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| Baobabs Trees in Madagascar |
The Republic of Madagascar, also nicknamed the "red island" or the "8th Continent", is the fourth largest island in the world (smaller than the state of Texas, but bigger than California). Madagascar lies in the Indian Ocean off the south east coast Africa.
The country is surrounded by other islands and archipelagos, Mauritius, Seychelles, Comoros and Reunion island.
History :
The first residents of Madagascar arrived on the country from the Indonesian islands in their small boats 2000 years ago. Arab traders arrived later around the year 800, when merchants began to trade along the north coast.
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| Queen Ranavalona |
The first Euopean to have ever seen Madagascar on 10 August 1500, was a Portuguese captain named Diogo Dias, when the wind diverted him from his route to India.
From the late 16th century, Portuguese, Dutch, English frequent its harbors to take food on the road to India. In 1665, the island will be notionally annexed to France under the name of Dauphine Island. In the 18th century, the island was divided into kingdoms based mostly on tribal belonging : Skalavas, Betsimisarakas, Mahafaly...
French and English took from the country slaves, cattle and rice in exchange for money and guns. In 1883, France invaded Madagascar and extended its control over the entire island in 1886, Madagascar became a French colony. The rebellion against French took place two times, in 1918 and 1947. But the country gained independence on 26 June 1960.
People :
Madagascar remains relatively sparsely populated compared to its area (21.928 500 inhabitants). The numerous and various external inputs of population (Indians, Indonesians, Arabs, Africans) have given rise to regional groupings (Betsileo, Merina, Betsimisarakas ...) that the term ethnic defines imperfectly.
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| Antananarivo, the Capital of Madagascar |
The centre plateau, in which is located the Capital Antananarivo, the North, West and East Coast (with the port of Toamasina, former Tamatave), are particularly populated. Despite the rural migration, the rate of urban population is still moderate.
The official languages of Madagascar are ; Malagasy and French. The Malagasy dialects contain loanwords from Arab, French, Bantu, English, and Swahili and are closely related.
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| Beautiful Jacaranda Trees in Antananarivo |
Culture :
The culture of Madagascar is like its nature: rich and diverse. The insularity added to a very limited level of communication over large areas, has enabled some very isolated populations to preserve over time its own culture, despite successive colonization.
Today, almost 80% cent of the country's inhabitants live in the countryside, and have a very strong link with the earth, both in terms of agriculture as its sacred character. Oral culture remains dominant in the daily lives of Malagasy. Regarding language, music, cooking, crafts, Madagascar contains treasures to discover.
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| Landscape in Fianarantsoa a south central city in Madagascar |
Religions :
In Madagascar, religion is part of everyday life of Malagasy people, and we are not surprised that in the smallest village in Madagascar, there are at least two holy places: the Catholic Church and the Protestant church, this proximity testifies the fight that the French and British missionaries had to engage in the nineteenth century.
According to a recent study, 55% of the population respects traditional beliefs, 40% are Christians and the remaining 5% are Muslims. We can say that the cult held a prominent place in the daily lives of Malagasy as evidenced by the many churches and temples to Madagascar
Climate :
Madagascar generally has a tropical climate. It is characterized by a a relatively cooler dry season that extends from April to October and a hot rainy season, produced by the combination of northwestern monsoons and southeastern trade winds, from November to March. However, significant variations between regions are noted : more moisture to the east and drought in the South.
The best time to visit the country is from April to December.
Geography :
Madagascar is a large mountainous island with some high plateaus, and is ringed by a narrow coastal plain (a flat area). The country is home to rain-forests that abound with a wide and exotic myriad of flora and unusual animals and is nicknamed the "8th Continent" because of its diversity of species. The island remains one of the richest areas in terms of biodiversity on the planet, even if only a portion of its forest remains.
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| Tsingy Limestone Forest |
The Tsingy limestone forest situated in the west of Madagascar, is an otherworldly geological feature unique to the island. Composed of porous and sharp towers making for a landscape to what you would imagine on a distant planet. Aside from the stunning formations you can also see preserved mangrove forests and an amazing assortment of fascinating animals and birds.
Madagascar is considered a "must go" destination and a great adventure for all lovers of observation of beautiful plant and animal species. An amazing and interesting place to explore. Madagascar, an authentic island, a world apart.
Madagascar in a proverb : "Let your love be like the misty rain, coming softly, but flooding the river."
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| Madagascar Flag |
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