Ilakaka
Ilakaka is a small town in Ihorombe Region in the south western part of Madagascar. In the early 1990s there were only about 40 residents in the area. After the discovery of one of Earth's largest known alluvial sapphire deposits in the valley in 1998, the population had boomed to nearly 60,000 in 2005. Since high profits are at stake, violence is common in the town.
Coordinates: 22°41′S 45°13′E / 22.68°S 45.21°E
Ilakaka is in Ihosy District, Ihorombe Region, 735 km south of Antananarivo, near Isalo National Park.
It is found along the Route nationale No.7 from Toliara to Fianarantsoa in southwestern Madagascar. It is situated at à 218 km from Tuléar, 26 km from Ranohira and 84 km from Sakaraha.
In 1998, after the discovery of an important sapphire mine, what was once a quiet rural village has been transformed into a Wild West town, a victim of "Sapphire fever," with thousands of arrivals hoping to stake a claim, complete with bars, brothels, and scores to settle.
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