ANNA MAGERKO
FRENCH REPORT
MADAGASCAR
WHERE:
1. MICROSOFT ENCARTA ENCYCLOPEDIA
2. INTERNET: 1) INFOPEDIA
2) HERITAGE
3. WORLD BOOK 1993
4. COLLIER'S ENCYCLOPEDIA
5. ACADEMIC AMERICAN ENCYCLOPEDIA
6. ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA
7.
INFO TRAC
8.
WORLD ALMANAC AND BOOK OF
FACTS Madagascar By:
Anna Magerko French
1 Mrs.
Newsome 11/15/97 Madagascar My
report is on Madagascar. Madagascar is an island of the continent of
Africa. It is the fourth largest island in the world. It is in the
Indian Ocean. Madagascar is formed by one large island and several
small islands. The country’s total area is 226,658 square
miles. It is about the size of Texas. The central part of this
large island is made of a mountainous plateau. This separates the
sides of the island. Madagascar is partly volcanic in origin. The
sides of the mountain rise about 2,876 feet to the top. Maromokotro
is located near the north of the island. The massive Ankaratra
Mountains, near the capital city of Antananarivo, rise to the height
of 2,643 miles. The land slopes steeply to a small or narrow lowland
bordering the Indian Ocean in the east. There is a somewhat wider
coastal plain next to the Mozambique Channel in the west. The best
soil in the country is found along the coast, and in river valley’s
of the central plateau. The major rivers of Madagascar are
Betsiboka, Mangoky and Onilahy. All rivers start on the east side of
the country, and flow west towards the Mozambique Channel. The
largest lake is near Toamasina. It is called Alaotra. The
eastern part of Madagascar gets a lot of rain, which is brought on
shore by winds coming from the southeasterly direction. Annual
precipitation in some areas on the eastern coast is about 120 inches.
The central plateau doesn’t get as much rain. Areas in the
south and southwest get about 15 inches of rain. Most of the rain
falls between November and April. Coastal regions remain at a warm
or hot temperature throughout the year. The central plateau has a
climate of warm summers and cool winters. Tropical rain forests are
also in Madagascar. The Savanna woodlands and grasslands grow in the
drier western regions. Desert vegetation occurs in the extreme
southwest. Animal life is uncommon in Madagascar. Lemur, is an
animal that is found almost always in Madagascar. All the animals
that are in Madagascar share characteristics with animals in Africa.
The differences indicate they evolved on Madagascar during a long
period of isolation. They
have minerals in Madagascar like the ones we have in United States of
America. They have coal and nickel. Other important mineral
resources include bauxite, chromium, graphite, iron ore, petroleum
and copper deposits, as well as small amounts of salt, garnets, and
mica. Madagascar
has an ethnically diverse population of 13,005,989. The number of
people living there is growing at a comparatively high annual rate of
3.2 percent. Some major ethnic groups are the Merina, who makes up
27 percent of the total population, and the Betsilo [12 percent] who
are related to the Merina. Both groups descended mostly from Malaya
and Indonesia about 2,000 years ago. The coastal areas are in
habited mainly by a group of mixed people. The ancestries among
these people are Malayo-Indonesian, black African, and Arab. The
ethnic groups are Tsimihety [7 percent ], Sakalave [6 percent ], and
Antaiska [5 percent ] . Only 22 percent of the total population is
classified as urban. Antananarivo the capital, is the largest city
with a population of 703,000. Other important cities are Toamasina
[139,000], Fianarantsoa [111,000], Mahajanga [111,000], Toliara
[59,000], and Antsiranana [53,000]. The
two official languages of Madagascar are the Merina dialect of
Malagasy, a language of Malayo-Indonesian origin, and the other is
French. Approximately 41 percent of the religion in Madagascar is
Christian. Fifty-two percent follows traditional beliefs and 7
percent is Muslim. In
1976 the government passed legislation making six years of school
mandatory. By the middle of the 1980s the literacy rate was up 67
percent. Virtually all children in the age group of six to eleven
attended elementary school, and 21 percent of those between the ages
of twelve and seventeen were enrolled in secondary school. The
country’s main source of higher education is at the University
of Antananarivo. Most of higher education centers are located in
Antananarivo. Madagascar’s
radio and television broadcasting is provided by Radio-Television
Malgasy and Radio Madagasikara. Both stations are state owned. Not
everybody has a radio or television, so the government owns a
newspaper, Madagascar-Tribune. There is one other newspaper it is the
Imongo Vaovao. Both of the newspapers are made in Antananarivo. In
1975, Madagascar’s government said, under the constitution,
that the country was ruled by a president who was elected for seven
years. They have a twenty-two member Supreme Revolutionary Council,
which is appointed by the president. They also have a Council of
Ministers that is lead by the Prime Minister. They have yet another
council it is called the People’s National Assembly. It is a
137 member assembly, elected by the people. The members serve a five
year term. Madagascar’s Judicial system is based upon that of
France. It includes a supreme court, located in Antananarivo, a
court of appeal, eleven courts of first instance, and special
economic and criminal tribunals. Madagascar’s military has
21,000 members. Madagascar is a member of the United Nations. It
also is a part of the Organization of African Unity, and several
other organizations. Madagascar
is one of the poorest countries in the world. The country remains,
like in colonial times, mostly agricultural. Eighty percent of the
country’s labor force is engaged in agricultural activities.
