Madagascar Country Profile

Madagascar Flag

Discovering Madagascar

Madagascar is an island nation located in the Indian Ocean 500km off the coast of Mozambique in southeastern Africa. It is ringed by several much smaller beaches and palm trees flourishing with an interior that is dazzling in its variety, from grassy plateaus to volcanoes and opaque forests and natural reserves.
Madagascar has a size of 587,041 sq km with a total population 19.4 million residents (CIA estimate 2007. The official languages spoken are Malagasy and French although other local dialects are also spoken. Antananarivo is the capital with a Population 1.5 million people (2003 estimate). The main religions are Malagasy mythology (52%) and Christianity (41%). Islam is so insignificant.

Antananarivo City View

Geographically Madagascar is gifted with so much natural beauty. A central chain of high mountains, the Hauts Plateaux, occupies a bigger portion of the main island and is attributed for the several ethnic, climatic and scenic differences between the east and west coasts.
The Island’s highest peak, Maromokotro rises up to 2,876m in the Tsaratanana Massif, is located in the far north of the country. The Ankaratra Massif is in the central area south of the capital Antananarivo and hosts the third highest mountain on the island, Tsiafajavona, with an altitude of 2,642m. Further south is the Andringitra massif which has several peaks over 2,400m including the second and fourth highest peaks, Pic Imarivolanitra (2,658m).

Madagascar Beach

For nature enthusiasts, the coastal strip east of this chain of high mountains is heavily forested, while the west is mainly savannah. Travelers and vacationers from all over the world visit these charming Islands quite in good number to have a glimpse of these highlands.
Much of Madagascar’s flora and fauna is unique to the island. There are 3,000 endemic species of butterfly; the many endemic species of lemurs fill the niches occupied elsewhere by animals as varied as racoons, monkeys, marmots, bushbabies and sloths.

Madagascar Wildlife

Madagascar Safaris bring you to home of about 5% of the world’s plant and animal species, of which more than 80% are endemic to the Islands such as the lemur infraorder of primates, the several baobab species and the carnivorous fossa.
For the Madagascar holidays, the Island has numerous honeymoon and vacation spots that attract a number of newly wed couples. There are many things that will surely make your Madagascar honeymoon tours, the most cherished moment in your life.