It is the capital Fitovinany Region and of the district of Manakara Atsimo.

The city is located at the east coast near the mouth of the Manakara River and has a small port.

[1] Its temperature on average is 27 degrees Celsius, the high is 32 and low is 10.

It is the endpoint of the Fianarantsoa-Côte Est railway (FCE), which connects the city of Fianarantsoa with the sea.

Manakara Airport is one of the few places where a railway crosses a runway.