Marovoay marʷˈvwaj is a city and commune (commune urbaine) 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 Marovoay

Marovoay District

Marovoay is a district in northwestern Madagascar. It's a part of Boeny Region and borders the districts of Mahajanga II in north, Boriziny and Mampikony in east, Ambato-Boeni in south and Mitsinjo in west. The area is and the population was estimated to be 124,739 in 2001.The district is further...

, which is a part of Boeny Region. The population of the commune was estimated to be approximately 65,000 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...

.

Marovoay has a riverine harbour. 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 60% of the population of the commune are farmers, while an additional 24% 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 cassava

Cassava

Cassava , also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...

 and sweet potato

Sweet potato

The sweet potato is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots are an important root vegetable. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. Of the approximately 50 genera and more than 1,000 species of...

es. Industry and services provide employment for 2% and 10% of the population, respectively. Additionally fishing employs 4% of the population.