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 is now in his second term following a landslide victory in
the generally free and fair presidential elections of 2006.
Geography
Madagascar
Location:
Southern Africa, island in the
Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique
Geographic coordinates:
20 00 S, 47 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 587,040 sq km
land: 581,540 sq km water: 5,500 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly less than twice the
size of Arizona
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
4,828 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200
nm continental shelf: 200 nm or 100 nm from the 2,500-m isobath
Climate:
tropical along coast, temperate
inland, arid in south
Terrain:
narrow coastal plain, high
plateau and mountains in center
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian
Ocean 0 m highest point: Maromokotro 2,876 m
total: 14.96 cu km/yr
(3%/2%/96%) per capita: 804 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
periodic cyclones, drought, and
locust infestation
Environment - current issues:
soil erosion results from
deforestation and overgrazing; desertification; surface water contaminated
with raw sewage and other organic wastes; several endangered species of
flora and fauna unique to the island
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not
ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
world's fourth-largest island;
strategic location along Mozambique Channel
total: 17.9 years
male: 17.7 years female: 18.1 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
3.005% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
38.38 births/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Death rate:
8.32 deaths/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
NA
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03
male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64
years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81
male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008
est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 55.59
deaths/1,000 live births male: 60.59 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 50.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 62.52
years male: 60.58 years female: 64.51 years (2008
est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.19 children born/woman (2008
est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.7% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
140,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
7,500 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very
high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal
diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases:
chikungunya, malaria, and plague water contact disease:
schistosomiasis (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Malagasy (singular
and plural) adjective: Malagasy
Ethnic groups:
Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and
related Betsileo), Cotiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab
ancestry - Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava), French, Indian,
Creole, Comoran
Religions:
indigenous beliefs 52%,
Christian 41%, Muslim 7%
Languages:
English (official), French
(official), Malagasy (official)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and
over can read and write total population: 68.9%
male: 75.5% female: 62.5% (2003 est.)
Government
Madagascar
Country name:
conventional long form:
Republic of Madagascar conventional short form: Madagascar
local long form: Republique de Madagascar/Repoblikan'i
Madagasikara local short form: Madagascar/Madagasikara
former: Malagasy Republic
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Antananarivo
geographic coordinates: 18 55 S, 47 31 E time
difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard
Time)
Administrative divisions:
6 provinces (faritany);
Antananarivo, Antsiranana, Fianarantsoa, Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliara
Independence:
26 June 1960 (from France)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 26 June
(1960)
Constitution:
19 August 1992 by national
referendum
Legal system:
based on French civil law
system and traditional Malagasy law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President Marc RAVALOMANANA (since 6 May 2002) head of
government: Prime Minister Charles RABEMANANJARA (25 January 2007)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year
term (eligible for a second term); election last held 3 December 2006
(next to be held in December 2011); prime minister appointed by the
president election results: percent of vote - Marc RAVALOMANANA
54.8%, Jean LAHINIRIKO 11.7%, Roland RATSIRAKA 10.1%, Herizo RAZAFIMAHALEO
9.1%, Norbert RATSIRAHONANA 4.2%, Ny Hasina ANDRIAMANJATO 4.2%, Elia
RAVELOMANANTSOA 2.6%, Pety RAKOTONIAINA 1.7%, other 1.6%
Legislative branch:
bicameral legislature consists
of a National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (127 seats - reduced from
160 seats by an April 2007 national referendum; members are elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms) and a Senate or Senat (100 seats;
two-thirds of the seats filled by regional assemblies; the remaining
one-third of seats appointed by the president; to serve four-year terms)
elections: National Assembly - last held 23 September 2007
(next to be held in 2011) election results: National Assembly -
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - TIM 106, LEADER/Fanilo 1,
independents 20
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme;
High Constitutional Court or Haute Cour Constitutionnelle
