Andringitra Massif

{{short description|Mountain range in Madagascar}}

{{Infobox mountain range

|name=Andringitra Massif

|photo=Andringitra,_Madagascar_by_Effervescing_Elephant-10.jpg

|photo_caption=A view of the massif.

|other_name=

|country=Madagascar

|country1=

|country2=

|region=Fianarantsoa Province

|highest=Pic Boby{{cite web|url=http://www.tsaracamp-madagascar.com/trek5.html |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2009-11-27 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091013172319/http://www.tsaracamp-madagascar.com/trek5.html |archivedate=2009-10-13 }}{{Cite web|url=http://www.wildmadagascar.org/conservation/parks/Andringitra.html|title = Andringitra}}

|elevation_m=2658

|range_coordinates = {{coord|22|11.7|S|46|53.1|E|type:mountain_region:MG-F_scale:300000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

|coordinates =

|geology=Igneous, metamorphic

|period=Precambrian

|orogeny=

|map_image=Andringitra massif locator.png

|map_size=200

}}

The Andringitra Massif ("desert of rocks"){{Cite book|title=Natural Wonders of the World|last=|first=|publisher=Reader's Digest Association, Inc|year=1980|isbn=0-89577-087-3|editor-last=Scheffel|editor-first=Richard L.|location=United States of America|pages=46|quote=|editor-last2=Wernet|editor-first2=Susan J.}} is a granite massif located within Andringitra National Park in Madagascar. The range is approximately {{Convert|64|km|mi}} long. In its central area, the range is almost {{Convert|10|km|mi}} wide, though it is much narrower on either end. Pic Boby, the highest peak, stands at 2658 meters (8,720 ft) high.

The massif varies dramatically based on slope and altitude. The eastern slopes tend to be barren, with abrupt cliffs and channels scoured into the rock by erosion from tropical storms. The western slopes tend to slope more gradually, and are partly forested. The mountains' base is tropical, but the forest gives way to thick carpets of lichen. At approximately {{Convert|2000|m|ft}}, there is a belt of hardy shrubs. Above this belt the mountains are a grassland.

Today, it is mainly occupied by herders and shepherds who move in a bid to find the freshest grazing grounds for their livestock.{{cite web|url=http://www.biaza.org.uk/resources/library/images/02Andringitra.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2009-11-28 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722054011/http://www.biaza.org.uk/resources/library/images/02Andringitra.pdf |archivedate=2011-07-22 }} Tourists and adventurers have also visited the area as it provides both hiking and backpacking opportunities, as well as views of its geological formations.{{fact|date=September 2022}}