Agulhas and Somali Current Large Marine Ecosystems Project

History

• Madagascar was an independent kingdom until 1895, when it became a French colony.
• The Malagasy Republic was proclaimed in 1958 as an autonomous state within the French Community. A constitution was adopted in 1959 and full independence achieved on June 26, 1960.
• Didier Ratsiraka, who became president in 1975, introduced a repressive, socialist regime that lasted for 17 years.
• A tightly contested election in 2001, resulted in the election of Marc Ravalomanana being elected president. He is now in his second term following the elections of 2006.

Geography

• With a total area of 587,000 km², Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world.
• Madagascar is bounded by the Mozambique Channel to the west and the Indian Ocean to the south, north and east. The total length of the coastline is 4,828 km.
• The country consists of a central highland region which rises steeply from a narrow eastern coastal strip. It then descends gradually to the broad plains of the western coast.
• The three mountain groups, Tsaratana, Ankaratra and Andringingtra, are all of volcanic origin. There are also numerous rivers and lakes on the island.
• The climate is generally tropical along the coast, temperate inland and arid in the south. There are two seasons in Madagascar – hot and rainy from November to April and cooler and dry from May to October. The island occasionally experiences cyclones.

Demographics

• In July 2007, the population of Madagascar was estimated to be 19,448,815.
• The population consists of 18 Malagasy tribes of Afro-Asian origin who all speak the same language and make up the ethnic majority that accounts for 99% of the population. Foreign residents, including Comorians, Chinese and Indians, make up the remainder of the population.
• Around 47% of the population adhere to local tribal beliefs, while 51% are Christians. These are almost equally divided into Roman Catholics and Protestants. There is also a Muslim minority which accounts for just fewer than 2% of the population.
• The official languages are Malagasy, French and English.

Economy

• Since discarding socialist economic policies in the mid-1990s, Madagascar has followed a World Bank and International Monetary Fund-led policy of privatisation and liberalisation. This has placed the country on a slow and steady growth path. However, 70% of Madagascans live below the poverty line and average per capita income is $255.
• Agriculture, including fishing and forestry, accounts for more than one quarter of GDP and employs 80% of the population. Some of Madagascar’s main agricultural products are coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, cloves, cocoa and rice. However, deforestation and erosion are serious concerns for farmers.
• Key industries are meat processing, seafood, soap, breweries, tanneries, sugar, textiles, glassware, cement, automobile assembly, paper, petroleum and tourism.
• The official currency of Madagascar is the Madagascar ariary (MGA).

Social services and infrastructure

• Madagascar has been successful in improving many health indicators including immunisation, infant and child mortality and chronic malnutrition rates. However, only 65% of Madagascar’s population has access to basic healthcare services and 47% to clean drinking water.
• In 2002, the government announced a policy of free, compulsory primary education for five years.
• Madagascar has 49,827 km of roads, but these are generally in poor condition, with only 5,780 km paved.
• The state railway runs a regular service, has a container depot and is planning to introduce a passenger train on the country’s approximately 650 km of track.
• There are four main ports in Madagascar - Antsiranana, Mahajanga, Toamasina, and Toliara.

Marine environment

• Madagascar’s long coastline, east and west facing coasts, large latitudinal range and ‘upstream’ location in relation to eastern and southern Africa provide suitable environments for most of the marine species and habitat-types of the region.
• The coastal waters host an impressive array of marine life, supporting populations of humpback whales, dolphins, marine turtles and over 56 species of sharks. However, many of Madagascar’s endemic sea creatures are seriously endangered as a result of deforestation, habitat loss, overfishing and the introduction of exotic predators.

Fisheries

• Despite the island’s long coastline, fishing is a relatively under-developed industry in Madagascar.
  On the east coast, stormy seas and a lack of harbours mean that fishing is restricted mainly to coastal lagoons.
  There are approximately 52,000 artisanal fishers in Madagascar.
  Four joint-venture companies carry out commercial fishing along the northwest coast, where sardine and tuna are caught. These species account for most fisheries exports, but lobsters, prawns and shrimps, caught in the southwest, are also exported.
  The total catch in 2000 was estimated at 132,093 tonnes, of which 30,000 tonnes were caught in inland waters.
  Vessels from the European Union are licensed to catch up to 11,000 tons of tuna and prawns in Madagascan waters each year.

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascar
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/madagascar/
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ma.html
http://www.wildmadagascar.org/
http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Madagascar
http://www.wcs.org/international/marine/marineafrica/madagascarmarine