Madagascar

● ● ● ● ●  Table of Contents  ● ● ● ● ●
Intro and General Facts  ●  People and Places  ●  Land Features  ●  Volcanoes

Famous for its biodiversity, vanilla orchids, paradise-like coastlines, and lemurs, the Republic of MADAGASCAR is a southeast African island country that achieved independence from France in June 26th, 1960. The island country is officially known as Repoblikan’i Madagasikara in the Malagasy language and République de Madagascar in the French language; Malagasy Republic is an acceptable name as well. The Indian Ocean is east of Madagascar, and the north-south Mozambique Channel separates Madagascar's west coast from mainland Africa. While Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, more than a dozen smaller islands are also included within the country's territory.

Neighboring countries include Comoros and Tanzania to the northwest, Mauritius to the east, Mozambique to the west, and Seychelles to the northeast. Madagascar's world-renown vanilla provides an orchid-based alternative to the synthetic vanilla compounds found in most processed food today. The extraction of this vanilla currently requires a labor-intensive pollination process by hand. Some other exports for trade (↗) are cinnamon, clothing, coffee, gemstones, and seafood. The Malagasy Ariary is Madagascar's currency, and its ISO 4217 currency code is MGA. Among the world's few remaining non-decimal currencies is the Ariary, as 5 iraimbilanja (francs) equal 1 ariary. The former Malagasy Franc — subdivided into 100 centimes — was used for transactions alongside the Ariary until 2005.

● ● ● ● ●  People and Places  ● ● ● ● ●  The Hammond World Atlas (6th Edition) reports the total population in Madagascar as 20,653,556 in 2011. In close comparison, nearby Mozambique had 21,669,278 residents in 2011. The capital and largest city of Madagascar is Antananarivo. Its metropolitan area is home to over 2.6 million residents (2015 estimate). Other Malagasy cities include Ambatondrazaka, Amboasary, Antsirabe, Betioky, Farafangana, Ifanadiana, Iharan̈a (Vohemar), Mahajanga, Maintirano, Tsiroanomandidy, and Vohipeno. Popular places all across the country to visit include the Ambaro Ranch, Analakely Market in Antananarivo, Antsirabe Cathedral, Avenue of the Baobabs, Fort Manda, Lemurs' Park, Le Palais de la Reine (Queen's Palace) and the Rova royal-palace complex, Les Trois Baies (The Three Bays) beach, Lokaro Beach, Lokobe Nature Special Reserve, pirate cemetery on the island of Boraha, Pirate Museum in Antananarivo, Tsimbazaza Zoo, and Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve.

Malagasy and French are the two official languages, and approximately 90% of the population shares a Malagasy ethnic heritage according to Encyclopedia Britannica (↗). The Ethnologue (↗) linguistic information website notes that Malagasy Sign Language is utilized by anywhere from 110,000 to 170,000 people in the year 2014. Fourteen main languages are used for communication, eleven of which are grouped within the Malagasy macrolanguages. Most of the languages' names correspond to their respective ethnic populations. The microlanguages are Antankarana, Bara, Masikoro, Northern Betsimisaraka, Plateau, Sakalava, Southern Betsimisaraka, Tandroy-Mahafaly (Antandroy), Tanosy, Tesaka, and Tsimihety. One population not aforementioned in this paragraph is the Merina people; they are scattered around the country and are "the largest and most dominant of the groups," according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

The Merina, Betsileo, Bezanozano, Sihanaka, Tanala, and Zafimaniry populations communicate with dialects grouped under the Malagasy Plateau language umbrella. Some ethnic populations have nicknames assigned to them, although Encyclopedia Britannica notes that some of these nicknames are not true to their respective indigenous cultures — but rather hasty carryovers from the time when France colonially ruled Madagascar. Nevertheless, some of these nicknames — listed in the table below — give subtle insight into the daily lives and habitats of these people. About 50% of Malagasy citizens are Christians, followed by believers in folk religions and traditions (45%), Muslims (2%), Bahá'í believers (0.1%), and Hindus (0.06%).

ETHNIC GROUP

NICKNAME

Antaifasy	"people of the sand"
Antaimoro	"people of the banks"
Antakarana	"people of the rocks"
Antandroy	"people of the thorn bush"
Antanosy	"people of the island"
Betanimena	"people of the red soil"
Betsileo	"the invincible multitude"
Betsimisaraka	"the inseparable multitude"
Bezanozano	"those of many small plaits" or "those with many-braided hair"
Mahafaly	"those who make taboos"
Merina (Imerina)	"elevated people"
Sakalava	"people of the long valley"
Sihanaka	"people of the lake"
Tanala	"people of the forest"
Tsimihety	"those who do not cut their hair"

● ● ● ● ●  Land Features  ● ● ● ● ●  A mountain called Maromokotro is the highest point in Madagascar. Specifically, Maromokotro stands 2,876 meters and 9,436 feet high in elevation. This and other mountain peaks combine to form the Tsaratanana Massif. Several other notable mountain peaks throughout the country include Boby (2,658 meters), Tampon Ambohitra (1,475 meters), and Tsiafajavona (2,643 meters). The north-to-south Angavo Escarpment forms a ridge parallel to the eastern coastline, demarcating a transition between coastal lowlands and interior uplands. Smaller land features from the north to south in the western half of Madagascar include the Ikahavo Plateau, Cliff of Bongolava uplands, Bemaraha Plateau, Makay Massif, Isalo Massif, and Mahafaly Plateau. Onward to the eastern half of Madagascar, predominant land features from north to south include the Tsaratanana Massif, Analamaitso Plateau, Ankaratra Massif, Andringitra Mountains, Manamby Mountains, Beampingaratra Ridge, and Androy Plateau.

