Discovering Madagascar

»Name

»Capital

»Population

»Flag

»Geography

»Social/economic indicators

»National anthem

»Climate

»History

»President

»Administrative subdivision

»Further information

1. Name

Républic of Madagascar

2. Flag

3. National anthem

4. President

2002 - : Marc RAVALOMANANA

5. Capital

Antananarivo

6. Geography

Madagascar, also known as the Republic of Madagascar, lies some 250 miles (400 km) off the east coast of Africa, south of the equator. It is separated from Africa by the Mozambique Channel and is crossed by the Tropic of Capricorn near the southern town of Toliara. The world's fourth largest island after Greenland, New Guinea, and Borneo, Madagascar is 1,013 miles (1600 km) long by 350 miles (570 km) at its widest point. Madagascar has an area of 226,661 square miles (587 051 km²), 2½ times the size of Great Britain and a little smaller than Texas.

7. Climate

Madagascar has a tropical climate divided into rainy (October - March) and dry seasons (April - September).

In the Highlands: temperatures and rainfall are influenced by altitude. In June, the night-time temperature can drop to freezing in Antsirabe. Storms are frequent in Summer.

East : South-west trade winds drop their moisture on the eastern mountain slopes and blow hot and dry in the west. North-west "monsoon" air currents bring heavy rain in the summer, decreasing southward so that the rainfall in Tolagnaro is half that of Toamasina. The east of Madagascar frequently suffers from cyclones during February and March and these may hit other areas, particularly in the north but also the west. The North-west region (Sambirano) which includes the island of Nosy Be has a micro-climate with frequent heavy rain alternating with clear skies such as in the East.

West : Rainfall decreases from the North to south.

South : It is the driest part of Madagascar.

8. Administrative subdivision

The country is divided into six (6) Autonomous Provinces, themselves subdivided into twenty-two (22) Regions, one hundred and eleven (111) Districts and around one thousand five hundred and fifty-eight (1,558) Communes. These urban and rural Communes are made up of about ten thousand Areas.

Here is the surface area of each Province:

9. Population

The Malagasy form one nation with one basic culture and language - though with many dialects -, but there are eighteen (18) different "tribes" or clans officialy recognised by the government. The division is based more upon historical background and geographic location than upon ethnic grouping. These tribes are listed individually below:

the Antefasy (People-of-the-sands) in Farafangana; the Antemoro (People-of-the-coast) in the South-East of Manakara; the Antesaka in the South-East; the Antakarana (People-of-the-rocks) in Ambilobe and Antsiranana; the Antambahoaka (Those-of-the-people) in Mananjary; the Antandroy (People-of-the-thorn) in the extreme South; the Antanosy (People-of-the-island) in Taolagnaro; les Bara from Ihosy to Mandabe; the Betsileo (The-many-invincibles) in the South of the Mania and Mahatsiatra rivers; the Betsimisaraka (The-many-inseparables) from Antalaha to Mahanoro, mainly in the east coast; the Bezanozano (Many-small-plaits) in Moramanga, Mangoro region; the Mahafaly (Those-who-make-taboos or Those-who-make-happy) in Ampanihy and Betioky; the Merina (People-of-the-Highlands) in Antananarivo; the Sakalava (People-of-the-large-valleys) from Morombe to Analalava; the Sihanaka (People-of-the-swamps) in the Alaotra Lake; the Tanala or Antanala (People-of-the-forest) from Ifanadiana to Iakora; the Tsimihety (Those-who-do-not-cut-their-hair) in Sofia and the Vezo (The-fishermen-people) in Toliara.

There are ethnic subgroups such as: the Tanalana among the Mahafaly; the Sara among the Vezo; the Mikea/Makoa among Masikoro; the Zafimaniry among the Tanala; the Betanimena among the Betsimisaraka; the Zafisoro among Antesaka.

The population numbered approximately 2,242,000 at the beginning of the XX^th century and its average annual growth rate was quite low until 1950 (1%). The population sharp increase is thus a relatively recent phenomenon. It reached 2,2% in 1966, 2,7% in 1975 and is estimated at 2,8% in 1993.

The Malagasy population, which was of 6,462,000 inhabitants in 1966 and 7,603 790 in 1975, increased to 12,238,914 according to the 1993 Census Report (RGPH).  It is  estimated at 18,866,000 in 2008 according to the Census Bureau's projection (INSTAT).

Antananarivo provides a base for 30% of Madagascar's population; even more so, it remains the most densely populated Province. Fianarantsoa makes up the second reservoir of population (22%).  Toliara and Toamasina have the same rate: 15% each. Lastly, Mahajanga and Antsiranana are the residence places of 15% and 7 % of the Malagasy.

56.6% of the population are aged below 20.  The percentage of the population aged 65 and above is quite low: 2.7%, which reflects a low life expectancy at birth (57.2 years):  56.3 years for men  and 58.1 for women.  According to estimates, there is also a marked parity between men and women: 99.8 men for 100 women.

