MADAGASCAR TRAVEL GUIDE

MADAGASCAR

Madagascar is a large island located in the Indian Ocean to the east of the African coast of Mozambique, it's the fourth largest island of the world after Greenland, New Guinea and Borneo. The state capital is the city of Antananarivo, that is located in the central plateau at more than 1 200 meters high. The country consists of flat coastal strips more or less deep and a central plateau that rises to heights ranging from 800 to 1 800 meters, it extends from the Tsaratanana Massif in the north, to the Ankaratra Massif (2 643 meters) in the center and to the Ivakoany Massid in the south.

In the North, in the Tsaratanana Massif, lies the highest mountain of Madagascar, the Maromokotro that reaches 2 876 meters in height. The island was discovered by Portuguese explorers in the sixteenth century and they called it São Lourenço, at the end of the nineteenth century, Madagascar became a French colony.

Area: 587 041 sqkm (Arable 5%, Pastures 41%, Forests and Woodlands 40%, Uncultivated and Unproductive 14%)

Population: 20 000 000 (2008 data)

State Capital: Antananarivo.

Languages: Official languages are Malagasy, French end English.

Religion: Traditional Religions 48 %, Christian 45% (Catholic (23%), Protestant (22%), Muslim 7%).

Currency: Ariary (MGA)

Time: UTC +3 hours.

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MADAGASCAR