Bealanana is a town and commune in western Madagascar

Madagascar

The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...

. It belongs to the district

Districts of Madagascar

Districts are second-level administrative divisions of Madagascar below the regions. Districts are in their turn divided into communes; while some of the districts on urban areas such as the district of Toliara consists of only one commune, most of the districts are divided typically into...

 of Bealanana

Bealanana District

Bealanana is a district in northern Madagascar. It's a part of Sofia Region and borders the districts ofAmbanja in north, Ambilobe in northeast, Andapa in east, Befandriana-Nord in south, Antsohihy in southwest and Analalava in west. The area is and the population was estimated to be 100,750 in...

, which is a part of Sofia Region

Sofia Region

Sofia is a region in northern Madagascar. It is named for the Sofia River.* Capital: Antsohihy* Area: 50 800 km²Districts:*Mandritsara District*Befandriana-Nord District*Bealanana District*Antsohihy District*Analalava District...

. The population of the commune was estimated to be approximately 14,000 in 2001 commune census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

.

Bealanana is served by a local airport. In addition to primary schooling the town offers secondary education at both junior and senior levels. The town provides access to hospital services to its citizens.

The majority 92% of the population of the commune are farmers, while an additional 1% receives their livelihood from raising livestock. The most important crop is rice

Rice

Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...

, while other important products are sugarcane

Sugarcane

Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...

, maize

Maize

Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...

 and onions. Services provide employment for 6% of the population. Additionally fishing employs 1% of the population.