The country of Madagascar consists of the island of the same name as well as several small islands nearby. Located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa, the main island is the fourth largest in the world. Madagascar is well known for its unique animals, many of which live only on the island. Its capital is Antananarivo.
Madagascar covers an area of 226,658 square miles (587,041 square kilometers). It is separated from the African coast by the Mozambique Channel. Scientists believe that the main island was formed when it broke away from either Africa or India tens of million of years ago. The island then drifted to its present position, about 250 miles (400 kilometers) east of the country of Mozambique.
The central part of Madagascar is a mountainous plateau. Maromokotro Peak in the north.is the island's highest point, rising 9,436 feet (2,876 meters). A narrow coastal plain lies to the east, and low plateaus and plains cover the west. Madagascar is known as the Great Red Island for its fertile red soil. Rivers are short and fast flowing in the east and longer in the west.
The climate of the island varies considerably from region to region. The east coast has a hot and humid tropical climate. The central plateau is cooler because of its high elevation. The west coast receives much less rain than the east, and the southwest is almost desertlike. Cyclones coming off the Indian Ocean sometimes bring very heavy rains and destructive floods to the island.
Madagascar was once covered with forests. Over the years, however, many of the original trees have been cut down. The wood has been used as fuel or building materials or exported to other countries. Now most of the island is covered with grassland. Some tropical forests and mangrove swamps survive on the coasts. The island also has hundreds of different kinds of orchids.
Because of Madagascar's isolation, it has many types of animals that live nowhere else in the world. The best known are probably the tree-dwelling, monkeylike animals called lemurs. Madagascar is home to about 40 different kinds of lemur. Another unusual animal is the fossa, a catlike mammal related to the civet. Madagascar also has about 800 types of butterfly and an incredible variety of chameleons, ranging from the world's smallest to the world's largest. Crocodiles live in the rivers.
Remains of the Aepyornis, a giant bird that became extinct centuries ago, have been found on the island. Also known as the elephant bird, the Aepyornis reached a height of 10 feet (3 meters) and weighed as much as 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms).
In spite of Madagascar's nearness to Africa, its people are distinct from those who live on the continent. They are more closely related by language and culture to the people of Indonesia, more than 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometers) to the east. People first came to Madagascar from Indonesia during the 1st millennium AD. Their descendants, known as the Malagasy, make up most of the country's population. They are divided into about 20 ethnic groups, the largest being the Merina. The country also has small groups of people from India, China, France, and the nearby island nation of Comoros.
Both the Malagasy and French languages are widely spoken in Madagascar. About half of the people are Christian, and most of the rest follow traditional Malagasy religions. A small percentage of the population is Muslim.
Madagascar is a mostly rural country. Fewer than a third of the people live in urban areas. Almost all the major cities and towns are on the eastern half of the island. Antananarivo, the capital, is the largest city by far. It sits on the central plateau. Most of the western two thirds of the country is sparsely populated.
Madagascar is a poor country. Most of the people live by growing crops and raising cattle. Rice is the chief food crop, and coffee is the main export crop. Madagascar ranks among the world's leading producers of vanilla and cloves. Humped cattle called zebu are used both for plowing and for meat. Despite the country's many rivers and the surrounding sea, the fishing industry remains small. Some shrimp are exported.
Manufacturing is not well developed in Madagascar. The leading industries include the production of cotton cloth and textiles and the processing of agricultural products such as rice, sugar, and tobacco. Other goods include cement, paper, soap, and beverages. Mining is a small part of the economy. Chromite, salt, graphite, gold, and gemstones are produced.
The Malagasy people are a unique blend of Asian and African ancestry. Seafarers from Indonesia may have arrived on Madagascar as early as the1st century AD. They probably stopped first in East Africa and the Comoros, which had already been settled by Africans. Arab traders arrived on the island before AD 1000 as well. The mixing of these peoples over the centuries led to the different Malagasy ethnic groups.
The first European known to have visited Madagascar was the Portuguese navigator Diogo Dias in 1500. In the 17th century the French began establishing trading posts on the island. But the Europeans did not push to colonize Madagascar. Instead, a number of Malagasy kingdoms developed. By the early 19th century the Merina kingdom had become the most powerful. With help from the British, the Merina conquered much of the island.
The French became more of a presence on the island in the 1860s. In 1868 a treaty between the Merina kingdom and the French gave the French control over the northwest coast. French troops arrived in Madagascar in 1895 and defeated the Merina. For more than six decades thereafter the French ruled the island as a colony.
In 1958 France agreed to let the people of Madagascar decide on the political future of the island. The people voted for self-government, and the Malagasy Republic was proclaimed. The Malagasy Republic became fully independent in 1960.
In the 1970s the military came to power in the republic. The military government cut the country's ties with France and took control of much of the economy. In 1975 the military officer Didier Ratsiraka became president and opposing political parties were outlawed. Also in that year the country also took the name Madagascar.
Under government control the economy declined drastically. In response, laws were changed in 1986 to reduce the government's role in the economy. The changes continued in 1990, when opposition political parties were legalized. Ratsiraka was defeated in a presidential election in 1993, but he was elected to the office again in 1997. He led Madagascar into the early 21st century. The country continued to struggle economically. Population (2001 estimate), 15,983,000.
