About Madagascar

Full name: Republic of Madagascar Capital City: Antananarivo Language: French, Malagasy Currency: Ariary Religion: Native beliefs, Christian, Muslim National Anthem: "Tanindraza nay malala ô" that literally means "Oh, Our Beloved Fatherland". Newspaper: L'Express de Madagascar, Madagascar Tribune and Midi Madigasikara. Except these some locals are also available such as La Gazette de la Grande Isle, Le Quotidien, Les Nouvelles and so on. Places to Visit: Antananarivo, Nosy Be, Ifaty, Parc National de L'Isalo, Parc National de Ranomafana and many more places to visit. Transport: Airways: Air France, Air Madagascar, Inter Air and some other frequent flights are there. Air France flies from Paris, while Air Madagascar is available from Johannesburg and Nairobi. On the other hand InterAir is available from Johannesburg. Waterways: frequent Cargo boats are available between various important places. Shopping: Things that you can shop in Madagascar are local handicrafts; antaimoro paper, which is a handcrafted paper that involves, dried flowers; some beautiful local embroidery; souvenirs. Besides these some precious stones are also found.

INTRODUCTION : Madagascar was a part of French colony during the period of 1896 to 1960. After that the country became independent in the year of 1960. The Malagasy language that is spoken mostly in the country originally belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian group. Since Madagascar was under the influence of French colony for a long time, French is also spoken widely.

LOCATION OF
MADAGASCAR:
Madagascar is located in the eastern region of the African continent. This is a country in itself, which is also an island engulfed within every side by the Indian Ocean. The country is situated very close to another country called Mozambique. Madagascar has been declared as the world's fourth largest island.


PHYSICAL MAP OF MADAGASCAR :
Madagascar is not a mountainous country. Since it is surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the country is full of lowlands especially in the eastern regions. Some up lands are also there in the middle of the country. Visit mountains of the volcanic origin in the northern Tsaratanana Massif and get thrilled. Some seaports and open lands can also be found in the western seashores. On the other hand you will find some table lands and barren regions. The highest altitude of the country is the Maromokotro peak that rises up to 2,876 meter above the sea. On the other hand Indian Ocean is the lowest point of Madagascar.


FLAG OF MADAGASCAR
Every nation has its individual flag that bears the characteristics of the country and also its ingenuity. A flag represents the nation's significance. The flag of Madagascar has three colors in it. These are red, green and white. The flag contains two horizontal blocks of same size. The upper block is red and the bottom is green. In the left side of the flag there is also a while band, which is horizontal. Madagascar formally accepted this flag on 14th October, 1958. The three colors used in the flag bear some prehistoric significance of the Kingdom of Madagascar. Here white symbolizes peace and red symbolizes vigor and bloodshed. On the other hand green signifies the nation's native peasants, also known as "the Hova".

CLIMATE OF MADAGASCAR :
In Madagascar the weather remains pleasant through the year. The coastal regions are comparatively warm than the other places. Mainly two seasons are perceived in the country. These are summer and winter. Summer months are hot and wet. Rainfalls are frequent in this period. The summer season rules between the months of November and April. On the other hand the winter months are cold and dry. Between the months of May and October you will find this winter season. Beware of the cyclones that often prevail over the land of Madagascar. The months between December and March are characterized by heavy rainfalls.

FLORA AND FAUNA OF MADAGASCAR :
Flora : The vegetation of Madagascar is highly influenced by the coastal climate. You will get to see various species of trees and plants in different regions of the country. Some of the trees that can be found in huge quantity are periwinkles, l emurs, baobabs, geckoes, sifakas, aloes, octopus trees and various others. However in Madagascar trees are being removed in large number for industrialization and farming. That may cause a great harm to the flora world of the country. Palms, Didiereaceae plants, various species of orchids, are also found in large number. The Missouri Botanical Garden is a very attractive place in Madagascar. You must visit this site to enjoy the collection of different species of planes.


Fauna : Similarly the animal kingdom of Madagascar is also very rich with various species. Some famous African taxonomic categories of elephant, giraffe, zebra, rhinoceros, antelopes etc are found in the country. Some poisonous reptiles such as snakes others exists in a large number in the country.

PEOPLE OF MADAGASCAR
The total population of Madagascar is 18,595,469. In this country there are various ethnic groups creating a diverse culture. A major portion of the population is dominated by the Malayo-Indonesians. Then there are the Cotiers, French, Creole, Indian, Comoran and so on. Christian, Muslim are the two main religions that are practiced in the country. Some native beliefs also exist. French and Malagasy are mostly spoken in Madagascar.

ART, CULTURE AND MUSIC OF MADAGASCAR

Art: There are many famous authors from Madagascar. Some of them are Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo, Charlotte Arisoa Rafenomanjato, Michèle Rakotoson and so on. Beside that some local handicrafts are also very popular in the country. Some Malagasy poets can also be referred here. They are Aime Andria, Jacques Rabmananjara, Charlotte-Arrisoa Rafenomanjato, and Flavien Ranaivo.

Culture: The diverse ethnic groups have created a diverse culture also in the country Madagascar. A touch of all the ethnic groups like Welsh, Arab, French and all that is reflected in the culture of Madagascar.

Music: To talk about music of Madagascar, the folk music of the country is very popular. It has its own unique features. On the other hand the modern music of Madagascar is heavily influenced by the music of the countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Congo, France etc. It has been noticed that the nature of music in the coastal regions is very rhythmic. On the other hand the island music is comparatively softer and slow. A dance performed by the villagers, wearing the traditional hat and the "lamba" is also very popularly practiced in the country.


ECONOMY OF MADAGASCAR
Privatization and liberalization are the two aspects of Madagascar's economy. Previously the economic status of the country was nor very strong, but after it took these two policies, it has developed its economical scenario. The agricultural products of the country are vanilla, sugarcane, cloves, coffee, cocoa, peanuts, rice, bananas, beans, cassava and some others. In agriculture the two main fields are fishing and forestry. However deforestations, as a result of industrialization is causing great harm to the country's forests. So Madagascar is now taking this issue very seriously. The things that are exported to the foreign countries are petroleum products, shellfish, sugar, cotton cloth etc. The nations with which Madagascar is involved for this export business are primarily France, US and Germany.

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