What in the World? One Flag, Two Different Sides

I am a landlocked South American country with over 7 million people living within my borders. My national capital, Asunción, sits not very far from the border of northeastern ARGENTINA. Other cities and communities that I have include Bella Vista, Caacupé, Caazapá, Ciudad del Este, Concepción, Encarnación, Filadelfia, Pilar, Rosario, San Pedro, Tacuatí, and Yhú. As the title of this post indicates, my flag has two different sides with a different circular emblem on each side. The seal on the flag’s “front” side includes a golden star and my official name: REPUBLICA DEL ________. The “back” or reverse side of my flag features a lion holding a liberty cap perched atop a pole; above the lion is a red banner inscribed with “PAZ Y JUSTICIA” (PEACE AND JUSTICE). What country am I?
A — ECUADOR
B — MADAGASCAR
C — PARAGUAY
D — SOLOMON ISLANDS























ANSWER
C . . . . . Paraguay

Independence Day Recently Celebrated in Madagascar

People all across MADAGASCAR celebrated their country's Independence Day yesterday on Friday, June 26th. Madagascar achieved independence from France in 1960. Happy belated Independence Day!

New Blog Map of Madagascar

The new Republic of MADAGASCAR map on GeoFact of the Day provides a decent amount of details (especially in regards to cities), following in the footsteps of my ANGOLA map! If you don't mind, let me know what you think about this map with a comment, and feel free to share your suggestions in regards to future maps! Access the Madagascar post (↗) to enjoy the newest addition to GeoFact of the Day's mapmaking efforts!

Malagasy People's Translated Nicknames

Some ethnic populations in MADAGASCAR have their own nicknames, although Encyclopedia Britannica (↗) notes that some of these nicknames are not true to their respective indigenous cultures. If anything, some of these seemingly innocent nicknames are carryovers from the time when France imposed its colonial rule on Madagascar. Nevertheless, we are given subtle insight into the daily lives, cultural traditions, and habitats of the various peoples of Madagascar because of these nicknames. Ethnic groups and their corresponding nicknames are listed in the table below. If there are others that I omitted, i would be greatly appreciative if you let me know with a comment below!

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"

Madagascar is Known for...

●    Biodiversity
●    Bulbous baobab trees
●    Chilled-out chameleons
●    Cuddly lemurs
●    Paradise for pirates
●    Rutted roads
●    Tropical rainforests
●    Vanilla

Most items were listed in The Africa Book; the MLA citation is below. What are other "trademarks" of this African country? Feel free to share your thoughts with a comment!

Phillips et al. The Africa Book: A Journey through Every
          Country in the Continent. Lonely Planet, 2007.

— #AfricaWeek —

Madagascar Exports

According to MIT's Observatory of Economic Complexity (atlas.media.mit.edu), the following items are major exports of MADAGASCAR: animal hides, cinnamon, chocolate (small amounts), chromium, clothing (especially suits, sweaters, and tee shirts), cloves, cobalt, cocoa beans, coffee, construction vehicles, copper, cotton, dried legumes, essential oil, fertilizer, gas turbines, gemstones, nickel, paper containers, pepper, preserved fruit and nuts, refined petroleum, rope and twine, seafood, sugar, titanium, vanilla, vegetable sap, and watch straps. According to the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports (February 2017 statistics) include France (top importer), the United States, Japan, the Netherlands, Germany, India, South Korea, China, South Africa, Singapore, Mauritius, Belgium, Sweden, Spain, Vietnam, Switzerland, Canada, Italy, Kenya, and the United Arab Emirates.

Madagascar Extinct Species

Eleven species that once inhabited MADAGASCAR are considered to be extinct, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ website. The following fossa, hippo, and sloth lemur species are only known from subfossil records; the hippo species is also known thanks to local oral stories and accounts passed down each generation.

