Madagascar

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

noun:

Malagasy (singular and plural)

adjective:

Malagasy

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.)

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)

total number:

1,827,423

percentage:

28 %

note: data represents children ages 5-17 (2007 est.)

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)

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)

; note - the judiciary includes a High Court of Justice responsible for adjudicating crimes and misdemeanors by government officials including the president

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

• Association for the Rebirth of Madagascar or AREMA [Pierrot RAJAONARIVELO]
• Democratic Party for Union in Madagascar or PSDUM [Jean LAHINIRIKO]
• Economic Liberalism and Democratic Action for National Recovery or LEADER/Fanilo [Herizo RAZAFIMAHALEO]
• Fihaonana Party or FP [Guy-Willy RAZANAMASY]
• Green Party or Vert [Sarah Georget RABEHARISOA]
• I Love Madagascar or TIM [Marc RAVALOMANANA]
• Renewal of the Social Democratic Party or RPSD [Evariste MARSON]

• 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

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

lowest 10%:

2.2%

highest 10%:

34.7% (2010 est.)

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)

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)

total:

1

country comparison to the world: 156

by type:

cargo 1

registered in other countries:

1 (unknown 1) (2010)

• 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.)

• 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)