Madagaskar Travel

Official name

Repoblikan'i Madagasikara (Madagascan)
République de Madagascar (French)

Area

587.041 km² (World rank 44)

Geographical location

40° - 50° O / 12° - 25° S

Highest elevation

Maromokotro 2,886 m

Longest river

Mangoky 560 km

Population

17 million inhabitants

Population density

29 inhabitats per square km

Population distribution

Town: 30%
Land: 70%

Population growth

3,03%

Birth rate

4,29%

Death rate

1,27%

Capital

Antananarivo (Tana): 47° 32' O 18° 55' S
estimated 1,5 mio. inhabitants today

Type of state

Republic

Independence

June 26th, 1960 (from France)

Administration structure

6 provinces

Official languages

Malagasy and French

International characteristic

RM

Religions

52% believers in local natural religions,
23% Roman Catholics,
18% Protestants,
7% Muslims

ethnic main groups

99% Madagascans (Malagasy), of this:
Merina (26%)
 Betsimisaraka (15%)
 Betsileo (12%)
 the rest minorities as:
Chinese, French, Komorer and Indian

Life expectancy 

Altogether: 56.2 years
women: 58.5 years
men: 53.8 years

Child mortality

8,2%

Percentage of literates  

Altogether: 80.8%
women: 77.4%
men: 84.1%

Currency

Ariary (previously: FMG; 1 Ariary = 5 FMG)
1 EUR about 1.400 Ariary depending on exchange rate
Online currency converter
Currency cheat sheet

Gross domestic product
2002
 (in brackets comparison
 data of 1993) 

3.878 thousand millions US dollars
per inhabitant 250 US $ from
farming: 35% (42%)
industry: 13% (16%)
service: 52% (42%)

Main export products
1999

Coffee: 19%
mineral products: 15%
fish: 15%
textiles: 10%
vanilla: 5%

additional business statistics
2002

Unemployment: 6.0%
 rate of inflation: 5%
 foreign countries debts: 4.7 billion US $

Area
1000km²

%

Mammals

%

Amphibians

World

147,855

100%

4,050

100%

4.500

Europe

10,532

7%

205

5%

45

Germany

357

0,2%

98

2,4%

21

Madagascar

587

0,4%

123

3,0%

144