed members of the MO.NI.MA. attacked 5 military posts in the Tulear province, resulting in 1 of the security forces killed and 11 wounded. This was quickly and harshly suppressed by the government, with 45 of the MONI.MA. killed, 9 wounded and 847 held for questioning. Monja Jaona and hundreds of MO.NI.MA. members were arrested and sent by cargo ship from Fort Dauphin to Nosy Lava where they were imprisoned. • 1972 - Monja Jaona and the MO.NI.MA. party, which had become a left-wing opposition movement, gained the support of Tananarive's university students and urban radicals who, though MO.NI.MA. was banned by the government, led demonstrations against President Tsiranana until his fall May 1972. • 1980 - Drought called
santiravy (iron belt). • 1982 - Drought and famine called
malalak’akanjo (one is wide in his vestimentary) because of malnutrition. • 1986 - Drought and famine
bekalapake (dried manioc) because most people only ate dried manioc for survival. • 1989-1992 - Drought and famine
tsy mitolike (eating without return). Major famine in Androy with major responses by UNICEF and the World Food Program and also by Catholic and Malagasy Lutheran churches. • 2003 - Drought and famine in Androy. This was the first drought that had been well documented and was picked up rapidly by charitable organizations and by the press that led to first massive reactions from the international community (European Union, USAID, GTZ, Care, Japan Aïd, etc.) • 2006-07 - Famine in Androy • 2011 - Major drought & famine in Androy • 2016 - Drought and famine in Androy. The UN claimed it was due to
El Niño, but forgetting that this only occurs in the
Pacific Ocean. • 2021-23 - Drought and famine in Androy. This is the first time that climatic change caused a famine in Madagascar that was announced by the UN (sic). A conclusion that was given erroneously after an AFP/France 24 journalist, Gaëlle Borgia. • 2023 - a pipeline of 97 km was built between
Efaho River (
Anosy) and the south of Androy. This may end speculations of the origins of the droughts and that UN might even replace back El Niño to the Pacific Ocean. ==Additional information==