Madagascar

C

Vegetation and Animal Life

Tropical rain forests containing valuable hardwoods (including rosewood, ebony, and raffia palm) are common in eastern Madagascar. The coconut palm is extensively cultivated in the lowlands. The eastern coastal lagoons and lower river valleys in the west are fringed with mangroves. Savanna woodland and grasslands predominate in the drier western regions, and desert vegetation occurs in the extreme southwest.

Madagascar’s animal life is unusual. There are no large mammal species except those brought to the island by humans. Lemurs, a primitive family of primate, are found chiefly in Madagascar. There is an abundance of reptiles, including crocodiles, lizards, and chameleons. Insect life is as varied as it is distinctive; the variety and rarity of the island’s butterflies are unique. Although native species exhibit characteristics of both African and Indian animal life, their differences indicate they evolved on Madagascar during a long period of isolation. An estimated 90 percent of the species inhabiting its tropical forests are endemic, meaning that they are found nowhere else in the world.

D

Mineral Resources

Madagascar has abundant mineral reserves, although many have yet to be exploited. Chromite, graphite, mica, and gemstones such as sapphire, topaz, and garnet are currently mined. The island also contains valuable deposits of bauxite, ilmenite (a titanium ore), and coal.

E

Environmental Issues

Madagascar’s growing population has put increased pressures on the environment. The timber industry is less of a threat to the island’s forests than slash-and-burn agriculture and reliance on fuelwood for energy. The country suffers an annual deforestation rate of 0.4 percent (1990–2005). In 2005, 22 percent of Madagascar’s total land area was forested.

---

---

Inadequate sewage disposal, as well as soil erosion caused by deforestation, has led to surface water pollution. Only 50 percent (2004) of the population has access to safe water, and only 34 percent has access to sanitation.

However, the country has a long history of conservation. Efforts are under way to increase wood supplies by reforesting eroded upland areas. The government has protected 2.4 percent (2004) of the country’s total land area in national parks and reserves.

III

Population

Madagascar has an ethnically diverse population of 19,448,815 (2007 estimate). The number of inhabitants was growing at an annual rate of 3 percent in 2007. The average population density is 33 persons per sq km (87 per sq mi), with upland areas more densely populated than coastal regions.

Only 27 percent of the population is classified as urban. Antananarivo, the capital, is the largest city, with a population (2001) of 1,689,000. Other important urban centers are Toamasina (137,782), Mahajanga (106,780), Fianarantsoa (109,248), Toliara (1993, 80,826), and Antsiraana (59,040).

Major ethnic groups in the interior are the Merina (Hova), who make up about 27 percent of the total population, and the related Betsileo (12 percent). Members of both groups are descended primarily from people who emigrated from Indonesia by ad 900. Coastal areas are inhabited mainly by peoples of mixed Malayo-Indonesian, black African, and Arab ancestry; among these ethnic groups are the Betsimisaraka (15 percent), Tsimihety (7 percent), Sakalava (6 percent), and Antaisaka (5 percent).

A

Language and Religion

The official languages of Madagascar are the Merina dialect of Malagasy (a language of Malayo-Indonesian origin), French, and English. Approximately 48 percent of the population follows traditional Malagasy beliefs, recognizing an omnipotent deity and secondary divinities, the latter including the earliest inhabitants of the island, legendary kings and queens, and other great ancestors. There is a universal cult of ancestors and a tradition of lavish funerals and elaborate rituals surrounding the dead. About 49 percent of the population adheres to Christianity and 2 percent to Islam.

	More from Encarta
	•  7 tips for funding an online degree •  How to succeed in the fashion industry without being a top designer •  Presidential Myths Quiz •  Coffee break: Recharge your brain