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| Geography |
Madagascar is the world's fourth largest island (after Greenland, New Guinea, and Borneo).
It is approximately 1,580 kilometres (1,000 miles) long and 570 kilometres (350 miles) wide.
It is about 400 kilometres off the east African coast, south of the equator, and is seperated from Africa by the Mozambique channel.
A chain of mountains runs down the length of the country toward the eastern side.
The steep eastern slopes bear the remains of the country's once dense rainforest, while the western plain is drier supporting decidous forest, savannah grasslands, and the southern 'spiny forest'.
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| Climate |
The island has a hot and humid tropical climate, with heavy rainfall in the hottest season (November to March).
However temperatures can drop to near freezing during the coldest month of June in the extreme south .
Rainfall is heavier on the eastern side, with an average of 355cm per annum in the wettest areas; but can be as low as 30cm in the southwest.
Cyclones are frequent (February and March) along the eastern coast.
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| