Madagascar

Madagascar lies off southeastern Africa in the southwestern Indian Ocean and is the world's fourth-largest island. The Mozambique Channel separates it from the African mainland. A central plateau rises between a narrow eastern coastal strip and lower plateaus and plains to the west. The island's climate varies with elevation and exposure: the east is generally wetter, while areas to the west and southwest are drier. Antananarivo, the capital, is situated on the central plateau.

Malagasy and French are the country's official languages. Malagasy belongs to the Austronesian language family, with Bantu influences, reflecting Madagascar's history of contact across the Indian Ocean and with Africa. The island's population and traditions are diverse; cultural practices, settlement patterns and livelihoods vary across its highlands, coasts and other regions. The capital, Antananarivo, developed in the central highlands, historically an important center of political life.

Archaeological investigations indicate that people reached Madagascar by about the seventh century CE, although the routes and sequence of settlement remain subjects of historical study. Malagasy has Austronesian roots, alongside linguistic influences from Africa and later contacts. For centuries, the island contained multiple local states. The Merina kingdom, centered in the highlands, expanded its power during the nineteenth century. France annexed Madagascar in 1896; resistance to colonial rule included the Malagasy uprising of 1947. Madagascar became independent in 1960.

Madagascar's long separation from other landmasses has contributed to ecosystems with many species found nowhere else, including lemurs and distinctive reptiles and plants. Its habitats range from eastern rainforests to western dry forests and the drier landscapes of the south. UNESCO's World Heritage Convention lists three properties in Madagascar: the Royal Hill of Ambohimanga, the Rainforests of the Atsinanana and the Dry Forests of Andrefana. Habitat change and pressure on natural resources make conservation an important issue.

Agriculture is important to many livelihoods and to the wider economy. The World Bank identifies the prominence of low-productivity subsistence agriculture, infrastructure limitations, recurrent cyclones and droughts, and limited access to basic services among the country's development challenges. These conditions interact with Madagascar's varied environment and regional differences; the island's natural resources and biodiversity are also significant parts of its national heritage.