Background: Formerly an independent kingdom Madagascar became a French colony in 1896 but regained 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. RAVALOMANANA is now in his second term following a landslide victory in the generally free and fair presidential elections of 2006.

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 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: 5.03%
Permanent crops: 1.02%
Other: 93.95% (2005)

Irrigated land: 10,860 km² (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 337 km³ (1984)

Natural hazards: periodic cyclones drought and locust infestation

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

Population: 20,042,552 (July 2008 est.)
Growth rate: 3.005% (2008 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: English (official) French (official) Malagasy (official)

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 43.7% (male 4,408,615/female 4,349,862)
15-64 years: 53.2% (male 5,298,805/female 5,371,764)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 275,087/female 338,418) (2008 est.)

Median age
Total: 17.9 years
Male: 17.7 years
Female: 18.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.005% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 38.38 births/1000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 8.32 deaths/1000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: NA (2008 est.)

Environment
Current issues: soil erosion results from deforestation and overgrazing; desertification; surface water contaminated with raw sewage and other organic wastes; several endangered species of flora and fauna unique to the island
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, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male/female
Total population: 0.99 male/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 55.59 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 60.59 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 50.45 deaths/1000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 62.52 years
Male: 60.58 years
Female: 64.51 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.19 children born/woman (2008 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: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: chikungunya, malaria, and plague
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Education expenditures: 3.1% of GDP (2006)

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
Total: 9 years
Male: 10 years
Female: 9 years (2006)

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Madagascar
Conventional short form: Madagascar
Local long form: Republique de Madagascar/Repoblikan'i Madagasikara
Local short form: Madagascar/Madagasikara
Former: Malagasy Republic

Government type: republic

Capital
Name: Antananarivo
Geographic coordinates: 18 55 S, 47 31 E
Time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Marc RAVALOMANANA (since 6 May 2002)
Head of government: Prime Minister Charles RABEMANANJARA (25 January 2007)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 3 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2011); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: percent of vote - Marc RAVALOMANANA 54.8%, Jean LAHINIRIKO 11.7%, Roland RATSIRAKA 10.1%, Herizo RAZAFIMAHALEO 9.1%, Norbert RATSIRAHONANA 4.2%, Ny Hasina ANDRIAMANJATO 4.2%, Elia RAVELOMANANTSOA 2.6%, Pety RAKOTONIAINA 1.7%, other 1.6%

Legislative branch
Elections: National Assembly - last held 23 September 2007 (next to be held in 2011)
Election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - TIM 106, LEADER/Fanilo 1, independents 20

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 RAJAONARIVELO]; Democratic Party for Union in Madagascar or PSDUM [Jean LAHINIRIKO]; 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: ACP AfDB AU COMESA FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO InOC Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA NAM OIF OPCW SADC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCL WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Jocelyn Bertin RADIFERA
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) 265-3,034
In the us consulates general: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador R. Niels MARQUARDT
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 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 US. 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: $18.44 billion (2007 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 6.3% (2007 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $900 (2007 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 26.8%
Industry: 15.8%
Services: 57.4% (2007 est.)

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

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

Industrial production growth rate: 6% (2007 est.)

Labor force: 7.3 million (2000)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.9%
Highest 10: 36.6% (2001)

Distribution of family income gini index: 47.5 (2001)

Budget
Revenues: $1.319 billion
Expenditures: $1.629 billion (2007 est.)

Inflation rate consumer prices: 10.3% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 45% (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit: $767.5 million (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Current account balance: -$890 million (2007 est.)

Exports: $986 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: coffee vanilla shellfish sugar cotton cloth chromite petroleum products
Partners: France 31.8% US 26.6% Germany 6.1% UK 4.9% Italy 4.4% (2007)

Imports: $1.918 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: capital goods petroleum consumer goods food
Partners: France 13.6% China 13% Iran 8.1% South Africa 6.4% Hong Kong 4.9% Mauritius 4.8% (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $846.7 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt external: $4.6 billion (2002)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $NA

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $NA

Exchange rates: Malagasy ariary (MGA) per US dollar - 1880 (2007) 2,161 (2006) 2003 (2005) 1868.9 (2004) 1238.3 (2003)

Electricity
Production: 1.045 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption: 907 million kWh (2006 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2006 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 133,900 (2007)
Mobile cellular: 2.218 million (2007)

Telephone system
General assessment: system is above average for the region; Antananarivo's main telephone exchange modernized in the late 1990s, but the rest of the analogue-based telephone system is poorly developed; have added more than 50,000 new fixed lines since 2005
Domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile telephone density only about 12 per 100 persons
International: country code - 261; submarine cable to Bahrain; satellite earth stations - 2 (1 Intelsat - Indian Ocean, 1 Intersputnik - Atlantic Ocean region) (2007)

Internet
Country code: .mg
Hosts: 11,016 (2008)
Users: 110,000 (2006)

Military expenditures: 1% of GDP (2006)

Military service age and obligation: 18-25 years of age for male-only compulsory military service; 18-month conscript service obligation (either military or equivalent civil service); 20-30 years of age for National Gendarmerie recruits (35 years of age for those with military experience) (2008)

Airports: 104 (2007)
With paved runways total: 27
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 6
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 17
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 77
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 41
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 34 (2007)

Railways
Total: 854 km
Narrow gauge: 854 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways
Total: 65,663 km
Paved: 7,617 km
Unpaved: 58,046 km (2003)

Waterways: 600 km (2006)

Merchant marine
Total: 8
By type: cargo 4, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 2 (2008)

Ports and terminals: Antsiranana Mahajanga Toamasina Toliara

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