— Afrocyclops pauliani copepod crustacean (believed to be extinct since the 1950s)
— Delalande's (Snail-eating) Coua bird (since 1834)
— Giant Fossa mammal
— Large Sloth Lemur
— Madagascan Dwarf Hippopotamus
      2 separate species: Hippopotamus guldbergi and Hippopotamus lemerlei)
— Madagascar Red-necked Grebe (since 1982)
— Pantanodon madagascariensis fish (since the early 2000s)
— Ptychochromis onilahy cichlid fish (since 1962)
— Ptychochromoides itasy cichlid fish (since the 1960s)
— Tropodiaptomus ctenopus copepod crustaceans.

Madagascar Endangered Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for MADAGASCAR in Southeastern Africa lists 11 extinct species, 241 critically endangered species, and 424 endangered species. Since many species in Madagascar are endemic and live only in this biodiverse island country, the high number of endangered species may not seem surprising.

Madagascar's critically endangered species include the Belalanda Chameleon, Broad-nosed Gentle Lemur, Indri Lemur, Madagascar Pochard, Pinstripe Damba fish, Radiated Tortoise, Silky Simpona lemur, Southern Bluefin Tuna, Tahina Palm, and Yellow Mantella frog. Endangered species include the African Spotted Catshark, Ahmanson's Sportive Lemur, Amber Mountain Rock Thrush, Angel's Madagascar Frog, Cryptopus brachiatus orchid, Golden Sandfish, Madagascar Sacred Ibis, Meller's Duck, Olivier's Rail bird, Pygymy Blue Whale, Red Rain Frog, Slender-billed Flufftail (Waters' Crake) bird, Western Falanouc (cute!), and Yellowish Tree Cophyline Frog.

Species Named After Madagascar

If you visited the GeoFact of the Day Blog yesterday (thank you so much for that!), you know about aquatic animals and birds named after the island and country MADAGASCAR. Derived from information on IUCN's Red List Discover website, the comprehensive list below lists butterflies, frogs, geckos and lizards, boas and snakes, turtles, bats and other mammals, and plants named after the splendid island known for its large proportion (around 85-95%) of endemic species.

Butterflies
Madagascan Emperor Swallowtail (image)

Madagascan Friar

Frogs
Ambrana Madagascar Frog
Anamalozoatra Madagascar Frog
Andrangoloaka Madagascar Frog
Andringitra Madagascar Frog
Angel’s Madagascar Frog
Ankafana Madagascar Frog
Betsileo Madagascar Frog
Blommer’s Madagascar Frog
Boulenger’s Madagascar Frog
Central Madagascar Frog
Common Madagascar Frog
Common Madagascar Skink
Decary’s Madagascar Frog
Domergue’s Madagascar Frog
Dotted Madagascar Frog
Duméril’s Madagascar Frog
East Betsileo Madagascar Frog
Eastern Madagascar Frog
Eiselt’s Madagascar Frog
Elegant Madagascar Frog
Folohy Madagascar Frog
Fort Madagascar Frog
Free Madagascar Frog
Grainy Madagascar Frog
Grandidier’s Madagascar Frog
Gray Madagascar Frog
Greater Spiny Madagascar Frog
Guibe's Madagascar Frog
Horned Madagascar Frog
Isaka-Ivondro Madagascar Frog
Ivohimanita Madagascar Frog
Klemmer’s Madagascar Frog
Madagascar Bright-eyed Frog



Madagascar Bullfrog (above)
Madagascar Climbing Frog
Madagascar Digging Frog
Madagascar Giant Treefrog
Madagascar Jumping Frog
Madagascar Rain Frog
Madagascar Reed Frog
Madagascar Stump-toed Frog
Massif Madagascar Frog
Mocquard’s Madagascar Frog
Moramanga Madagascar Frog
Mountain Madagascar Frog
Pulsing Madagascar Frog
Sainte Marie Madagascar Frog
Trueb’s Madagascar Treefrog
Tsarafidy Madagascar Frog
Two-pore Madagascar Frog
Warty Madagascar Frog
Webb’s Madagascar Frog
White Madagascar Frog
White-lined Madagascar Frog
White-spotted Madagascar Frog
Witte’s Madagascar Frog

Geckos, Lizards, Snakes, and Other Reptiles
Cuvier’s Madagascar Swift lizard
Duméril’s Madagascar Swift lizard
Giant Madagascar Day Gecko
Graceful Madagascar Ground Gecko
Grandidier’s Madagascar Ground Gecko
Green Madagascar Girdled Lizard
Madagascan Plated Lizard
Madagascar Angulated Tortoise (Angonoka Tortoise; Ploughshare Tortoise)
Madagascar Boa
Madagascar Clawless Gecko
Madagascar Coastal Skink lizard
Madagascar Dwarf Gecko
Madagascar Girdled Lizard
Madagascar Ground Boa
Madagascar Night Snake
Madagascar Plated Lizard
Madagascar Sideneck Turtle
Madagascar Three-lined Snake
Madagascar Tree Boa
Malagasy Hognose Snake
Malagasy Mabuya lizard
Merrem’s Madagascar Swift lizard
Mocquard’s Madagascar Ground Gecko
Northern Madagascar Ground Gecko
O'Shaughnessy's Madagascar Skink

Mammals
Large Madagascar Hedgehog
Madagascan Fruit Bat
Madagascan Shrew (Madagascan Pygmy Shrew)
Madagascar Flying Fox – large bats
Madagascar Free-tailed Bat
Madagascar Rousette – large bats
Madagascar Slit-faced Bat
Madagascar (Malagasy) White-bellied Free-tailed Bat

Plants
Madagascar Cycad
Madagascar Periwinkle
Nepenthes madagascariensis
Ophrestia madagascariensis
Platostoma madagascariense
Xanthocercis madagascariensis

Birds Named After Madagascar

Compiled thanks to information from the IUCN Red List Discover website, the following list contains about 50 names of birds named after MADAGASCAR. Madagascar Pygmy Kingfishers and Madagascar Red Fodies especially wear brilliant colors.

Madagascar Coucal – a cuckoo bird

Madagascar Blue Pigeon
Madagascar Bulbul
Madagascar Bush Lark
Madagascar Buttonquail
Madagascar Buzzard
Madagascar Cisticola
Madagascar Crested Drongo
Madagascar Cuckoo Hawk
Madagascar Cuckoo Shrike
Madagascar Dabchick (Madagascar Grebe)
Madagascar Fish Eagle
Madagascar Flufftail
Madagascar Grass Owl
Madagascar Green Sunbird
Madagascar Green Pigeon

Madagascar Greenbul
Madagascar Grey-throated Rail
Madagascar Harrier Hawk
Madagascar Hoopoe
Madagascar Ibis
Madagascar Jacana
Madagascar Jery
Madagascar Lesser Cuckoo
Madagascar Long-eared Owl
Madagascar Magpie Robin
Madagascar Mannikin – a finch
Madagascar Marsh Harrier
Madagascar Nightjar – mainly active during twilight and nocturnally
Madagascar Partridge
Madagascar Pochard
Madagascar Pratincole
Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher – males have long beaks (like all other kingfisher species) and are colored crimson with a white belly
Madagascar Red Fody – males have a brilliant red color, with black “masks” around eyes
Madagascar Red-necked Grebe (Alaotra Grebe) – likely extinct
Madagascar Sacred Ibis
Madagascar Sandgrouse
Madagascar Scops Owl
Madagascar Serpent Eagle
Madagascar Snipe wading bird
Madagascar Sparrow Hawk
Madagascar Spinetail
Madagascar Starling
Madagascar Swamp Warbler
Madagascar Three-banded Plover
Madagascar Turtle Dove
Madagascar Wagtail
Madagascar Water Rail

Aquatic Species Named After Madagascar

This post and the next couple ones will clearly show that there are many species of fish, plants, mammals, amphibians (especially frogs), and reptiles named after MADAGASCAR, the world's fourth-largest island and a large component of the namesake country. Compiled thanks to information from the IUCN Red List Discover website, the following aquatic species are named after Madagascar:

Foa madagascariensis cardinalfish
Madagascar Freshwater Crayfish
Madagascar Guitarfish
Madagascar Meagre (endangered)
Madagascar Numbfish – type of ray which can electrically sting organisms in defense
Madagascar Pygymy Skate
Madagascar Sea Catfish
Madagascar Skate (vulnerable)
Madagascar Wrasse
Sauvagella madagascariensis
Typhleotris madagascariensis sleeper goby (endangered)
Zona; Madagascar Rainbowfish (Bedotia madagascariensis) (near-threatened)

