Eastern Africa · AfricaMadagascar
Discover Madagascar - the island where 90% of wildlife exists nowhere else on Earth, baobabs grow upside down, and lemurs rule a world apart from mainland Africa.
Where Is Madagascar?
Madagascar is a country in Eastern Africa. Its capital is Antananarivo.
- Capital Antananarivo
- Population 32.7M
- Area 587,041 km²
Madagascar is not really part of Africa. Not biologically, anyway. When it broke away from the Indian subcontinent around 88 million years ago and drifted into the Indian Ocean, evolution took a hard left turn and never looked back. The result is an island where roughly 90% of the wildlife is found absolutely nowhere else on the planet. Lemurs instead of monkeys. Chameleons in half the world's species. Baobab trees that look like they were planted upside down. Scientists call it the eighth continent, and the label fits.
The fourth-largest island in the world stretches over 1,500 kilometers from north to south, and the landscapes shift dramatically along the way. Rainforests cling to the eastern escarpment, spiny deserts dominate the south, limestone karst formations called tsingy erupt in the west like stone forests, and the central highlands are covered in terraced rice paddies that would look at home in Southeast Asia. The Malagasy people themselves reflect this crossroads identity - their language is Austronesian, closer to languages in Borneo than to any African tongue, and their culture blends Southeast Asian, African, and Arab influences into something entirely its own.
Despite its extraordinary natural wealth, Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world. Deforestation has claimed roughly 90% of the original forest cover, and many of its unique species are critically endangered. It is a place of staggering beauty and heartbreaking fragility, a living laboratory of evolution running out of time.
At a glance
Largest cities in Madagascar
Antananarivo
Toamasina
Antsirabe
Mahajanga
Fianarantsoa
Famous people from Madagascar
Philibert Tsiranana
PoliticsFirst president of independent Madagascar who guided the country through its transition from French colony to sovereign republic in 1960
Albert Rakoto Ratsimamanga
SciencePioneering biochemist and diplomat who researched tropical medicinal plants and helped establish Madagascar's scientific institutions
Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo
LiteratureConsidered the first modern poet of Africa, whose bilingual Malagasy-French verses are among the most important in African literary history
Sylvain Ranaivo
LiteraturePoet who drew deeply from traditional Malagasy hain-teny oral poetry to create a distinctive literary voice in French
Traditional cuisine of Madagascar
- Romazava
- Madagascar's national dish - a hearty stew of beef and mixed leafy greens including paracress, served over heaping mounds of rice
- Ravitoto
- Shredded cassava leaves slow-cooked with pork and coconut milk until rich and tender, a beloved everyday comfort food
- Vary Amin'anana
- Rice cooked with greens, a simple but essential daily staple that showcases how central rice is to Malagasy life
- Mofo Gasy
- Sweet rice flour pancakes cooked in cast-iron molds on charcoal, the ubiquitous street breakfast sold at every corner
- Koba
- Sweet dessert made from ground peanuts, banana, and rice flour wrapped in banana leaves and steamed until dense and fudgy
- Akoho sy Voanio
- Chicken simmered in coconut milk with ginger and garlic, reflecting the island's Southeast Asian and coastal culinary influences
Nature and landmarks in Madagascar
- Avenue of the BaobabsLandmark
- Iconic row of towering 800-year-old Grandidier's baobabs lining a dirt road near Morondava, one of Africa's most photographed sights
- Tsingy de BemarahaNational Park
- UNESCO World Heritage Site of razor-sharp limestone pinnacles rising like a stone forest, home to lemurs that leap between the blades
- Isalo National ParkNational Park
- Jurassic-era sandstone massif carved into canyons, natural swimming pools, and grasslands that resemble the American Southwest
- Ranomafana National ParkNational Park
- Misty montane rainforest where the golden bamboo lemur was discovered in 1986, one of the richest biodiversity hotspots on Earth
- Nosy BeIsland
- Perfume Island off the northwest coast, surrounded by turquoise waters, ylang-ylang plantations, and some of the best diving in the Indian Ocean
Sports in Madagascar
- Football
- The Barea made history by qualifying for their first Africa Cup of Nations in 2019 and reaching the quarterfinals in a fairy-tale run
- Rugby Union
- Growing rugby culture with competitive performances in African rugby and regular participation in continental tournaments
- Moraingy
- Traditional Malagasy bare-fist kickboxing that remains hugely popular in coastal communities as both sport and cultural ritual
Did you know?
About 90% of Madagascar's wildlife is found nowhere else on Earth, making it one of the world's top biodiversity hotspots
Malagasy is an Austronesian language more closely related to languages in Borneo and the Philippines than to any African language
Madagascar has more species of baobab tree (six endemic species) than all of mainland Africa combined (which has just one)
The island is home to roughly half of the world's chameleon species, from the tiny Brookesia micra (smaller than a matchhead) to the two-foot Parson's chameleon
The fady (taboo) system governs much of daily life - certain foods, activities, and even days of the week may be forbidden depending on your clan
Madagascar split from India about 88 million years ago, giving evolution enough time to create an entirely unique biological world
Vanilla originated in Mexico, but Madagascar now produces about 80% of the world's supply, making it the island's most valuable export
Read more about Madagascar
Can you find Madagascar on a map?
Drop a pin where you think it is and see how close you got. A few rounds and you will place Madagascar and its neighbours without a second thought.
