The Betsileo are with the Merina - who live in the province of Antananarivo - the ethnic group where the indo-malay origin of the Malagasy people is the most obvious. The terraced rice-fields on the hills reminds of their asian ancestry. The Betsileo country, made up of high plateau not higher than 1300 meters, offers a favorable climate for various crops like vine, introduced by the French in the 1950s, or tea. Betsileo are excellent wood-carvers too. The many shops of local craft industry prove it. Characteristic of this region are also the high red brick houses with their finely wrought wooden balconies. Fianarantsoa, the main city of the Betsileo country, was founded by the queen Ranavalona I in 1830 who wanted to have a capital halfway between Antananarivo and the southern provinces, in order to consolidate her power. The hills of the betsileo country, around Fianarantsoa, are covered with terraced rice-fields - a cultivation art inherited from their ancestors coming from Indonesia and Malaysia around the beginning of the Christian era Typical houses of the high plateau - red bricks and balcony Old Peugeot, which can probably still drive... Fianarantsoa - open air market This national road wasn't tarmac on a short section - enough mud to hold these trucks for a few days