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Deutsch Official name : Republic of Madagascar (Repoblikan'i Madagasikara)
Independence : June 26, 1960
Motto : Fitiavana, Tanindrazana, Fandrosoana ("Love, Country,Progress")
National anthem Ry Tanindrazanay Malala (Ô our dear ancestral land)
Political system : Parliamentary democracy
Institutional structure President of the Republic, Prime Minister's Office, Senate, National Assembly, High Constitutional Court
Capital : Antananarivo
Total surface area : 591,896 km²
Population : malgache, estimée à 28 177 762 habitants selon le site officiel du PNUD
Density : 36 Hab / Km²
Official language : French and Malagasy
Currency : Ariary (MGA)
4ème plus grande île au monde, Madagascar offre des contrastes entre les Hautes Terres centrales et les régions côtières périphériques. Tous savoir sur Madagascar?
Dominant la bordure orientale par un escarpement abrupt et s’abaissant lentement vers l’Ouest, les Hautes Terres, constituées d’un enchevêtrement de plateaux, de collines, de massifs compacts mais aussi de hautes plaines et de vastes bassins, forment un ensemble morcelé de reliefs volcaniques très divers : du Nord au Sud, on rencontre les massifs du Tsaratanàna (2 876m), de l’Ankaratra (2 643m) et de l’Andringitra (2 658m).
The ancient basement, which outcrops over two-thirds of the island, in places shows ancient folded reliefs that have been metamorphosed with granites and pegmatites. Elsewhere, it is covered by fossil-rich sediments and volcanic outpourings with an east-west asymmetry that determines the orientation of the major drainage basins.
The Highlands are separated from the Indian Ocean by a narrow, straight coastal plain, bordered by lagoons, marshes and low hills that rise to the foot of the escarpment.
On the other hand, on the western slopes towards the Mozambique Channel, the two major sedimentary basins of Boina in the north and Menabe in the south, around Mahajanga and Morondava, are vast flat expanses dominated by limestone plateaux rising to over 900m.
As for the north of the country, with its basins and plains set in volcanic, karstic or crystalline formations, and leading to alluvial deltas, its complexity contrasts with the relative uniformity of the southern tip of the island. Backed to the east by the ‘Manambian rim’, the latter is essentially made up of a peneplain whose altitude varies between 150 and 500 m.
The main rivers are, from north to south, the Sambirano, Sofia, Betsiboka, Mangoky, Fiherenana, Onilahy and Linta, tributaries of the Mozambique Channel, and the Mangoro and Mananara, which flow into the Indian Ocean. All you need to know about Madagascar is what we aim to do.
All you need to know about Madagascar. The Madagascans have a complex origins: before the African, Arab and European contributions, twenty-five centuries ago Madagascar received its first inhabitants, Austronesians. Subsequently, Indonesian (Malacca) and Bantu immigrants from sub-equatorial Africa integrated with the Proto Malagasy. The spread of a small population over this vast area led to the formation of demographic isolates that were wrongly equated with ‘tribes’.
Initially, it was believed that the Vazimba were the first inhabitants of the island and that they originated from Africa. They would have come via the west coast, carrying a composite Indonesian and African culture. However, in his ‘Relation de Java’ (1645), the Dutch navigator Van der Steel (quoted by the Malagasy historian Edouard Ralaimihoatra) speaks of a Javanese race called Vazimba that dispersed across the Indian Ocean. There are also reports of a Bazimba tribe on the shores of Lake Kivu in Africa. All you need to know about Madagascar?
Moreover, according to the Arab historian and geographer Idrissa, until XIITh century, there was no primitive African immigration, as the Africans had not yet mastered the art of navigation; only the Arabs with their dhows and the Indonesians with their outrigger canoes were able to link Africa and the Big Island.
The current population, which is growing rapidly, is estimated at 25 million. However, the population remains very unevenly distributed, with the Highlands and the east coast having the highest densities, while the west, where densities of less than 5 inhabitants per square kilometre are common, remains empty outside the development zones (large conurbations or rice-growing areas).