Political parties and leaders:
Association for the Rebirth of
Madagascar or AREMA [Pierrot RAJAONARIVELO]; Democratic Party for Union in
Madagascar or PSDUM [Jean LAHINIRIKO]; Economic Liberalism and Democratic
Action for National Recovery or LEADER/Fanilo [Herizo RAZAFIMAHALEO];
Fihaonana Party or FP [Guy-Willy RAZANAMASY]; I Love Madagascar or TIM
[Marc RAVALOMANANA]; Renewal of the Social Democratic Party or RPSD
[Evariste MARSON]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Committee for the Defense of
Truth and Justice or KMMR; Committee for National Reconciliation or CRN
[Albert Zafy]; National Council of Christian Churches or FFKM
chief of mission:
Ambassador Jocelyn Bertin RADIFERA chancery: 2374 Massachusetts
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-5525,
5526 FAX: [1] (202) 265-3034 consulate(s) general:
New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador R. Niels MARQUARDT embassy: 14-16 Rue Rainitovo,
Antsahavola, Antananarivo 101 mailing address: B. P. 620,
Antsahavola, Antananarivo telephone: [261] (20) 22-212-57,
22-212-73, 22-209-56 FAX: [261] (20) 22-345-39
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of
red (top) and green with a vertical white band of the same width on hoist
side
Economy
Madagascar
Economy - overview:
Having discarded past socialist
economic policies, Madagascar has since the mid 1990s followed a World
Bank- and IMF-led policy of privatization and liberalization. This
strategy placed the country on a slow and steady growth path from an
extremely low level. Agriculture, including fishing and forestry, is a
mainstay of the economy, accounting for more than one-fourth of GDP and
employing 80% of the population. Exports of apparel have boomed in recent
years primarily due to duty-free access to the US. Deforestation and
erosion, aggravated by the use of firewood as the primary source of fuel,
are serious concerns. President RAVALOMANANA has worked aggressively to
revive the economy following the 2002 political crisis, which triggered a
12% drop in GDP that year. Poverty reduction and combating corruption will
be the centerpieces of economic policy for the next few years.
France 32.1%, US 25.3%, Germany
6.1%, Italy 5%, UK 4.1% (2006)
Imports:
$2.005 billion f.o.b. (2007
est.)
Imports - commodities:
capital goods, petroleum,
consumer goods, food
Imports - partners:
France 14.5%, China 12%, Iran
9.3%, Mauritius 5.6%, Hong Kong 4.7% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
$929.2 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$745 million (31 December 2007
est.)
Debt - external:
$4.6 billion (2002)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Currency (code):
ariary (MGA)
Currency code:
MGF
Exchange rates:
Malagasy ariary per US dollar -
1,880 (2007), 2,161.4 (2006), 2,003 (2005), 1,868.9 (2004), 1,238.3 (2003)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications
Madagascar
Telephones - main lines in use:
129,800 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.046 million (2006)
Telephone system:
general assessment:
system is above average for the region; Antananarivo's main telephone
exchange modernized, but the rest of the analogue-based telephone system
is poorly developed; planning to add 50,000 new private-subscriber fixed
lines beginning in 2005 domestic: combined fixed-line and
mobile telephone density only about 7 per 100 persons
international: country code - 261; submarine cable to Bahrain;
satellite earth stations - 2 (1 Intelsat - Indian Ocean, 1 Intersputnik -
Atlantic Ocean region)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2 (plus a number of repeater
stations), FM 9, shortwave 6 (2001)
Radios:
3.05 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus 36 repeaters) (2001)
Televisions:
325,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.mg
Internet hosts:
9,734 (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)
Internet users:
110,000 (2006)
Transportation
Madagascar
Airports:
104 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 27 over
3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m:
6 914 to 1,523 m: 17 under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 77 1,524
to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 41 under 914 m: 34
(2007)
Railways:
total: 854 km
narrow gauge: 854 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 49,827 km
paved: 5,780 km unpaved: 44,047 km (1999)
Waterways:
600 km (2006)
Merchant marine:
total: 9 ships (1000 GRT
or over) 13,896 GRT/18,466 DWT by type: cargo 5,
passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 2 (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Antsiranana, Mahajanga,
Toamasina, Toliara
Military
Madagascar
Military branches:
People's Armed Forces:
Intervention Force, Development Force, and Aeronaval Force (navy and air);
National Gendarmerie
Military service age and obligation:
18-50 years of age for
compulsory military service; 18-month conscript service obligation (either
military or equivalent civil service) (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49:
4,443,341 females age 16-49: 4,441,124 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49:
3,034,600 females age 16-49: 3,271,732 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 16-49: 230,088
females age 16-49: 229,932 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1% (2006)
Transnational Issues
Madagascar
Disputes - international:
claims Bassas da India, Europa
Island, Glorioso Islands, and Juan de Nova Island (all administered by
France)
Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of cannabis
(cultivated and wild varieties) used mostly for domestic consumption;
transshipment point for heroin
