Difference between revisions of "Ilakaka"

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Ilakaka is a small town in the south west of Madagascar along the R7 national route towards [[Tulear]]. Ilakaka is a sapphire boom town that has grown from less than 50 residents the 90s to about 30,000 today. Since 2008 most sapphire stones in the world originate from this region.
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'''Ilakaka is a small town in the south west of Madagascar along the R7 national route towards [[Tulear]]. Ilakaka is a sapphire boom town that has grown from less than 50 residents in the 90s to over 30,000 today. Since 2008 most of the worlds sapphire stones originate from this region, making Madagascar the world's largest sapphire exporter.'''
  
Directly north of the road lies [[Isalo National Park]], which likely has large deposits of sapphires, but the area is nature protected where mining is not permitted.
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|-
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|colspan="3" | [[File:Ilakaka 021.jpg|600px]]
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|-
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|[[File:Ilakaka 013.jpg|196px]]
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|align="center"|[[File:Ilakaka 001.jpg|196px]]
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|align="right"|[[File:Ilakaka 007.jpg|196px]]
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|-
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|[[File:Ilakaka 005.jpg|196px]]
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|align="center"|[[File:Ilakaka 006.jpg|196px]]
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|align="right"|[[File:Ilakaka 017.jpg|196px]]
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|}
  
Most mining activity occurs directly south east of the main road.  
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North of the road lies [[Isalo National Park]], which likely has large deposits of sapphires, but as the area is nature protected and mining is not permitted there. Most mining activity occurs directly south and east of the main road.  
  
The mining work is primarely carried out by Malagasy workers run by small businesses, with resident dealers mostly from Sri Lanka and Thailand where the rough stones are usually sent for cutting.
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{{#display_map:
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-22.697793, 45.218654~'''Ilakaka'''~~;
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|type=satellite
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|service=google
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|width=auto
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|height=400
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|zoom=15
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|controls=pan, zoom, type, scale
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|icon=https://www.madacamp.com/images/madagascar/Green_marker.png
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}}
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</div>
  
There are various other smaller sapphire towns along the road south.
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The mining work is primarily carried out by Malagasy workers who are managed by small businesses and temporarily resident dealers, many of whom are of Sri Lankan, Thai or Chinese origin. The rough stones are usually brought to either Thailand or Sri Lanka for cutting.
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Various other smaller sapphire towns can be found along the road westwards, such as [[Antsotramadoro]] and [[Sakahara]].
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== Accommodation ==
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'''Friends Hotel'''<br>
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Tel: +261 (0)33 14 951 21 or +261 (0)33 14 706 76 or  +261 (0)33 14 710 50<br>
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<!-- Email: [mailto:friendsbungal@yahoo.fr friendsbungal@yahoo.fr] BOUNCED! -->
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== Photos ==
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View all [[Ilakaka photos]]
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== Additional information ==
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* [[Madagascar Sapphire Rush]]
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* [http://www.madagemstones.com madagemstones.com]
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* [http://www.madagems.com madagems.com]
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* http://www.thegmanifesto.com/2009/04/the-madagascar-sapphire-report.html
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* [http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-32962318 In pictures: Madagascar's sapphire mining rush] - BBC News, 4 July 2015
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* [http://www.primemedia.international/madagascar-destinations-guide-ilakaka.html Ilakaka City: the Wild West is over!] - Prime Magazine, 4 May 2018

Latest revision as of 07:53, 6 January 2021

Ilakaka is a small town in the south west of Madagascar along the R7 national route towards Tulear. Ilakaka is a sapphire boom town that has grown from less than 50 residents in the 90s to over 30,000 today. Since 2008 most of the worlds sapphire stones originate from this region, making Madagascar the world's largest sapphire exporter.

Ilakaka 021.jpg
Ilakaka 013.jpg Ilakaka 001.jpg Ilakaka 007.jpg
Ilakaka 005.jpg Ilakaka 006.jpg Ilakaka 017.jpg

North of the road lies Isalo National Park, which likely has large deposits of sapphires, but as the area is nature protected and mining is not permitted there. Most mining activity occurs directly south and east of the main road.

Loading map...

The mining work is primarily carried out by Malagasy workers who are managed by small businesses and temporarily resident dealers, many of whom are of Sri Lankan, Thai or Chinese origin. The rough stones are usually brought to either Thailand or Sri Lanka for cutting.

Various other smaller sapphire towns can be found along the road westwards, such as Antsotramadoro and Sakahara.

Accommodation

Friends Hotel
Tel: +261 (0)33 14 951 21 or +261 (0)33 14 706 76 or +261 (0)33 14 710 50

Photos

View all Ilakaka photos

Additional information