Page last updated on January 28, 2014
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 handing over power to the military, which then conferred the presidency on the mayor of Antananarivo, Andry RAJOELINA, in what amounted to a coup d'etat. Numerous attempts have been made by regional and international organizations to resolve the subsequent political gridlock by forming a power-sharing government. Madagascar's independent electoral commission and the UN originally planned to hold a presidential election in early May 2013, but postponed the election until late July 2013, due to logistical delays.
Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique
total: 587,041 sq km
country comparison to the world: 47
land: 581,540 sq km
water: 5,501 sq km
slightly less than twice the size of Arizona
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
tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south
narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Maromokotro 2,876 m
graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, rare earth elements, salt, quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish, hydropower
arable land: 5.96%
permanent crops: 1.02%
other: 93.02% (2011)
total: 16.5 cu km/yr (2%/1%/97%)
per capita: 1,010 cu m/yr (2005)
periodic cyclones; drought; and locust infestation
volcanism: Madagascar's volcanoes have not erupted in historical times
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
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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
world's fourth-largest island; strategic location along Mozambique Channel
noun: Malagasy (singular and plural)
adjective: Malagasy
Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and related Betsileo), Cotiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry - Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava), French, Indian, Creole, Comoran
French (official), Malagasy (official), English
indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian 41%, Muslim 7%
22,599,098 (July 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 53
0-14 years: 41.1% (male 4,678,675/female 4,599,636)
15-24 years: 20.6% (male 2,332,608/female 2,323,409)
25-54 years: 31.1% (male 3,514,600/female 3,507,724)
55-64 years: 4.1% (male 445,159/female 485,846)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 322,706/female 388,735) (2013 est.)
total dependency ratio: 82.5 %
youth dependency ratio: 77.4 %
elderly dependency ratio: 5.1 %
potential support ratio: 19.5 (2013)
total: 19 years
male: 18.8 years
female: 19.2 years (2013 est.)
2.65% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 23
33.58 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 32
7.1 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 130
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 94
urban population: 32.6% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 4.73% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
ANTANANARIVO (capital) 1.816 million (2009)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2013 est.)
19.5
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2009 est.)
240 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 46
total: 46.13 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 47
male: 50.17 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 41.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)
total population: 64.85 years
country comparison to the world: 174
male: 63.45 years
female: 66.29 years (2013 est.)
4.36 children born/woman (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 33
4.1% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 161
0.16 physicians/1,000 population (2007)
0.2 beds/1,000 population (2010)
0.2% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92
24,000 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73
1,700 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 55
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
animal contact disease: rabies (2013)
1.6% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 187
36.8% (2004)
country comparison to the world: 6
2.8% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 150
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 64.5%
male: 67.4%
female: 61.6% (2009 est.)
total: 10 years
male: 11 years
female: 10 years (2009)
total number: 1,827,423
percentage: 28 %
note: data represents children ages 5-17 (2007 est.)
total: 2.3%
country comparison to the world: 145
male: 1.7%
female: 2.8% (2005)
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
name: Antananarivo
geographic coordinates: 18 55 S, 47 31 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Hi Trent,6 provinces (faritany); Antananarivo, Antsiranana, Fianarantsoa, Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliara
26 June 1960 (from France)
Independence Day, 26 June (1960)
previous 1992; latest passed by referendum 17 November 2010, promulgated 11 December 2010 (2012)
civil law system based on the old French civil code and customary law in matters of marriage, family, and obligation
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
18 years of age; universal
chief of state: President Hery Martial RAJAONARIMAMPIANINA Rakotoarimana(since 25 January 2014)
head of government: Prime Minister [vacant]
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 on 20 December 2013 (next to be held in 2018); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: percent of vote - Hery RAJAONARIMAMPIANINA 53.5%, Jean Louis ROBINSON 46.5%; note - results of second round; first round on 25 October 2013 produced no outright winner)
note: on 17 March 2009, democratically elected President Marc RAVALOMANANA stepped down handing the government over to the military, which in turn conferred the presidency on opposition leader and Antananarivo mayor Andry RAJOELINA; a power-sharing agreement established a 15-month transition period to conclude with general elections in 2010, which failed to occur; a subsequent agreement aimed for elections in early 2013 - the first round was held 25 October 2013 and the second round on 20 December 2013
bicameral legislature consists of a Senate or Senat (33 seats; 22 elected from each of the 22 regions; the remaining 11 appointed by the president; members to serve six-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)
elections: National Assembly - last held on 20 December (next to be held in 2017); note - a power-sharing agreement in the summer of 2009 established a 15-month transition, concluding in general elections scheduled for late 2013 after repeated delays
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA
highest court(s): Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (consists of 11 members; addresses judicial administration issues only); High Constitutional Court or Haute Cour Constitutionnelle (consists of 9 members)
judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court heads elected by the president and judiciary officials to serve single-renewable, 3-year terms; High Constitutional Court members appointed - 3 each by the president, by both legislative bodies, and by the Council of Magistrates; members serve single, 6-year terms
subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; provincial and city tribunals
AVANA Party [Jean-Louis ROBINSON]
Committee for the Defense of Truth and Justice or KMMR
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 (suspended), OPCW, PCA, SADC (suspended), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Velotiana Rakotoanosy RAOBELINA
chancery: 2374 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 265-5525 through 5526
FAX: [1] (202) 265-3034
consulate(s) general: New York
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Eric WONG note - also accredited to Comoros
embassy: Lot 207A, Point Liberty, Andranoro, Antehiroka, 105 Antananarivo
mailing address: B. P. 620, Antsahavola, Antananarivo
telephone: [261] (23) 480 00/01
FAX: [261] (23) 480 35
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
name: "Ry Tanindraza nay malala o" (Oh, Our Beloved Fatherland)
lyrics/music: Pasteur RAHAJASON/Norbert RAHARISOA
note: adopted 1959
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.
