Country Background

Madagascar is an island located in the Indian Ocean along the Mozambique Channel. About the size of Texas, Madagascar is the world's fourth-largest island. Most settlers to the island crossed the Indian Ocean from Indonesia or came from eastern Africa.

As these new immigrants arrived, they brought along the crops they grew in their homelands. Consequently, the rice paddies in the agricultural regions of Madagascar today make the country look as if it belongs in Asia rather than Africa. Today, the chief food crop is still rice. Nearly 78 percent of the labor force works in the agricultural sector, which dominates this country's economy.

The capital of Antananarivo is located at the island's center in a mountain range, which occupies more than half of the main island and is responsible for the climatic and scenic differences between the tropical east and west coasts. The west coast of the island was once covered by dry deciduous forests, but is now mostly savanna. On the east coast, the island is largely covered by dense rainforests and is prone to cyclones. The southern tip of the island is semi-desert, with great forests of cactus-like plants.

Madagascar features some of the world's most unique flora and fauna. The island is home to rare lemurs, a diversity of reptiles, amphibians and birds as well as more than 3,000 species of butterfly. Arrays of orchids and palms trees are also found on Madagascar.

While Madagascar remains one of the poorest countries in Africa, its literacy rate is one of the highest at nearly 80 percent in 1995. The country's official languages are French and Malagasy.

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