EXTINCT: Pantanodon madagascariensis

Masoala Peninsula

Peninsula Week Post #5

Located in Southern Africa, the Masoala Peninsula sticks out southward into the Indian Ocean. It is found on the eastern coast of MADAGASCAR, an island country located east of mainland Africa (specifically east of the countries Comoros and Mozambique) and east of the Mozambique Channel. The Masoala Peninsula is east of the Antongil Bay and less than 150 miles northeast of Analamaitso Plateau. Tanjon'i Masoala is at the tip of the peninsula. If you were wondering, tanjon'i and other variants like tanjona mean cape. Planning to learn Malagasy? You now know a word! Finally, communities on the peninsula include Ampanavoana and Vinanivao.

Another Post to Check Out: Madagascar

Former Names of Capitals

Quite a few capitals previously had different names. The following is a list of many, definitely not all, of the capitals that had different names in the past — they are categorized by continent.

AFRICA
Bujumbura, BURUNDI's former capital (Gitega is the new capital since 2019), was called Usumbura until 1962.
N'Djamena, CHAD's capital, was called Fort Lamy until 1973.
Kinshasa, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO's capital, was called Léopoldville until 1966.
Banjul, the capital of GAMBIA, was named Bathurst until 1973.
Antananarivo, MADAGASCAR's capital, was named Tananarive until 1975.
Maputo, MOZAMBIQUE's capital, was named Lourenço Marques until Mozambique's independence in 1976.
Harare, ZIMBABWE's capital, was named Salisbury until 1982.

ASIA
Tbilisi, GEORGIA's capital, was known as Tpilisi (Georgian) or Tiflis (Russian) until 1936.
Jakarta, INDONESIA's highly-populated capital, was known as Sunda Kelapa, then Jayakata, then Batavia, then Djakarta from 1949 to 1972.
Tokyo, JAPAN's capital located on the island of Honshu, was previously named Edo until 1868.
Astana, KAZAKHSTAN's capital, was known as Tselinograd, then Aqmola.
Bishkek, KYRGYZSTAN's capital, was named Pishpek until 1926 and Frunze until 1991, the fall of the Soviet Union.
Ulaanbaatar, MONGOLIA's capital, was known as Ugra until 1924.
Dushanbe, TAJIKISTAN's capital, was called Dyushambe until 1929 and received the name Stalinagrad until 1961.
Ankara, TURKEY's capital, was called Angora until 1930.
Ashgabat, TURKMENISTAN's capital, was called Poltoratsk from 1919 until 1927.

EUROPE
Belgrade, SERBIA's capital, was known as Singidunum in ancient times.
Podgorica, MONTENEGRO's capital, was known as Birziminium before the 11th century, Ribnica during the Middle Ages, and Titograd from 1946 to 1992. The capital possessed the name Podgorica in 1326 until 1946, resuming in 1992.

SOUTH AMERICA
Sucre, one of two capitals of BOLIVIA and named in honor of Antonio José de Sucre, was called Chuquisaca until 1825.

Credit goes to the New Oxford American Dictionary, 2nd Edition, which conveniently listed former capital names.

Ten Largest Islands in the World

The 10 largest islands in the world are as follows:
1. Greenland (Denmark) - 840,000 square miles
2. New Guinea (Indonesia & Papua New Guinea) - 305,000 sq. mi.
3. Borneo (Brunei, Indonesia, & Malaysia) - 286,000 sq. mi.
4. Madagascar - 226,656 sq. mi.
5. Baffin Island (Canada) - 195,928 sq. mi.
6. Sumatra (Indonesia) - 164,000 sq. mi.
7. Honshu (Japan) - 88,000 sq. mi.
8. Great Britain (United Kingdom) - 84,400 sq. mi.
9. Victoria Island (Canada) - 83,896 sq. mi.
10. Ellesmere Island (Canada) - 75,767 sq. mi.

*** Source for area data: Langenscheidt's Pocket World Atlas. Hammond World Atlas Corporation, 2002.

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.