$21.18 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 130
note: data are in 2012 US dollars
$9.98 billion (2012 est.)
1.9% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138
$900 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 218
note: data are in 2012 US dollars
-5.8% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 144
household consumption: 86.2%
government consumption: 11.5%
investment in fixed capital: 14.4%
investment in inventories: 0%
exports of goods and services: 27%
imports of goods and services: -39.1%
agriculture: 27.8%
industry: 16.2%
services: 56% (2012 est.)
coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, cloves, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), beans, bananas, peanuts; livestock products
meat processing, seafood, soap, breweries, tanneries, sugar, textiles, glassware, cement, automobile assembly plant, paper, petroleum, tourism
2.7% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 94
9.504 million (2007)
country comparison to the world: 52
lowest 10%: 2.2%
highest 10%: 34.7% (2010 est.)
47.5 (2001)
country comparison to the world: 28
revenues: $1.758 billion
expenditures: $1.929 billion (2012 est.)
17.6% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 179
-1.7% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81
6.4% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 169
5% (31 December 2010 est.)
56.25% (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1
$1.492 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 134
$2.926 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 146
$1.245 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 146
$-1.989 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 141
$592.1 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 170
coffee, vanilla, shellfish, sugar, cotton cloth, clothing, chromite, petroleum products
France 23.4%, China 6.6%, US 6.6%, Singapore 5.9%, Canada 5.5%, Germany 5.4%, Indonesia 5.3%, India 5.2%, South Africa 4.5% (2012)
$2.755 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 148
capital goods, petroleum, consumer goods, food
China 17.7%, France 12.4%, South Africa 5.3%, India 5.1%, Mauritius 5%, Bahrain 4.7%, Kuwait 4.6% (2012)
$1.191 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 130
$3.116 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 134
Malagasy ariary (MGA) per US dollar -
1.211 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 142
1.126 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 148
0 kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 96
0 kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 210
430,000 kW (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 142
65.6% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 120
0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 129
34.4% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 64
0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 196
0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 188
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 147
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 85
0 bbl (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 156
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 199
17,480 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 137
364.9 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 115
12,120 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 126
0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 158
0 cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 165
0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138
0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 90
2.01 billion cu m (1 January 2012 es)
country comparison to the world: 100
1.843 million Mt (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 149
143,700 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 138
8.564 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 89
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
domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity about 40 per 100 persons
international: country code - 261; landing point for the EASSy, SEACOM, and LION fiber-optic submarine cable systems; satellite earth stations - 2 (1 Intelsat - Indian Ocean, 1 Intersputnik - Atlantic Ocean region) (2010)
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)
38,392 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 102
319,900 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 127
83 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 66
total: 26
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 16
under 914 m: 1 (2013)
total: 57
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 38
under 914 m:
total: 854 km
country comparison to the world: 97
narrow gauge: 854 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
total: 34,476 km
country comparison to the world: 92
paved: 5,613 km
unpaved: 2,886 km (2010)
600 km (432 km navigable) (2011)
country comparison to the world: 80
total: 1
country comparison to the world: 156
by type: cargo 1
registered in other countries: 1 (unknown 1) (2010)
major seaport(s): Antsiranana (Diego Suarez), Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliara (Tulear)
People's Armed Forces: Intervention Force, Development Force, and Aeronaval Force (navy and air); National Gendarmerie
18-25 years of age for male-only voluntary military service; no conscription; service obligation is 18 months for military or equivalent civil service; 20-30 years of age for National Gendarmerie recruits and 35 years of age for those with military experience (2012)
males age 16-49: 4,900,729
females age 16-49: 4,909,061 (2010 est.)
males age 16-49: 3,390,071
females age 16-49: 3,682,180 (2010 est.)
male: 248,184
female: 246,769 (2010 est.)
0.69% of GDP (2012)
country comparison to the world: 356
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)
current situation: Madagascar is a source country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and women and children subjected to sex trafficking; poor Malagasy women hired as domestic workers in Lebanon and Kuwait are vulnerable to abuse by recruitment agencies and employers; an increasing number of Malagasy men were victimized by labor trafficking abroad in 2012; Malagasy children are subjected to domestic servitude, prostitution, forced begging, and forced labor within the country, often with the complicity of family members; coastal cities have child sex tourism trades, with Malagasy men being the main clients
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Madagascar does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; law enforcement authorities have made a significant increase in efforts in 2012, resulting in 30 trafficking-related prosecutions and two convictions; public officials complicity in human trafficking, however, remains a significant problem; the government has failed to identify and refer victims to protective services and has not supported NGO-run care facilities; the government also has not engaged any Middle Eastern governments regarding the protection of and legal remedies for Malagasy workers exploited abroad (2013)
