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 achieved a second term following a landslide victory in the generally free and fair presidential elections of 2006. In early 2009 protests over increasing restrictions on opposition press and activities resulted in RAVALOMANANA stepping down and the presidency was conferred to the mayor of Antananarivo Andry RAJOELINA. Numerous attempts have been made by regional and international organizations to resolve the subsequent political gridlock by forming a power-sharing government. As of late 2012 the country to be moving towards new elections sometime in 2013.

Geographic coordinates: 20 00 S 47 00 E

Area
Rank: 47
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Arizona

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 4,828 km

Climate: tropical along coast temperate inland arid in south

Terrain: narrow coastal plain high plateau and mountains in center

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

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: 22,005,222 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 54
Growth rate: 2.68% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 21
Below poverty line: 50% (2004 est.)

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) English

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

Population growth rate: 2.68% (2012 est.)
Rank: 21

Birth rate: 34 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 32

Death rate: 7.3 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 120

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 95

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

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 47

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 173

Total fertility rate: 4.45 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 32

Physicians density: 0.161 physicians/1000 population (2007)

Hospital bed density: 0.3 beds/1000 population (2005)

Sanitation facility access:
Unimproved:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 92
People living with hivaids: 24,000 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 73
Deaths: 1700 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 56

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 2.1% (2005)
Rank: 68

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 36.8% (2004)
Rank: 9

Education expenditures: 3% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 132

Government type: republic

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: passed by referendum 17 November 2010; promulgated 11 December 2010 (2010)

Legal system: civil law system based on the old French civil code and customary law in matters of marriage family and obligation

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legislative branch: bicameral legislature consists of a Senate or Senat (100 seats; two-thirds of the members appointed by regional assemblies; the remaining one-third appointed by the president; members to serve four-year terms) and a National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (127 seats - reduced from 160 seats by an April 2007 national referendum; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

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 (suspended) CD COMESA EITI (candidate country) FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO InOC Interpol IOC IOM ISO (correspondent) ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA NAM OIF OPCW PCA SADC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a vertical white band of the same width on hoist side; by tradition red stands for sovereignty green for hope white for purity

Economy overview: After discarding socialist economic policies in the mid-1990s Madagascar followed a World Bank- and IMF-led policy of privatization and liberalization that has been undermined since the start of the political crisis. 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 boomed in recent years primarily due to duty-free access to the US however Madagascar's failure to comply with the requirements of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) led to the termination of the country's duty-free access in January 2010 and a sharp fall in textile production. Deforestation and erosion aggravated by the use of firewood as the primary source of fuel are serious concerns. The current political crisis which began in early 2009 has dealt additional blows to the economy. Tourism dropped more than 50% in 2009 compared with the previous year and many investors are wary of entering the uncertain investment environment. Growth was anemic during 2010 to 2012 although expansion in mining and agricultural sectors is expected to contribute to more growth in 2013.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 128

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 146

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 216

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

Industrial production growth rate: 2% (2010 est.)
Rank: 122

Labor force: 9.504 million (2007)
Rank: 51

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

Distribution of family income gini index: 38.1 (1999)
Rank: 28

Budget
Surplus or deficit: -1.7% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 67

Taxes and other revenues: 17.3% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 178

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 9.5% (2011 est.)
Rank: 193

Central bank discount rate:

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 52.5% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 1

Stock of narrow money: $1.445 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 130

Stock of broad money: $2.223 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 146

Stock of domestic credit: $1.048 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 149

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance: -$2.526 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 142

Exports: $1.394 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 150
Commodities: coffee vanilla shellfish sugar cotton cloth clothing chromite petroleum products
Partners: France 22.9% Indonesia 15.5% Singapore 6.7% China 5.7% Germany 5.5% US 5% (2011)

Imports: $3.765 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 139
Commodities: capital goods petroleum consumer goods food
Partners: China 17.4% France 13.3% South Africa 5.7% Singapore 4.9% Bahrain 4.8% Mauritius 4.6% Kuwait 4.5% India 4.1% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.279 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 128

Debt external: $2.362 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 139

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $N/A

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $N/A

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 1.35 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 143
Consumption: 1.256 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 148
Exports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 93
Imports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 210
Installed generating capacity: 406,000 kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 141
Generation sources fossil fuels: 69.5% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 109
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 130
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 30.5% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 78
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 152

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 159
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 146
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 88
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 158

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products production rank: 169
Products consumption: 17,480 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 139
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products exports rank: 195
Products imports: 14,250 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products imports rank: 122

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 158
Consumption: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 167
Exports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 108
Imports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 94
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2006 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 163

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 3.384 million Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 135

Telephones
Main lines in use: 138,100 (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 139
Mobile cellular: 8.665 million (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 84

Broadcast media: state-owned Radio Nationale Malagasy (RNM) and Television Malagasy (TVM) have an extensive national network reach; privately-owned radio and TV broadcasters in cities and major towns; state-run radio dominates in rural areas; relays of 2 international broadcasters are available in Antananarivo (2007)

Internet
Country code: .mg
Hosts: 38,392 (2012)
Hosts rank: 102
Users: 319,900 (2009)
Users rank: 127

Military expenditures: 1% of GDP (2006)
Rank: 128

Military service age and obligation: 18-25 years of age for male-only voluntary military service; no conscription; service obligation - 18 months (either military or equivalent civil service); 20-30 years of age for National Gendarmerie recruits (35 years of age for those with military experience) (2010)

Airports: 82 (2012)
Rank: 68

Railways
Rank: 97

Roadways
Rank: 68

Waterways: 600 km (432 km navigable) (2011)
Rank: 79

Merchant marine
Rank: 152

Ports and terminals: Antsiranana (Diego Suarez) Mahajanga Toamasina Toliara (Tulear)

Disputes international: claims Bassas da India Europa Island Glorioso Islands and Juan de Nova Island (all administered by France); the vegetated drying cays of Banc du Geyser which were claimed by Madagascar in 1976 also fall within the EEZ claims of the Comoros and France (Glorioso Islands part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands)

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