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Background:
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Formerly an independent kingdom, Madagascar became a French colony in 1896, but regained its 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.
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Location:
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Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique
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Geographic coordinates:
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20 00 S, 47 00 E
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Map references:
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Area:
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total: 587,040 sq km
land: 581,540 sq km
water: 5,500 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly less than twice the size of Arizona
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Land boundaries:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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4,828 km
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Maritime claims:
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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 deep isobath
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Climate:
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tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south
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Terrain:
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narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Maromokotro 2,876 m
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Natural resources:
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graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, salt, quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish, hydropower
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Land use:
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arable land: 5.03%
permanent crops: 1.02%
other: 93.95% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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10,860 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources:
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337 cu km (1984)
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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Total: 14.96 cu km/yr (3%/2%/96%)
Per capita: 804 cu m/yr (2000)
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Natural hazards:
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periodic cyclones, drought, and locust infestation
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Environment - current issues:
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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
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Environment - international agreements:
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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
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Geography - note:
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world's fourth-largest island; strategic location along Mozambique Channel
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Population:
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19,448,815 (July 2007 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 43.9% (male 4,297,985/female 4,243,369)
15-64 years: 53% (male 5,117,874/female 5,190,032)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 270,411/female 329,144) (2007 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 17.8 years
male: 17.6 years
female: 18 years (2007 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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3.008% (2007 est.)
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Birth rate:
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38.6 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Death rate:
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8.51 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.013 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.986 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.822 male(s)/female
total population: 0.992 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 57.02 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 62.09 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 51.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 62.14 years
male: 60.23 years
female: 64.1 years (2007 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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5.24 children born/woman (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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1.7% (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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140,000 (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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7,500 (2003 est.)
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Major infectious diseases:
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degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague are high risks in some locations
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2007)
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Nationality:
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noun: Malagasy (singular and plural)
adjective: Malagasy
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Ethnic groups:
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Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and related Betsileo), Cotiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry - Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava), French, Indian, Creole, Comoran
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Religions:
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indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian 41%, Muslim 7%
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Languages:
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English (official), French (official), Malagasy (official)
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 68.9%
male: 75.5%
female: 62.5% (2003 est.)
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This page was last updated on 24 January, 2008
- The Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook - |
