Madagascar

Madagascar

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name Repoblikan'i Madagasikara/République de Madagascar/Republic of Madagascar Area 587,041 sq km/226,656 sq mi Capital Antananarivo Language Malagasy, French (both official), local dialects Religion over 50% traditional beliefs, Roman Catholic, Protestant about 40%, Muslim 7% Time difference GMT +3 Major holidays 1 January, 29 March, 1 May, 26 June, 15 August, 1 November, 25, 30 December; variable: Ascension Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Whit Monday


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Antsirabe, Mahajanga, Fianarantsoa, Toamasina, Ambatondrazaka Major ports Toamasina, Antsiranana, Toliara, Mahajanga Physical features temperate central highlands; humid valleys and tropical coastal plains; arid in south Airports five international airports; two domestic airports and 57 airfields open to public air traffic; total passengers carried: 404,000 (2003 est) Railways total length: 893 km/555 mi; total passenger journeys: 275,000 (2001) Roads total road network: 49,837 km/30,969 mi, of which 11.6% paved (1999 est); passenger cars: 4.9 per 1,000 people (1998)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state Marc Ravalomanana from 2002 Head of government Jacques Sylla from 2002 Political system emergent democracy Political executive limited presidency Administrative divisions six provinces Political parties Association for the Rebirth of Madagascar (AREMA), left of centre; One Should Not Be Judged By One's Works (AVI), left of centre; Rally for Socialism and Democracy (RPSD), left of centre Death penalty retains the death penalty for ordinary crimes but can be considered abolitionist in practice; date of last known execution 1958 Armed forces 13,500; plus paramilitary gendarmerie of 8,100 (2006 est) Conscription military service is compulsory for 18 months Defence spend (% GDP) 1.3 (2004 est) Education spend (% GDP) 2.9 (2002 est) Health spend (% GDP) 1.7 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency Malagasy franc GDP (US$) 5 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 4.7 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 5.4 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 880 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 11.2% (2006 est) Unemployment 4.5% (2002) Labour force 78% agriculture, 6.7% industry, 15.3% services (2003) Foreign debt (US$) 3.5 billion (2004est) Major trading partners France, USA, China, Germany, UK, Mauritius, Iran, Italy, South Africa Resources graphite, chromite, mica, uranium, titanium ore, small quantities of precious stones, bauxite and coal deposits, petroleum reserves Industries food products, textiles and clothing, beverages, chemical products, cement, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals Exports textiles, fish, coffee, shrimps and prawns, cloves, vanilla, petroleum products. Principal market: France 38.1% (2005) Imports minerals (crude petroleum), chemicals, machinery, vehicles and parts, base metals, consumer goods, electrical equipment. Principal source: France 17.6% (2005) Arable land 5% (2006 est) Agricultural products rice, cassava, mangoes, bananas, potatoes, sugar cane, seed cotton, sisal, vanilla, cloves, coconuts, tropical fruits; cattle-farming; sea-fishing


POPULATION

Population 19,104,800 (2006 est) Population growth rate 2.6% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 33 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 27 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 44%, 15–59 51%, 60+ 5% (2005 est) Ethnic groups 18 main Malagasy tribes of Malaysian–Polynesian origin; also French, Chinese, Indians, Pakistanis, and Comorans Life expectancy 55 (men); 57 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 123 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 9 Literacy rate 75% (men); 64% (women) (2003 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 0.9 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 0.4 (2002 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 0.5 (2005 est) AIDS deaths 2,900 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 75 (urban); 34 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 0.4 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 2.7 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 198 (1998) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 18 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 0.5 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 0.5 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

c. 6th–10th centuries AD Settled by migrant Indonesians. 1500 First visited by European navigators. 17th century Development of Merina and Sakalava kingdoms in the central highlands and west coast. 1642–74 France established coastal settlement at Fort-Dauphin, which they abandoned after massacre by local inhabitants. late 18th–early 19th century Merinas, united by their ruler Andrianampoinimerina, became dominant kingdom; court converted to Christianity. 1861 Ban on Christianity (imposed in 1828) and entry of Europeans lifted by Merina king, Radama II. 1885 Became French protectorate. 1895 Merina army defeated by French and became a colony; slavery abolished. 1942–43 British troops invaded to overthrow French administration allied to pro-Nazi Germany Vichy regime and install anti-Nazi Free French government. 1947–48 Nationalist uprising brutally suppressed by French. 1960 Independence achieved from France, with Philibert Tsiranana, leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), as president. 1972 Merina-dominated army overthrew Tsiranana's government, dominated by the cotier (coastal tribes), as economy deteriorated. 1975 Martial law imposed; new one-party state Marxist constitution adopted, with Lt-Commander Didier Ratsiraka as president. 1978 More than 1,000 people killed in race riots in Majunga city in the northwest. 1980 Ratsiraka abandoned Marxist experiment, which had involved nationalization and severing of ties with France. 1990 Political opposition legalized and new parties created. 1991 Antigovernment demonstrations. Ratsiraka formed new unity government including opposition members. 1992 Constitutional reform approved by referendum. 1995 Referendum backed appointment of prime minister by president rather than assembly. 1996 Ratsiraka re-elected president. 2000 Around 600,000 people made homeless by cyclones. 2001 Disputed presidential elections. 2002 Ratsiraka fled country after months of civil unrest; presidential rival Marc Ravolomanana took office and his party won parliamentary elections. 2004 Cyclones left thousands homeless again. 2006 Ravalomanana re-elected. 2007 Referendum endorsed constitutional reforms to increase presidential powers and make English an official language.


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