Map of Madagascar | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Formerly an independent kingdom Madagascar became a French colony in 1886 but regained its independence in 1960. During 1992-93 free presidential and National Assembly elections were held ending 17 years of single-party rule. In 1997 in the second presidential race Didier RATSIRAKA the leader during the 1970s and 1980s was returned to the presidency. The 2001 presidential election was contested between the followers of Didier RATSIRAKA and Marc RAVALOMANANA nearly causing secession of half of the country. In April 2002 the High Constitutional Court announced RAVALOMANANA the winner.


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Location: Southern Africa island in the Indian Ocean east of Mozambique

Geographic coordinates: 20 00 S 47 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 587,040 km²
Water: 5,500 km²
Land: 581,540 km²
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Arizona

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 4,828 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 NM
Territorial sea: 12 NM
Exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Continental shelf: 200 NM or 100 NM from the 2,500-m deep isobath

Climate: tropical along coast temperate inland arid in south

Terrain: narrow coastal plain high plateau and mountains in center

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Maromokotro 2,876 m

Natural resources: graphite chromite coal bauxite salt quartz tar sands semiprecious stones mica fish hydropower

Land use
Arable land: 4.41%
Permanent crops: 0.93%
Other: 94.66% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 10,900 km² (1998 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: periodic cyclones

Geography
Note: world's fourth-largest island; strategic location along Mozambique Channel


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Population: 16,979,744 (July 2003 est.)
Growth rate: 3.03% (2003 est.)
Below poverty line: 71% (1999 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Malagasy (singular and plural)
Adjective: Malagasy

Ethnic groups: Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and related Betsileo) Cotiers (mixed African Malayo-Indonesian and Arab ancestry - Betsimisaraka Tsimihety Antaisaka Sakalava) French Indian Creole Comoran

Languages: French (official) Malagasy (official)

Religions: indigenous beliefs 52% Christian 41% Muslim 7%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 45% (male 3,822,823; female 3,807,958)
15-64 years: 51.9% (male 4,366,748; female 4,452,686)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 243,411; female 286,118) (2003 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 17.4 years
Male: 17.2 years
Female: 17.6 years (2002)

Population growth rate: 3.03% (2003 est.)

Birth rate: 42.16 births/1000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate: 11.88 deaths/1000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2003 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: soil erosion results from deforestation and overgrazing; desertification; surface water contaminated with raw sewage and other organic wastes; several species of flora and fauna unique to the island are endangered
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1 male/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male/female
Total population: 0.99 male/female (2003 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 80.21 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 71.53 deaths/1000 live births (2003 est.)
Male: 88.63 deaths/1000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 56.14 years
Male: 53.82 years
Female: 58.53 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.73 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.3% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: 22,000 (2001 est.)
Deaths: 870 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 68.9%
Male: 75.5%
Female: 62.5% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Madagascar
Conventional short form: Madagascar
Local short form: Madagascar
Former: Malagasy Republic
Local long form: Republique de Madagascar

Government type: republic

Capital: Antananarivo

Administrative divisions: 6 provinces (faritany); Antananarivo Antsiranana Fianarantsoa Mahajanga Toamasina Toliara

Dependent areas

Independence: 26 June 1960 (from France)

National holiday: Independence Day 26 June (1960)

Constitution: 19 August 1992 by national referendum

Legal system: based on French civil law system and traditional Malagasy law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Marc RAVALOMANANA (since 6 May 2002)
Head of government: Prime Minister Jacques SYLLA (27 May 2002)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 16 December 2001 (next to be held NA November 2006); prime minister appointed by the president from a list of candidates nominated by the National Assembly
Election results: percent of vote - Didier RATSIRAKA (AREMA) 40.89%, Marc RAVALOMANANA 46.21%; note - on 29 April 2002, the High Constitutional Court announced RAVALOMANANA the winner by 51.5% after a recount; RATSIRIKA's prime minister was put under house arrest on 27 May 2002, and SYLLA was appointed the new prime minister by President RAVALOMANANA

Legislative branch
Elections: National Assembly - last held 15 December 2002 (next to be held NA 2006)
Election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - TIM 103, FP 22, AREMA 3, LEADER/Fanilo 2, RPSD 5, others 3, independents 22

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Constitutional Court or Haute Cour Constitutionnelle