Transitioning from inland features to the peripheries of Madagascar, the mountainous and hilly terrain in interior areas make way for coastal landmasses of various shapes and sizes along the coast. Jutting southward from the towns of Antalaha and Maroantsetra toward Antongila Bay is the Masoala Peninsula (↗) (Saikanosin' Masoala), a northeastern Madagascar wedge of land visible on the GeoFact of the Day Blog map above. The smaller-scale land feature located at the tip of Masoala Peninsula is Tanjona Masoala. Tanjona translates from Malagasy into English as cape, while Saikanosin' translates to peninsula. Saikanosin' Ambato, Saikanosin' Ampasindava, Tanjona Ankatafa, Tanjona Bobaomby, Tanjona Makamby, Saikanosin' Orontany (Androntany), Tanjona Vilanandro, and Tanjona Vohilava are other prominent capes and peninsulas along Madagascar's craggy northern and northwestern coast. Also known as Cape Ambre in English or Cap d'Ambre in French, Tanjona Bobaomby is shaped like a northward arrow and is therefore fittingly the northernmost point of mainland Madagascar.

Identified as the country's largest bay, Antongila Bay is approximately 3,154 square kilometers and 1,218 square miles wide in area. A smaller but still-substantial bay at 175 square kilometers and 68 square miles in geographic area is Antsiran̈ana Bay, aptly located near the city of Antsiran̈ana close to the country's northernmost tip (Tanjona Bobaomby). The Ampangalana (Pangalanes) Canal provides a 645-kilometer (401-mile) long transportation route through natural rivers, altered waterways, and artificial lakes in close proximity to the eastern coastline. Ampangalana Canal is east of the aforementioned Angavo Escarpment and Cliff of Angavo. The following communities benefitting from this canal are listed in order from north to south: Mahavelona (near the canal's starting point), Nosibe, Toamasina, Andovoranto, Vatomandry (nickname: "sleeping rocks"), Mahanoro, Masomeloka, Nosy-Varika ("lemur island"), Mananjary, Manakara, Vohipeno, and Farafangana (near the canal's terminus). Six of these towns and cities are featured on the map above, giving you an idea of how close this canal really is to Madagascar's east coast and Indian Ocean.

● ● ● ● ●  Volcanoes  ● ● ● ● ●  Madagascar boasts more than mountains, cliffs, massifs, and plateaus; the country can say it possesses volcanoes as well. Madagascar's volcanoes are dormant rather than active, and information about past eruptions is non-existent or inconclusive for most of those. Further described below, these are the volcanic fields containing at least several volcanic features: Ambre-Bobaomby (near the country's northern tip), Ankaizina (north), Itasy (central), and Vakinankaratra (Ankaratra) (east-central).

Sitting on the Ambre Massif, Ambre-Bobaomby has crater lakes and relatively new volcanic cones. According to the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program (↗), 51,246 people live within 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) of the Ambre-Bobaomby volcanic field. Ankaizina contains cinder cones and lava domes and was "active until the very recent Quaternary" geologic period. 41,916 people live within 30 kilometers of the Ankaizina volcanic field. Occasionally the epicenter for earthquakes, Itasy features craters and scoria cones as well as the following lava domes: Ambohibe, Ampary, Angavo, Ingilofotsy, and Kitia. Named scoria cones include Ambohimalala, Ambohitritainerina, Ambohitrondry, Andranojavatra, Kassijie (Kassigie), Kitombold, Matiankanina, and Tsifajavona. Itasy's two major craters are Andranoratsy and Andranotoraha. Geologists, seismologists, volcanologists, and related scientists purport that there were at least two Holocene eruptions at Itasy based on radiocarbon dating of geologic materials: 6,050 B.C. and also 8,031 B.C. (give or take 139 years).

Nosy Be (Nossi Be), Madagascar's second-largest island after the mainland Madagascar island, is rimmed by a cluster of cinder cones and crater lakes. Nosy Be's volcanic features contain foidite, basalt, picrobasalt, and rhyolite. About 62,000 inhabitants of Nosy Be and surrounding areas live within 30 kilometers of these features. Cinder cones with basanite, craters, fissure vents, and lava domes with trachyte form the landscape of the Vakinankaratra volcanic field. Named volcanic features at Vakinankaratra include Amboniloha (cone), Ampasimihaiky (cone), Andraikiba (crater), Iavoko (cone), Ifasina (cone), Itavo (cone), Ivohitra (cone), Tramponga (cone), Tritriva (cone), and Tritrivakely (crater). The following list details the dominant rock types of each volcanic field: basalt and picrobasalt at Ambre-Bobaomby and Ankaizina; basanite, tephrite, and trachybasalt at Vakinankaratra; foidite at Nosy Be; and trachyte and trachydacite at Itasy.

This post was updated with more information on March 17th, 2019. The map of Madagascar was uploaded to this post on February 27th, 2019.