Madagascar

Madagascar is situated in between 20° 00' South latitude and 47° 00' East longitude in the Indian Ocean. The island isseparated from the southeastern coast of Africa by the Mozambique Channel, of about 400 km in its narrowest point. With an area of 587,000 km², it is the fourth largest Island in the world after Greenland, New Guinea and Borneo. Madagascar was originally part of the Gondwana; it was isolated from the African continent about 140 million years ago. This has contributed to make this island so unique today, essentially because its exceptional biodiversity has evolved over time in an independent micro-continent.

BIODIVERSITY

Madagascar has long been known as a haven of diverse ecosystems and rich biodiversity, with an exceptional rate of endemism. This has led the country to be ranked among the “Biodiversity Hotspots”, which includes 36 regions covering only 2.3% of the earth’s surface but hosting about 90% of the world's biological diversity, yet highly threatened. Below are a few windows into the island’s unique plants and animals.

• Lemurs: Madagascar is home to 25% of the world’s primates, all of which are lemurs and endemic to the island and inhabit diverse ecosystems. Unfortunately, more than 90% of the 103 known extant lemur species are threatened with extinction, making them among the most endangered mammal groups on the planet.
• Chameleons: Madagascar is widely renowned for its diversity of chameleons, which includes the largest (Furcifer oustaleti,Calumma parsonii) and smallest (Brookesia minima) species in the world.
• 13 species of carnivorans are present on Madagascar of which 3 are introduced by humans and the others are members of the endemic Eupleridae family.
• 99% of the 300 species of amphibians are endemic and an estimated 200 species remain to be described.
• Small mammals represent an important component of Malagasy biodiversity with 59 native endemic species, in addition to three introduced species.
• The diversity of Malagasy birds is relatively low compared to other tropical countries, but there is a remarkable level of endemism including 5 families and 2 endemic subfamilies represented by a little more than 280 species.
• Madagascar hosts 46 bat species, of which 82% are endemic. This is the highest level of endemism recorded for bats on any tropical island.
• 6 of the 8 species of baobabs in the world are native to Madagascar.
• The rate of discovery of new taxa is with few parallels in the world, with more than 1000 new species, including the world's smallest primate and a color-changing gecko, have been found in Madagascar in just over a decade.

LANDSCAPE

Madagascar has about ​9 million ha of forest. The remaining primary vegetation is comprised of evergreen formations in the east and the Central Highlands, dry deciduous formations in the west, a very particular spiny bush in the south, mangroves, and important areas of freshwater marshlands.

The north-south aligned mountain chain occurs across the length of the island, which has a varied landscape.

• To the north lies Montagne d'Ambre with montane humid forests filled with ferns, palms, and different large trees.

• A little further south is Ankarana, a massif limestone massif with caves, underground rivers, and a very particular form of limestone pinnacles, known in Malagasy as tsingy. This same formation can be found at other sites, such as Bemaraha.

• The entire east coast is tropical and humid and is where you will find lush rainforests, which are home to a huge variety of wildlife.

• The southwestern and southern portions of Madagascar are sub-arid zones with a very special vegetation adapted to the dry climate, including bizarre Pachypodium and baobabs. Between the savannah landscape in the northwest and the desert in the southwest is another area with a steppe landscape.

• Along the northwest coast there are many deep bays and numerous islands.

PROTECTED AREAS

In order to protect this natural capital, the Malagasy Government has established a network of protected areas that currently include 125 sites - with definitive protection status - spread across the island and covering more than 7 million ha, representing nearly 12% of the national territory. Several of these sites have the status of international importance, such as:

• 20 sites are designated Wetlands of International Importance as defined by the Ramsar Convention, with a total area of 2 million ha;

• 02 natural sites are on the “World Heritage List”;

• 03 sites are nominated as “UNESCO Biosphere Reserve ”.

POPULATION

The singularity of the island also refers to the human history which differs in various aspects from Africa.

The current “Malagasy” population is estimated at 26 million. The country is made up of 18 different ethnic groups of different historical and geographical origins. Some historians suggest that Malagasy people have their origin from Malay and east African seafarers that arrived in the island around the first century. The earliest evidence of humans on the island dates to about 10,000 years ago. Recent research indicates that Madagascar was the refuge of European pirates and Portuguese seafarers discovered the island in 1500. The Merina and Betsileo, who reflect most the Malay features, live in the Central Highlands. East African, Arab, European and Indian traits are predominant in the coastal people that constitute the remaining ethnic groups.

80% of the populations are living in the country side, 53% are women and 49% are children under 15. The fact is that 77% of Malagasy people are living below the international poverty line, and the country is ranked 161 out of 189 countries in theUnited Nations Human Development Report of 2018.

CULTURE

There are a number of core cultural features that are common throughout the island, creating a strongly unified Malagasy cultural identity. In addition to a common language and shared traditional religious beliefs around a creator god and veneration of the ancestors, the traditional Malagasy worldview is shaped by values that emphasize fihavanana (solidarity), vintana (destiny), tody (karma), and hasina, a sacred life force that traditional communities believe imbues and thereby legitimates authority figures within the community or family. Other cultural elements commonly found throughout the island include the practice of male circumcision; strong kinship ties; and a widespread belief in the power of magic, diviners, astrology and witch doctors.

Languages:

The official languages are Malagasy and French.

Malagasy is the native language of the country, with various dialects spoken in different portions of the island. The official language is based on the Merina dialect, which is spoken in the capital of Antananarivo and the surrounding Central Highlands.

French is also widely used as a second language in education, workplace and public administration as Madagascar is a former French colony.

CLIMATE

The climate is tropical along the coast, temperate inland, and arid in the south. Madagascar has two seasons: a hot, rainy season from November to April, and a cooler, dry season from May to October. The east coast has a sub-equatorial climate and, being most directly exposed to the trade winds, has the heaviest rainfall, averaging as much as 3500 mm annually. During the ATBC in Antananarivo, day temperatures will range from highs of about 20-22°C and lows to about 10°C, with some chance of rain, particularly in the morning.