There is a very negligible inflow of foreign population in Madagascar. However, European , American, Asian, African and Arab communities exist in the country.

10. Social and economic indicators

a. Malagasy household

The Malagasy household is made up of 4.9 subjects and monogamous customary weddings are the most common in the country: 41.1% of the cases.

b. Health

According to the INSTAT, a Malagasy woman would give birth to 5.2 children if she were to live at the end of her childbearing years. Between the 1991-2003/04 period, for 100,000 live births, 469 women died from maternity-related reasons. Theses women die during pregnancy, labour or the postpartum period.

The infant mortality rate is estimated at 58 per 1.000 live births in 2003-2004. It has sharply decreased since 1997. Madagascar is then ranking among the Sub-Saharan countries with low infant mortality rate.

Malaria holds the highest incidence rate (42.2%) as a source of morbidity in the island; it is followed by diarrhoeic diseases which account for 11.9% of the recorded cases. (Source: INSTAT 2004).

AIDS has become a national concern even though numbers of the people living with this disease are still negligible: 59 Aids sufferers and 226 HIV positives for 218,310 tested subjects in June 2003. To this end, public awareness campains have been carried out everywhere in the country. In 2003, the Ministry of Health and Family Planning shows a 1.1% the HIV prevalence rate and the Government plans to reduce it in the years to come. On February, 27^th 2006, the President himself and his Wife took part in a blood test to set a good example.

c. Education

35.2% of the population aged 6 and above were considered illiterate in 2004 hence a sharp decrease since 2002. in this respect, the gross primary school enrollment trade stabilized approximately to 122% between 2002 and 2004 whereas the net primary school enrollment trade increased and reached 85.6% in 2004 (Source: INSTAT 2004).

d. Unemployment

In Madagascar, the unemployment rate is 2.8% in 2005. It is particularly high in Antananarivo; thus, unemployment is mainly an urban phenomenon and is found in the capital.

e. The National headcount index

In 2004, 72,1% of the population live below the poverty line deemed appropriate for the country. Poverty is mainly a rural phenomenon since in any provinces, the highest rate is always found in rural areas. Antsiranana and Antananarivo record the lowest rates due to the high concentration of economic activities in these provinces: vanilla growing for Antsiranana and free-zone enterprises for Antananarivo.

f. Economy

Madagascar is a farming country; 3 households out of 4 practice an agricultural activity. Different subsistence crops are produced in each area, depending on the climate: rice, cassava and maize,... In addition, the island is also known for the production of many export crops such as vanilla, coffee and clove. Shrimping and tourism are also an important source of foreign currencies for the country.

However, the farming activity on which the Malagasy depend mainly is quite rudimentary and the cultivated surface area as well as the farm yield is still low. Its rate in the Gross Domestic Product is still negligible: approximately 26% in 2005.

Industries are still underdeveloped in the country except the free-zone enterprises. In 2001, 308 free-zone enterprises were recorded, employing 110 000 people, that is 1/4 of the manufacturing sector labour.

2002 was a bad year for Madagascar's economy because the post-electoral crisis paralysed all economic activities: closing down of many firms, job losses, energy supply problems, decrease of international tourist number (61,674 in 2002, 170,208 in 2001) ... The economic growth rate has reached its lowest level (-12.7%) since the independence.

After the 2002 crisis, the resumption of the economy including the free-zone manufacturing production started from the end of the same year and continued in 2003. In 2003, the free-zone enterprises manufacturing production recorded a 77% sharp increase. The same is true of the other sectors such as tourism, international tourism number also increased to 139,230 in 2003. The GNP reached 9.8% in 2003, 5.3% in 2004 and 5.1 in 2005.

In Octobre 2004, Madagascar met all the conditions required to reach the "completion point" and a significant  part of its debts were written off.

In spite of the resumption, the Malagasy economy suffered from the explosion in prices of oil barrel which was worsened by a strong depreciation of the Ariary hence a galloping inflation since 2004: 13,8 % in 2004 and 18,4 % in 2005.

In addition to the economic recovery plan in the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), Madagascar has many assets which should promote the fast economic development of the country inter alia:

– a very vast territory,

– a favorable climat,

– a mainly endemic fauna/flora,

– an enormous potential in farming and fishing,

– abounding mining resources in its subsoil,

- a young population,

- strong and preserved cultural values.

11. History

I. IMPORTANT DATES OF MADAGASCAR'S HISTORY

Up to the xix^th century, the Malagasy chronology is very vague.

a. Old history

During four ou five centuries before and after J.-C., settlement of the island.

b. The Middle Ages

Approximately from the ix^th to the xiv^th century, Arab penetration. The Malagasy population was divided into several clans and tribes.

c. Modern era

d. Contemporary era