The
main food crops in Madagascar are rice, cassava, beans, bananas,
corn, sweet potatoes, and taro. The production of goods has not kept
up with the growing population. Also, the importation of large
amounts of food, can’t keep up with it either. The cash crops
are coffee, cloves, sugarcane, sisal, tobacco, and eighty percent of
the world’s supply of vanilla. Livestock includes 10.6 million
cattle, one point one million goats, and one point four million pigs.
Not a lot of commercial fishing is done in Madagascar. Most of the
fish caught is consumed locally. Efforts to replenish the forest
lands are underway. They are planning to do this because in the
middle 1980s 7.3 million cubic feet of forest land was cut. Public
transportation in Madagascar is not very high. The country has only
549 miles of railroad track. They have some 11,560 miles of road.
Thirty percent of the roads are paved. Only about 36,000 cars are in
use. Toamasina is the main port handling 35 percent of the nation’s
foreign trade. Mahajanga, Toliara, and Antsiranana are some other
port cities. Madagascar only has four major airports. The
international airport is located in Antananarivo. Madagascar has its
own airline, which is called Air Madagascar. Foreign
trade in Madagascar generally has a negative balance. In the late
1980's import and export values have increased. Coffee has made up
28 percent of all exports by value, followed by vanilla [twenty-six
percent], sugar [five percent], and cloves and clove oil [four
percent]. Exports include Chemicals [fifteen percent], machinery
[fourteen percent], crude petroleum [ten percent], motor vehicles and
parts [nine percent], and metal products [seven percent]. The major
trading partners of Madagascar are France, United States, Germany,
and Japan. Of
course Madagascar has its own money. The money in Madagascar is
called Malagasy franc. One dollar in US currency is equal to 1846.87
Malagasy francs.
The
history of Madagascar, first European to sight the island was Diogo
Dias. Dias was from Portugal. He found the island some time in the
1500s. During the 17th century, the Portuguese, the English, and the
French successively and unsuccessfully tried to colonize Madagascar.
The French got a temporary hold on the island in 1642. They were
driven out in 1674. They finally acquired trading places along the
east coast in the following century. From 1810 to 1828, during the
reign of the Merina king, Radama I, who didn’t like the French,
allowed the English to come and live there. British officers trained
Merina troops, and British missionaries introduced Christianity.
After the death of Radama I, a strong reaction towards European
culture developed. Reforms were abolished, the missionaries were
persecuted, and trade relations with Great Britain were severed.
Radama II reigned from 1861 to 1863. He was a generally a
progressive ruler. He got along with the French. Radama II was
killed because of this fact. There was a period of time when they’re
arguing with the French. After that period of time, Queen Ranavalona
III took over ruling Madagascar, in 1895. In 1896, because of
popular uprisings, Madagascar was proclaimed a colony of France.
Then military rule was instituted, and the queen was sent out of the
country and was not allowed to return. Now Madagascar has its own
government, and is progressing well. They have a system similar to
the United States. They have a congress, a constitution, and a
president. Their president is elected for a seven year term. Unlike
our president’s term that is only for four years. The official
name for Madagascar is Democratic Republic of Madagascar. I
chose to do my report on Madagascar because it is an island. I love
islands. I have always wanted to live on an island. Another reason
I choose Madagascar was because I had heard of Madagascar but never
really found out where it was until I did my report.
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