Madagascar

Republic of MadagascarRepublique de Madagascar/Repoblikan'i Madagasikara

republicIndependence 26 June 1960 (from France)

Madagascar as the 2006 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 122 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalAntananarivo, UTC+3

Position20 00 S, 47 00 E

Area587,040 sq km

LocationSouthern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique

Populationas each edition published it

18.6 million July 2006 est. · 11.8m in 1990

Population growth% a year

3.03% 2006 est. · 3.2% in 1993

Median ageyears

17.5 years 2006 est. · 17.4 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

57.34 years 2006 est. · 53.52 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

5.62 children per woman 2006 est. · 6.9 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

75.21 deaths per 1,000 live births 2006 est. · 97 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$900 2005 est. · $200 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

5.1% 2005 est. · 1% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

Background

Formerly an independent kingdom, Madagascar became a French colony in 1896, but regained its 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.

Geography

Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique

18 fields

Land useshare of 587,040 sq km

arable land 5.03%permanent crops 1.02%other 93.95% (2005)irrigated 10,860 sq km (2003)

Area

587,040sq km

land: 581,540 sq kmwater: 5,500 sq kmslightly less than twice the size of Arizona

Coastline

4,828km

land boundaries: 0 kmterritorial sea: 12 nmcontiguous zone: 24 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nmcontinental shelf: 200 nm or 100 nm from the 2,500-m deep isobath

Highest point

2,876m

Maromokotrolowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

Location

Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique

Geographic coordinates

20 00 S, 47 00 E

Map references

Africa

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, salt, quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish, hydropower

Natural hazards

periodic cyclones, drought, and locust infestation

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

Environment - international agreements

party to:: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note

world's fourth-largest island; strategic location along Mozambique Channel

People

20 fields

Age structuremale left, female right · (2006 est.)

249,414

65 and over3%

306,098

4,809,173

15-6452.2%

4,900,675

4,171,821

0-1444.8%

4,158,288

MaleFemale

Population

18,595,469

(July 2006 est.)growth rate: 3.03% (2006 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2006 est.)

Birth

41.41Death

11.11Net migration

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2006 est.)57.34

54.93 · 59.82Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)75.21

83.34 · 66.84

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (2003 est.)68.9%

75.5% · 62.5%Median age years (2006 est.)17.5

17.3 · 17.7

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Religions

indigenous beliefs 52%Christian 41%Muslim 7%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.7%

(2003 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population:: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.62 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

140,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

7,500 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk:: high
food or waterborne diseases:: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases:: malaria and plague are high risks in some locations
water contact disease:: schistosomiasis (2005)

Nationality

noun:: Malagasy (singular and plural)
adjective:: Malagasy

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)

Government

Republic; President Marc RAVALOMANANA (since 6 May 2002); Prime Minister Jacques SYLLA (27 May 2002)

18 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

50.5%

Marc RAVALOMANANA (TIM) 50.5%Didier RATSIRAKA (AREMA) 37.7%election last held 16 December 2001 (next to be held December 2006)

National Assembly, 160 seats, elected 15 December 2002one dot, one seat

TIM 103FP 22AREMA 3LEADER/Fanilo 2RPSD 5others 3independents 22

Country name

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

Government type

republic

Capital

name:: Antananarivo
geographic coordinates:: 18 52 S, 47 30 E
time difference:: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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

19 August 1992 by national referendum

Legal system

based on French civil law system and traditional Malagasy law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:: President Marc RAVALOMANANA (since 6 May 2002)
head of government:: Prime Minister Jacques SYLLA (27 May 2002)
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 16 December 2001 (next to be held December 2006);
prime minister appointed by the president
election results:: percent of vote - Marc RAVALOMANANA (TIM) 50.5%, Didier RATSIRAKA (AREMA) 37.7%

Legislative branch

bicameral legislature consists of a National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (160 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and a Senate or Senat (100 seats; two-thirds of the seats filled by regional assemblies whose members will be elected by popular vote; the remaining one-third of the seats appointed by the president; all members will serve four-year terms)

elections:: National Assembly - last held 15 December 2002 (next to be held December 2006)
election results:: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - TIM 103, FP 22, AREMA 3, LEADER/Fanilo 2, RPSD 5, others 3, independents 22

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 RAJAONARIVO];
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]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Committee for the Defense of Truth and Justice or KMMR;
Committee for National Reconciliation or CRN [Albert Zafy];
National Council of Christian Churches or FFKM

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Rajaonarivony NARISOA
chancery:: 2374 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: [1] (202) 265-5525, 5526
FAX:: [1] (202) 265-3034
consulate(s) general:: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador James D. MCGEE
embassy:: 14-16 Rue Rainitovo, Antsahavola, Antananarivo 101
mailing address:: B. P. 620, Antsahavola, Antananarivo
telephone:: [261] (20) 22-212-57, 22-212-73, 22-209-56
FAX:: [261] (20) 22-345-39

Flag description

two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a vertical white band of the same width on hoist side

Economy

Having discarded past socialist economic policies, Madagascar has since the mid 1990s followed a World Bank- and IMF-led policy of privatization and liberalization.

41 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$16.05billion

(2005 est.)official exchange rate: $4.719 billion (2005 est.)

GDP per capita, PPP

$900

(2005 est.)

Real growth rate

5.1%

(2005 est.)industrial production growth: 3% (2000 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

15%

(2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(2005 est.)

agriculture 27.6%industry 16.5%services 55.9% (2005 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

30.9%

France

16.6%

30.3%

China

10.6%

8.6%

Germany

Iran

7.9%

Mauritius

6.5%

South Africa

5.9%

Hong Kong

Exports $951 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)Imports $1.4 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)(2005)

Budget

Revenues

$703.6 millionExpenditures

$853 million (2005 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $331 million

Electricity

Electricity production

825.4 million (2003)Electricity consumption

767.7 million (2003)

Economy - overview

Having discarded past socialist economic policies, Madagascar has since the mid 1990s followed a World Bank- and IMF-led policy of privatization and liberalization. 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 have boomed in recent years primarily due to duty-free access to the United States. Deforestation and erosion, aggravated by the use of firewood as the primary source of fuel, are serious concerns. President RAVALOMANANA has worked aggressively to revive the economy following the 2002 political crisis, which triggered a 12% drop in GDP that year. Poverty reduction and combating corruption will be the centerpieces of economic policy for the next few years.

Labor force

7.3 million (2000)

Population below poverty line

50% (2004 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

47.5 (2001)

Investment (gross fixed)

26.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Industries

meat processing, soap, breweries, tanneries, sugar, textiles, glassware, cement, automobile assembly plant, paper, petroleum, tourism

Oil - production

89.27 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

15,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports

NA bbl/day

Oil - imports

NA bbl/day

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance

$-438 million (2005 est.)

Exports

$951 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities

coffee, vanilla, shellfish, sugar, cotton cloth, chromite, petroleum products

Imports

$1.4 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities

capital goods, petroleum, consumer goods, food

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$572 million (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$4.6 billion (2002)

Economic aid - recipient

$354 million (2001)

Currency (code)

Madagascar ariary (MGA)

Exchange rates

Malagasy ariary per US dollar - 2,003 (2005), 1,868.9 (2004), 1,238.3 (2003), 1,366.4 (2002), 1,317.7 (2001)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

8 fields

Mobile cellular

504,700

(2005)

Internet users

1,504

(2006)

Fixed lines

66,900

(2005) · country code .mg

Telephone system

general assessment:: system is above average for the region
domestic:: open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter links connect regions
international:: country code - 261;
submarine cable to Bahrain;
satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)