Political parties and leaders: Association for the Rebirth of Madagascar or AREMA [leader vacant]; Economic Liberalism and Democratic Action for National Recovery or LEADER/Fanilo [Herizo RAZAFIMAHALEO]; I Love Madagascar or TIM [leader NA]; National Union or FP [leader NA]; Renewal of the Social Democratic Party or RPSD [Evariste MARSON]

International organization participation: ACCT ACP AfDB ECA FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICCt (signatory) ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO InOC Interpol IOC IOM ISO (correspondent) ITU NAM OAU UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UPU WCL WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Rajaonarivony NARISOA
In the us consulates general: New York
In the us fax: [1] (202) 483-7,603
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 265-5,525, 5,526
In the us chancery: 2,374 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Wanda L. NESBITT
From the us embassy: 14-16 Rue Rainitovo, Antsahavola, Antananarivo 101
From the us mailing address: B. P. 620, Antsahavola, Antananarivo
From the us telephone: [261] (20) 22-212-57, 22-212-73, 22-209-56
From the us fax: [261] (20) 22-345-39

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a vertical white band of the same width on hoist side

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Having discarded past socialist economic policies Madagascar has since the mid 1990s followed a World Bank and IMF led policy of privatization and liberalization which has placed the country on a slow and steady growth path. Agriculture including fishing and forestry is a mainstay of the economy accounting for one-fourth of GDP and employing four-fifths of the population. Export earnings primarily are earned in the small industrial sector which features textile manufacturing and agriculture processing. Deforestation and erosion aggravated by the use of firewood as the primary source of fuel are serious concerns. The separatist political crisis of 2002 undermined macroeconomic stability with the estimated drop in output being subject to a wide margin of error. Poverty reduction will be the centerpiece of economic policy for the next few years.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: -11.9% (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $800 (2002 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 25%
Industry: 12%
Services: 63% (2001 est.)

Agriculture products: coffee vanilla sugarcane cloves cocoa rice cassava (tapioca) beans bananas peanuts; livestock products

Industries: meat processing soap breweries tanneries sugar textiles glassware cement automobile assembly plant paper petroleum tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 7.3 million (2000)

Unemployment rate: 5.9% (1998)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 71% (1999 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3%
Highest 10: 29% (1999)

Distribution of family income gini index: 38.1 (1999)

Budget
Revenues: $553 million
Expenditures: $735 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 7.4% (2001 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $700 million f.o.b. (2002)
Commodities: coffee vanilla shellfish sugar; cotton cloth chromite petroleum products
Partners: France 34% US 24.6% Netherlands 6% Germany 5.9% Mauritius 4% (2002)

Imports: $985 million f.o.b. (2002)
Commodities: capital goods petroleum consumer goods food
Partners: France 17.2% Iran 11% Mauritius 10.6% Bahrain 9.4% Hong Kong 6.9% South Africa 5.9% China 4.1% (2002)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $4.6 billion (2002)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Malagasy francs per US dollar - 6,832 (2002) 6,588 (2001) 6,767 (2000) 6,284 (1999) 5,441 (1998)


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Electricity
Production: 830.2 million kWh (2001)
Production by source fossil fuel: 36.1%
Production by source hydro: 63.9%
Production by source other: 0% (2001)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 772.1 million kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 0 kWh (2001)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (37,257)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 55,000 (2000)
Mobile cellular: 63,100 (2000)

Telephone system
General assessment: system is above average for the region
Domestic: open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter links connect regions
International: submarine cable to Bahrain; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .mg
Service providers isps: 2 (2000)
Users: 35,000 (2002)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $52.3 million (FY02)
Percent of gdp: 1.2% (FY02)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 121 (2002)
With paved runways total: 29
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 20
With paved runways under 914 m: 2 (2002)
With unpaved runways total: 92
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 46
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 44 (2002)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 732 km
Narrow gauge: 732 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)

Roadways

Waterways: of local importance only

Merchant marine
Total: 11 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 14,865 GRT/17,936 DWT
Ships by type: cargo 8, chemical tanker 1, roll on/roll off 2 (2002 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: claims Bassas da India Europa Island Glorioso Islands and Juan de Nova Island (all administered by France)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis (cultivated and wild varieties) used mostly for domestic consumption; transshipment point for heroin