| Area:
land: 581,540 sq km
water: 5,500 sq km
Nationality:
noun: Malagasy (singular and plural)
Languages:
Malagasy (official), French (official). Climate:
tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south Terrain:
narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center Elevation
extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Maromokotro
2,876 m Natural
resources:
graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, salt, quartz, tar sands,
semiprecious stones, mica, fish, hydropower Land
use:
arable land: 5.07%
permanent crops: 1.03%
other: 93.91%
(2001) Irrigated
land:
10,900 sq km (2000 est.) 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 species of flora and fauna unique to the island are endangered
Geography:
world's fourth-largest island Population:
18,040,341 (July 2005 est.) Age
structure:
0-14 years: 44.8% (male 4,051,832/female 4,038,837)
15-64
years: 52.1% (male 4,657,346/female 4,745,971)
65 years and over: 3% (male
247,146/female 299,209) (2005 est.) Death
rate:
11.35 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) Infant
mortality rate:
total: 76.83 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 85.05
deaths/1,000 live births
female: 68.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) Life
expectancy at birth:
total population: 56.95 years
male: 54.57 years
female: 59.4 years (2005 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 (2004) Ethnic
groups:
Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and related Betsileo), Cotiers (mixed
African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry - Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, Antaisaka,
Sakalava), French, Indian, Creole, Comoran Religions:
indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian 41%, Muslim 7% Government
type:
Republic Capital:
Antananarivo Administrative
divisions:
6 provinces (faritany); Antananarivo, Antsiranana, Fianarantsoa,
Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliara Independence:
26 June 1960 (from France) National
holiday:
Independence Day, 26 June (1960) 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 has 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.
GDP: Population
below poverty line: 72.1% (2004 est.) Source:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ma.html | 
