Background: Formerly an independent kingdom Madagascar became a French colony in 1896 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.

Geographic coordinates: 20 00 S 47 00 E

Map reference: Africa

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

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 4,828 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 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: 5.07%
Permanent crops: 1.03%
Other: 93.91% (2001)

Irrigated land: 10,900 km² (2000 est.)

Natural hazards: periodic cyclones drought and locust infestation

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

Population: 18,040,341 (July 2005 est.)
Growth rate: 3.03% (2005 est.)
Below poverty line: 50% (2004 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%

Age structure
0-14 years: 44.8% (male 4,051,832/female 4,038,837)
15-64 years: 52.1% (male 4,657,346/female 4,745,971)
65 years and over: 3% (male 247,146/female 299,209) (2005 est.)

Median age
Total: 17.46 years
Male: 17.24 years
Female: 17.67 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.03% (2005 est.)

Birth rate: 41.66 births/1000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate: 11.35 deaths/1000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2005 est.)

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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

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: 0.83 male/female
Total population: 0.99 male/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 76.83 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 85.05 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 68.36 deaths/1000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 56.95 years
Male: 54.57 years
Female: 59.4 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.66 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.7% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 140,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths: 7,500 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague are high risks in some locations
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2004)

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

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

Government type: republic

Capital: Antananarivo

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

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

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 November 2006); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: percent of vote - Didier RATSIRAKA (AREMA) 37.7%, Marc RAVALOMANANA (TIM) 50.5%

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 [Pierrot RAJAONARIVO]; Economic Liberalism and Democratic Action for National Recovery or LEADER/Fanilo [Herizo RAZAFIMAHALEO]; Fihaonana Party or FP [Guy-Willy RAZANAMASY]; I Love Madagascar or TIM [Marc RAVALOMANANA]; Renewal of the Social Democratic Party or RPSD [Evariste MARSON]

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Rajaonarivony NARISOA
In the us chancery: 2,374 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 265-5,525, 5,526
In the us fax: [1] (202) 483-7,603
In the us consulates general: New York
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

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. This strategy has placed the country on a slow and steady growth path from an extremely low level. Agriculture including fishing and forestry is a mainstay of the economy accounting for more than one-fourth of GDP and employing 80% of the population. Exports of apparel have boomed in recent years primarily due to duty-free access to the United States. Deforestation and erosion aggravated by the use of firewood as the primary source of fuel are serious concerns. President RAVALOMANANA has worked aggressively to revive the economy following the 2002 political crisis which triggered a 12% drop in GDP that year. Poverty reduction and combating corruption will be the centerpieces of economic policy for the next few years.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $14.56 billion (2004 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 5.5% (2004 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $800 (2004 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 29.3%
Industry: 16.7%
Services: 54% (2004 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)

Population below poverty line: 50% (2004 est.)

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: $783.7 million
Expenditures: $1.079 billion, including capital expenditures of $331 million (2004 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 7.5% (2004 est.)

Current account balance: $-281.9 million (2004 est.)

Exports: $868.2 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Commodities: coffee vanilla shellfish sugar; cotton cloth chromite petroleum products
Partners: US 35.8% France 30.8% Germany 7.7% (2004)

Imports: $1.147 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Commodities: capital goods petroleum consumer goods food
Partners: France 17.2% China 9.7% Hong Kong 6.6% Iran 6.4% Mauritius 6.2% South Africa 5.6% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $500.3 million (2004 est.)

Debt external: $4.6 billion (2002)

Exchange rates: Malagasy francs per US dollar - 1868.9 (2004) 1238.3 (2003) 1366.4 (2002) 1317.7 (2001) 1353.5 (2000)

Electricity
Production: 840.2 million kWh (2002)
Consumption: 781.4 million kWh (2002)
Exports: 0 kWh (2002)
Imports: 0 kWh (2002)

Natural gas
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2002)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 59,600 (2003)
Mobile cellular: 279,500 (2003)

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: country code - 261; submarine cable to Bahrain; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)

Internet
Country code: .mg
Hosts: 773 (2003)
Users: 70,500 (2003)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $44.6 million (2004)
Percent of gdp: 1.2% (2004)

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.); conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004)

Airports: 116 (2004 est.)
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 (2004 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 87
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 42
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 43 (2004 est.)

Railways
Total: 732 km
Narrow gauge: 732 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)

Waterways: 600 km (2004)

Merchant marine
Total: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 14,865 GRT/17,936 DWT
By type: cargo 5, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 2
Registered in other countries: 1 (2005)

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

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