Canal des Pangalanes

The Canal des Pangalanes a continuous 645 km long waterway and runs parallel to the Indian Ocean on the east side of the island of Madagascar Toamasina ( Tamatave) up to Farafangana.

During colonial times, artificial connections between the naturally formed lagoons were created in eight years of construction. The channel is the lifeline of the region, because there is no road. It winds through a landscape of dunes and is heavily silted in some places. The spit of land between the canal and the ocean in places is only 100 m wide.