Madagascar is an island nation in the Indian Ocean located off the eastern coast of Africa. It is the fourth largest island in the world and has a unique nature and wildlife.
Geographically, Madagascar is an island, and politically it is an island state of the same name. The globe is geographically divided into hemispheres, continents and oceans. This is the most general division, taking into account only the location of the main land masses and surrounding oceans. Each of the parts of such a divided world is divided in more detail. Following suit, Madagascar is an island located off the southeast coast of Africa. The island is washed by the waters of the Indian Ocean.
2. The island of Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world and also the largest island in Africa. It has an area of 587,040 square kilometers and is inhabited by almost 26 million people.
3. Due to the extinct volcanoes on its territory, it can be assumed that this is a volcanic island. The highest peak is the extinct volcano Marumukutru, 2876 meters above sea level. The highest volcano is Ankaizina, whose height is 2878 meters.
4. Most likely, the Arabs reached the shores of the island already in the 4th century. Around the 10th century, the Chinese also visited the island. The first Europeans landed on the island in 1500.
6. A very interesting fact related to Madagascar was that the first colonizer of the island was the Polish nobleman Mauricius Benevsky. He led expeditions into the interior of the island in 1770-1780. His military operations were accompanied by the French explorer Nicolas Mayer, who described the central and northern part of the island.
7. Maurycy Benevsky was a Polish-Hungarian nobleman. He participated in the Bar Confederation, for which he was exiled to Siberia, from where he fled, returning to Europe. He lived in France for a long time. The French government tasked him with dealing with Madagascar, which he gladly did. Benevsky conquered the island, and local residents proclaimed him king of Madagascar. Thus, it can be considered that Madagascar was the first and only Polish overseas colony. This is a rather distorted statement, because Benevsky, only as a Pole by origin, acted on behalf of France and with French funds he colonized the island.
8. Great Britain also made claims to Madagascar, but in 1896 it recognized the annexation of the island by France as legal.
9. In 1960, France ceded sovereignty to Madagascar. Unfortunately, there was no consensus on governance on the island, which led to several political upheavals. Political instability meant that Madagascar, already a sovereign state, began to descend into chaos and economic crisis.
10. Madagascar is a typically agricultural country, where 75% of the working population is employed in agriculture.
11. Madagascar is a tasty morsel on the political and economic map of the world. There are valuable minerals such as chrome, beryllium, graphite, mica, nickel and gold ores, as well as various precious stones.
13. In addition to vanilla, cotton, raffia, sisal agave, rice, cassava, and sweet potatoes are also grown on the island. The fruits grown are citrus fruits, lychees, mangoes, papaya, avocados, and melons.
14. The capital of Madagascar isAntananarivowith a population of more than 1.2 million people. The capital is the largest city and at the same time the largest economic center of the country.
15. Madagascar is an example of a typical African country with two seasons. Summer lasts from November to April, winter from May to October.
17. About 40 species of lemurs live on the island, which is 75% of all species of these primates found in the world.
18. Back in the 17th century, giant birds could be found on the island, whose eggs had a volume of about 8 liters. These eggs can still be found on the island.
19. More than 50% of the island is Christian, but there is a cult of invisible people. The natives build houses for them so that they can live near them. These invisible people are called kalanuri.
20. The inhabitants of the island are called Malagasy.
21. It should be remembered that according to tradition, one hand should be extended during the greeting, and the other should cover the greeting at the wrist.
23. Watching the famous cartoon “Madagascar”, you might mistakenly assume that the island has animals such as lions, giraffes, hippos, zebras and penguins. These animals are only the heroes of this film and are not among the animals living on the island.
24. There are 104 airports on the island, but only 27 have concrete runways.
25. There are only two railway lines on the island, one of which is usually tourist.
26. The island is separated from the African mainland by the Mozambique Strait, which is about 400 kilometers wide.
27. The official language in Madagascar is French and local Malagasy.
28. There are several small islands around the island, over which Madagascar has a dispute with France.
29. Madagascar has a modest military force of only 13.5 thousand soldiers, several tanks and aircraft.
