GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

Madagascar stands on the Indian Ocean, south of the Equator, at 400 km from the east Africa coast and separated by the southeast coast of Africa by the Mozambique Channel. The Capricorn Tropic crosses the south around Tulear. Antananarivo is at approx. 8000 km from Rome. The country is formed by the homonym island (the fourth in world for its area) and by several other small islands.

AREA

587.000 km2, almost the double of Italy, with 5.000 km of coasts.
1.580 km from North to South and 580 km fro East to West. Four levels of communities, where the faritany (independent province) is the highest.
Antananarivo ( Tananarive ), Fianarantsoa, Toamasina ( Tamatave ), Mahajanga (Majunga ), Toliary ( Tulear ) and Antsiranana ( Diego-Suarez ) are the six capitals of the six Malagasy provinces.

POPULATION

15 millions of inhabitants, divided in 18 ethnic groups.
Density: 25inhabitants/km2.

RELIGIONS

Less than half of Malagasy inhabitants are Christians. The others have faith in the ancestors’ religion. Christians are half Catholics and half Protestants. Many remain faithful to the traditional beliefs.
There are some Muslim communities throughout the territory.

THE CAPITAL

Antananarivo (Tananarive) 820.000 inhabitants.
In the middle of the island. Two millions of inhabitants with the surroundings.

CLIMATE

The Southeast winds bring heavy rainfall on the Est coast of Madagascar. The average precipitation, particularly strong from November to April, in some places exceeds 3050 mm per year. The central Altipiano is less humid and the arid areas of the south and southwest get less than 380 mm of rain per year. The coastal areas are normally warmer all around the year. The central Altipiano has a temperate climate, with warm summers and cold winters.

IMPORTANT TOWNS

Antsirabe in the centre, Toamasina ( Tamatave ), big harbour on the est coast, Antsiranana ( Diego-Suarez ) in the northeast, Fianarantsoa on the south doors, Toliary (Tulear ) in the southwest, Toalanaro ( Fort-Dauphin ) in the southeast.

HABITAT

Homeland of biologic treasures, Madagascar is the habitat of 5% of the vegetal and animal species existing in the world. Millions of plants grow on the island, and approx. 80% is endemic, as over 90% of the mammals, amphibious and reptiles and over 50% of birds are. Madagascar is the mother country of more of the half of chameleons and almost all the lemurs existing in the world. Insects and other invertebrates amount to ten of thousand, and they are not totally studied yet. Experts estimate that endemic Malagasy species could amount to more than 150.000. However, due to the deforestation and human incursion, 120 were the animal species in extinction in 1996, and a hundred or so are already extinct.