Off Africa’s southeast coast in the Indian Ocean, Madagascar is the world’s fourth largest island after Greenland, New Guinea, and Borneo. A stunning diversity of plant and animal species found nowhere else evolved after the island broke away from the African continent 165 million years ago. It has a mountainous central plateau and coastal plains. The first settlers were of African and Asian origin, and 18 separate ethnic groups emerged, derived from an African and Malayo-Indonesian mixture. Asian features are most predominant in the central highlands people, and coastal people tend to show features of African origin. Most of the population depend on subsistence farming, based on rice and cattle, with coffee, vanilla, and seafood being important exports.
French colonial rule began in 1896; independence came in 1960. In 1990, after almost 20 years of Marxism, Madagascar lifted a ban on opposition parties, and a new president was elected in 1993. Elections in 2001 resulted in a period of civil unrest, lasting for several months, until Marc Ravalomanana was declared winner of the presidential election. Environmental degradation is a major concern as damaging agricultural practices cause deforestation, soil erosion, and desertification. The island is heavily exposed to tropical cyclones, which brought destructive floods in 2004.
Fast Facts
- Population:
- 17,308,000
- Capital:
- Antananarivo; 1,678,000
- Area:
- 587,041 square kilometers (226,658 square miles)
- Language:
- French, Malagasy
- Religion:
- Indigenous beliefs, Christian, Muslim
- Currency:
- Malagasy franc
- Life Expectancy:
- 55
- GDP per Capita:
- U.S. $800
- Literacy Percent:
- 69
ECONOMY
- Industry: Meat processing, soap, breweries, tanneries
- Agriculture: Coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, cloves; livestock products
- Exports: Coffee, vanilla, shellfish, sugar, cotton cloth, chromite, petroleum products
Source: The National Geographic
CIA- The World Factbook
Sandra Appiah Sandra Appiah is the Chief Operating Officer at Face2Face Africa. She graduated with honors (Summa Cum laude) from the Newhouse School of public communications (Syracuse University, NY) and spent a lot of time in the media industry working with companies such as the New York Times, HBO, and MTV. An avid believer in Africa with an interest in showcasing the glory of the continent, Ms. Appiah is also host of “The Sandra Appiah Show”, an inspirational talk show that chronicles the journeys of Africa’s movers & shakers. Sandra has been listed in Forbes 30 Under 30: Africa’s Best Young Entrepreneurs in 2013. With an incandescent passion matched only by her abundant ambition and prodigious talent, Ms. Appiah has been at the forefront of the mission for this generation of Africans to seize control of tools by which Africa's narrative is curated, crafted, and presented to the wider world.