Madagascar

Geography
Madagascar is located 250 miles off the eastern coast of Africa, just south of the equator. Over 1000 miles (1580 km) long and 350 miles (570 km) wide, Madagascar is the world's fourth largest island.

A nature-lover's paradise, this sparsely populated land occupies an area more than twice the size of Great Britain, and it is crisscrossed by no less than six different microclimates!

Calling Madagascar an island almost seems unfair. This Eden-like garden of riches is filled with so much diversity in life and in geography it is like no other island anywhere on Earth. Indeed, every expedition into her mountains, her rain forests, her river valleys, her coastal plains, her grasslands, her caverns, and her deserts leads to the discovery of some new plant or animal species. It is no exaggeration to claim that this micro-continent (as some have called it) offers limitless opportunities for exploration.

History
In a cataclysmic earthquake, Madagascar broke free from Africa about 165 million years ago. She spent the next 45 million years drifting approximately 250 miles to the northeast--her present position.

The animals of Madagascar found plentiful foodstuffs, and an almost total lack of predators. Because evolutionary pressures on Madagascar's early inhabitants were almost nonexistent, the island literally teems with life forms that have changed little in hundreds of thousands, even millions of years. In many ways, Madagascar is literally a land that time forgot.

The first humans arrived on Madagascar around 2,000 years ago, most likely using outrigger canoes hailing from India, Africa, and Arabia. The newcomers were greeted by dense rainforests and an abundance of wildlife--strange monkey-like creatures known as lemurs, dwarf hippos, giant tortoises, ten-foot tall elephant birds (their enormous, thousand-year old eggs are still being found to this day), and over 100 other exotic species of animal found nowhere else on earth.

Unfortunately for many of these creatures, the arrival of man represented their first encounter with a predator. It took almost 1,000 years, but skilled human hunters managed to drive almost two dozen of those unique and irreplaceable animal species to extinction.

Although they lived in tribes, the African, Indian, and Arabic races managed to avoid segregation. Over many hundreds of years, an incredible synthesis of tradition, religion, language, and genetics took place, creating a society remarkable in its uniformity of language and beliefs, and striking in its physical beauty.

In 1500, Portuguese explorers landed on the island of Madagascar, did a little exploration, and returned to Europe. Word of the Portuguese "discovery" spread to France and England, and both countries rushed to establish settlements on the island. The local tribes formed loose coalitions to successfully defend themselves against the invading Europeans again and again.

In 1794, King Andrianampoinimerina managed to unite the various tribes of Madagascar, forming a single kingdom. Each of his subjects was given enough land to meet the nutritional needs of his family, and the practice of burning rainforests (to obtain additional land) was banned.

By 1817, Andrianampoinimerina's son, King Radama I, formed friendly relationships with the major European powers, and invited British missionaries to his country. Led by David Jones, the missionaries introduced the Roman alphabet and Christianity to Radama's subjects.

Immediately after Radama's death in 1828, his widow (Queen Ranavalona) took the throne. Referred to even to this day as the wicked queen, Ranavalona forced the missionaries out of Madagascar, and executed her subjects with a zeal never before seen in this land.

Queen Ranavalona died in 1861, turning the reigns of power over to a succession of largely ineffective monarchs.

In 1883, the French attacked Madagascar. After almost three years of warfare, Madagascar became a French protectorate, and then, after a massive 1895 invasion by French forces, Madagascar became a full-fledged French colony. The monarchy was abolished, and French became the official language.

In 1958, the French elected a new President, Charles De Gaulle. De Gaulle immediately granted Madagascar its independence. The locals renamed their nation the Malagasy Republic, and elected Philibert Tsiranana President. A benign leader, Tsiranana was reviled by radical elements as a puppet of the recently departed French. Tiring of the vociferous protesters, Tsiranana finally stepped down in 1972. Didier Ratsiraka, a naval officer, succeeded him.

Ratsiraka was re-elected twice, replaced briefly by Dr. Albert Zafy in 1991, and then re-elected a third time to his current title as President of the Malagasy Republic.

Country Description
Madagascar is a developing island nation off the east coast of Africa. Facilities for tourism are available, but vary in quality.

Entry requirements
A passport and visa are required. Visas should be obtained in advance, although airport visas are available in Antananarivo, the capital. There is an airport departure tax.

Before travelling, travelers should obtain the latest information and details from the nearest Malagasy Embassy or Consulate.

Medical facilities
There are several competent foreign physicians in Antananarivo, representing a broad range of specialties. There are also competent laboratory and X-ray facilities. Most medications are available on the local market and are mainly of French origin. Doctors and hospitals often expect immediate cash payment for health services.

Medical insurance
Check with your own insurance company to confirm whether your policy applies overseas, including provision for medical evacuation. Ascertain whether payment will be made to the overseas hospital or doctor, or whether you will be reimbursed later for expenses you incur. Some insurance policies also include coverage for psychiatric treatment and for disposition of remains in the event of death.

Safety of public transportation: Basic
Urban road conditions/maintenance: Fair
Rural road conditions/maintenance: Basic to Fair
Availability of roadside assistance: Basic

Air travel
Domestic and international air services operate regularly with Air Madagascar offerinf a frequent services to international destinations.

Location: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique

Area-comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Arizona

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 4,828 km

Climate: tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south

Natural resources: graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, salt, quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish

Geography—note: world's fourth-largest island; strategic location along Mozambique Channel

Population: 14,873,387 (July 1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Malagasy (singular and plural)
adjective: Malagasy

Ethnic groups: Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and related Betsileo), Cotiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry—Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava), French, Indian, Creole, Comoran

Religions: indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian 41%, Muslim 7%

Languages: French (official), Malagasy (official)

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Madagascar
conventional short form: Madagascar
local long form: Republique de Madagascar
local short form: Madagascar
former: Malagasy Republic

Government type: republic

Capital: Antananarivo

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a vertical white band of the same width on hoist side

Economy—overview: Agriculture, including fishing and forestry, is the mainstay of the economy, accounting for 32% of GDP and contributing more than 70% to export earnings. Industry features textile manufacturing and the processing of agricultural products. Growth in output in 1992-97 averaged less than the growth rate of the population.

Industries: meat processing, soap, breweries, tanneries, sugar, textiles, glassware, cement, automobile assembly plant, paper, petroleum, and tourism

Agriculture—products: coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, cloves, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), beans, bananas, peanuts; livestock products

Exports—commodities: coffee 45%, vanilla 20%, cloves, shellfish, sugar, petroleum products (1995 est.)

Imports—commodities: intermediate manufactures 30%, capital goods 28%, petroleum 15%, consumer goods 14%, food 13% (1995 est.)

Currency: 1 Malagasy franc (FMG) = 100 centimes

Telephone system: system is above average for Africa
domestic: open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter links
international: submarine cable to Bahrain; satellite earth stations? Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)

Railways:
total: 883 km
narrow gauge: 883 km 1.000-m gauge (1994)

Highways:
total: 49,837 km
paved: 5,781 km
unpaved: 44,056 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: of local importance only; isolated streams and small portions of Lakandranon' Ampangalana (Canal des Pangalanes)

Ports and harbors: Antsiranana, Antsohimbondrona, Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliara

Airports: 133 (1998 est.)

Military branches: Popular Armed Forces (includes Intervention Forces, Development Forces, Aero naval Forces—includes Navy and Air Force), Gendarmerie, Presidential Security Regiment

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