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General Information
Area: 587,041 sq km (226,658 sq miles).
Population: 14,579,000 (1999).
Population Density: 24.8 per sq km.
Capital: Antananarivo (formerly Tananarive). Population: 4,031,103 (1993).
GEOGRAPHY: Madagascar, the fourth-largest island in the world, lies in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Mozambique. It includes several much smaller islands. A central chain of high mountains, the Hauts Plateaux, occupies more than half of the main island and is responsible for the marked differences – ethnically, climatically and scenically – between the east and west coasts. The narrow strip of lowlands on the east coast, settled from the sixth century by Polynesian seafarers, is largely covered by dense rainforests, whereas the broader west-coast landscape, once covered by dry deciduous forests, is now mostly savannah. The east coast receives the monsoon and, on both coasts, the climate is wetter towards the north. The southern tip of the island is semi-desert, with great forests of cactus-like plants. The capital, Antananarivo, is high up in the Hauts Plateaux near the island’s centre. Much of Madagascar’s flora and fauna is unique to the island. There are 3000 endemic species of butterfly; the many endemic species of lemurs fill the niches occupied elsewhere by animals as varied as racoons, monkeys, marmots, bushbabies, sloths and even (though this variant is now extinct) bears. There is a similar diversity of reptiles, amphibians and birds (especially ducks), and also all levels of plant life.
Government: Republic since 1992. Gained independence from France in 1960. Head of State: President Mark Ravalomanana since 2002. Head of Government: Prime Minister Jacques Sylla since 2002.
Language: The official languages are Malagasy (which is related to Indonesian) and French. Local dialects are also spoken. Very little English is spoken.
Religion: Fifty-one per cent follow Animist beliefs, about 43 per cent Christian; remainder Muslim.
Time: GMT + 3.
Electricity: Mostly 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Plugs are generally two-pin.
Communications:
Telephone
IDD is available to major towns. Country code: 261, followed by two-digit number for access provider: 20 for TELMA (the most reliable), 30 for Telecel, 31 for Sacel, 32 for SRR and 33 for Madacom. (A standard dialling code is expected to be introduced soon.) After the international and access codes, numbers should be seven digits including two initial digits for the geographical area. Outgoing international code: 16.
Mobile telephone
GSM 900 network in use. Main network providers include Madacom and Antaris. Coverage reaches major cities and main roads.
Internet
Public Internet access exists in large cities; there are a few Internet cafes in Antananarivo.
Telegram
The main post office (PTT) in Antananarivo offers a 24-hour telegram transmission service.
Post
The Poste Restante facilities at main post offices are the most reliable option. Airmail to Europe takes at least seven days and surface mail three to four months.
Press
There are no English-language newspapers; six dailies are published in French and/or Malagasy. The main papers include Midi Madagasikara, Madagascar Tribune and L'Express de Madagascar.
BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change.
BBC (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice):
Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov):
Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.
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