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Madagascar Country Guide
Explore Madagascar in Africa
Madagascar with the capital city Antananarivo is located in Africa (Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean). It covers some 587,040 square kilometres (slightly less than twice the size of Arizona) with 20,042,000 citizens.
The topography includes narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center. The average density of population is approximately 34 per km². The notable climate conditions in Madagascar can be described as tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south. Possible natural disasters include periodic cyclones or drought or and locust infestation.
To reach someone in Madagascar dial +261 prior to a number. There are 181,200 installed telephones. And there are 5,997,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 900 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".mg". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 220V - 50Hz.
About the flag and history of Madagascar
Two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a vertical white band of the same width on hoist side; by tradition, red stands for sovereignty, green for hope, white for purity.
Formerly an independent kingdom, Madagascar became a French colony in 1896 but regained independence in 1960. During 1992-93, free presidential and National Assembly elections were held ending 17 years of single-party rule. In 1997, in the second presidential race, Didier RATSIRAKA, the leader during the 1970s and 1980s, was returned to the presidency. The 2001 presidential election was contested between the followers of Didier RATSIRAKA and Marc RAVALOMANANA, nearly causing secession of half of the country. In April 2002, the High Constitutional Court announced RAVALOMANANA the winner. RAVALOMANANA achieved a second term following a landslide victory in the generally free and fair presidential elections of 2006. In early 2009, protests over increasing restrictions on opposition press and activities resulted in RAVALOMANANA handing over power to the military, which then conferred the presidency on the mayor of Antananarivo, Andry RAJOELINA, in what amounted to a coup d''etat. Numerous attempts have been made by regional and international organizations to resolve the subsequent political gridlock by forming a power-sharing government. Madagascar's independent electoral commission and the UN originally planned to hold a presidential election in early May 2013, but postponed the election until late July 2013, due to logistical delays.
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: Africa Neighbours: Capital: Antananarivo |
| Size | 587,040 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 226,657 square miles (mi² or sqmi) slightly less than twice the size of Arizona |
| Population | 20,042,000 |
| Currency | Name Ariary, Currency Code:MGA |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .mg |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +261 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 5,997,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 181,200 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 587,041 (sq km) | 47 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 22,599,098 | 52 |
| Population growth rate | 2.65 (%) | 22 |
| Birth rate | 33.58 (births/1,000 population) | 31 |
| Death rate | 7.10 (deaths/1,000 population) | 128 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 240.00 (deaths/100,000 live births) | 48 |
| Infant mortality rate | 46.13 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 47 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 64.85 (years) | 174 |
| Total fertility rate | 4.36 (children born/woman) | 33 |
| Health expenditures | 3.80 (% of GDP) | 171 |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 0.20 (%) | 103 |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 24,000 | 73 |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 1,700 | 55 |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 1.60 (%) | 187 |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 36.80 (%) | 6 |
| Education expenditures | 2.80 (% of GDP) | 150 |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | 2.30 (%) | 141 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 21,760,000,000 | 128 |
| GDP - real growth rate | 1.90 (%) | 140 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 1,000 | 218 |
| Labor force | 9,504,000 | 51 |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 47.50 | 28 |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 18.70 (% of GDP) | 113 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 17.20 (% of GDP) | 183 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | -1.70 (% of GDP) | 79 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 9.20 (%) | 195 |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate | 52.50 (%) | 1 |
| Stock of narrow money | 1,823,000,000 | 130 |
| Stock of broad money | 2,926,000,000 | 146 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 1,349,000,000 | 150 |
| Industrial production growth rate | 2.00 (%) | 114 |
| Current account balance | -2,322,000,000 | 142 |
| Exports | 1,533,000,000 | 149 |
| Imports | 3,876,000,000 | 139 |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 1,294,000,000 | 129 |
| Debt - external | 2,631,000,000 | 138 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 1,350,000,000 (kWh) | 143 |
| Electricity - consumption | 1,256,000,000 (kWh) | 148 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 406,000 (kW) | 143 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 69.50 (% of total installed capacity) | 108 |
| Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 30.50 (% of total installed capacity) | 77 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 17,480 (bbl/day) | 138 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 14,250 (bbl/day) | 122 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 3,384,000 (Mt) | 135 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 138,100 | 139 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 8,665,000 | 84 |
| Internet hosts | 38,392 | 102 |
| Internet users | 319,900 | 127 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 82 | 68 |
| Railways | 854 (km) | 97 |
| Roadways | 65,663 (km) | 68 |
| Waterways | 600 (km) | 79 |
| Merchant marine | 1 | 152 |
Military
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 5.10 (% of GDP) | 15 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases
List of current world heritage sites
| Name | Since |
|---|---|
| Rainforests of the Atsinanana The Rainforests of the Atsinanana comprise six national parks distributed along the eastern part of the island. These relict forests are critically important for maintaining ongoing ecological processes necessary for the survival of Madagascar’s uniq ... | 2007 |
| Royal Hill of Ambohimanga The Royal Hill of Ambohimanga consists of a royal city and burial site, and an ensemble of sacred places. It is associated with strong feelings of national identity, and has maintained its spiritual and sacred character both in ritual practice and th ... | 2001 |
| Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve comprises karstic landscapes and limestone uplands cut into impressive 'tsingy' peaks and a 'forest' of limestone needles, the spectacular canyon of the Manambolo river, rolling hills and high peaks. The undis ... | 1990 |