All you need to know about Madagascar. In the XVII th centuryTh , there were already a number of independent kingdoms. In the south-east, there are the Antambahoaka, Antemoro, Antanosy and Antesaka, ethnic groups with Arab-Islamic origins.
Pastoral peoples such as the Bara, Mahafaly, Antandroy and Masikoro share the vast territories in the south of the island.
To the west lie the immense Sakalava kingdoms of the Menabe (2Th second half of the XVIth centuryTh ) and the more recent Boina (XVIIITh century).
Sur la côte orientale, les Betsimisaraka assoient leur autorité (fin du 17ème siècle), alors que sur les Hautes Terres, les royaumes Betsileo mais surtout Merina étendent leur domination (fin 16ème – début 17ème siècle). La traite des esclaves favorise alors une politique d’expansion territoriale et profite à ceux qui disposent d’armes à feu. Ainsi, l’hégémonie Sakalava s’explique par le contrôle des principaux postes de traite de la côte Ouest avec l’appui des commerçants Antaloatra. Le royaume Sakalava s’affaiblira à la fin du 19ème siècle en raison de querelles de successions et d’un handicap lié à l’immensité des territoires occupés par une population dispersée et nomade.Tous ces informations nous permettent de savoir davantage en amont sur Madagascar.
The XIXTh century saw the emergence of the Merina expansion,"Ny ranomasina no valam-parihiko".It was his son Radama Ist (1810-1828), who continued the work by undertaking to conquer the entire island, aided in his policy by the British. The Anglo-Malagasy treaties of 1817 and 1820 recognised him as King of Madagascar and provided for military, cultural and religious cooperation. In return, slavery was to be abolished. Radama's troops controlled the eastern coast of the island and the entire Highlands fairly easily, but failed in the vast Sakalava country. The reign of the ‘progressive’ Radama was short-lived, followed by that of Queen Ranavalona ISt . (1828-1861) was marked by a very traditionalist, anti-European and anti-Christian policy. Later, Prime Minister Rainilaiarivony, who successively married the last three queens, remained in power for over thirty years (1864-1895).
The Franco-Malagasy war of 1895 put an end to the monarchy, and Madagascar was placed under a French protectorate, declared a colony in August 1896 before regaining its independence in 1960. All reflect knowledge of Madagascar's geopolitical situation.
A predominantly rural and agricultural country (over 75% of the population live in the countryside), despite a recent mass exodus to the cities, Madagascar must face up to the major demographic challenges (birth rate estimated at over 44‰), first and foremost by ensuring its food self-sufficiency.
Since independence, despite enormous economic potential, the country has struggled to get off the ground and is one of the poorest countries in the world.
All you need to know about Madagascar. For example, it has an extremely rich subsoil (oil, all precious stones except diamonds), is the 1st world's largest producer of vanilla (more than 8,000 tonnes produced, of which between 1,000 and 1,200 tonnes are exported annually), and also has immense fishing resources...
Currently, the main asset of the Big Island remains tourism.
Madagascar is one of the world's most beautiful tourist destinations, with a prodigiously diverse range of landscapes. Everyone knows what makes Madagascar so special.
Coral reefs, sandy beaches, traveller's trees, baobab groves, primary forests, savannahs... The west coast is protected by a coral reef; the east coast is a chain of cliffs crowned with primary forests that are home to rare species of flora and fauna; inland, in the north, in the mid-west, there are fertile basins that are ideal for all kinds of crops; in the south, there is a spiny bush with strange vegetation and a magnificent coastline bordered by fine white sand; in the centre, legendary mountains that are ideal for exploring... The Big Island remains one of the richest places on the planet in terms of biodiversity, with an endemism rate of over 80% for both flora and fauna. Let's all set off on an adventure to find out more about Madagascar.
