- Madagascar was renamed as Democratic Republic of Madagascar in 1975 and finally given the name ‘Republic of Madagascar’ in 1993.
- The official languages of the country are Malagasy, French and English.
- The capital of Madagascar is Antananarivo, while its currency is Malagasy Ariary.
- Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world. Its coastline is as long as 4828 km.
- Mountains are situated in the center of the island, the highest being Maromokotro, which is as high as 2876m.
- Madagascar has a narrow coastal plain. It is the world's largest producer and exporter of vanilla.
- The majority of the people in the country have indigenous beliefs with regard to religion. This follows a relationship between the living and the dead.
- Madagascar boasts of unique flora and fauna, majority of which is not found anywhere else in the world.
- The country is also referred to as the Red Island, due to the red color of its soil.
- As much as 5% land of the country is under cultivation. Crops including coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, cloves, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), beans, bananas and peanuts are grown here.
- Nearly half of the land of Madagascar is covered with forest.
- Due to soil erosion and deforestation, many of the plants and animals found in the island have been categorized as endangered species.
- There are a lot of variations in the climatic conditions of the entire island. While the east coast receives monsoon, the climate is wetter in the northern part of the country and the southern tip is covered with cactus-like plants, which give a semi-deserted look to the portion.
Friday, August 20, 2010
As of now, we are pursuing Madagascar as a possible assignment! There are a few more tests and interviews to undergo before anything is finalized, but for now, the research into this peculiar country has begun.
Did you know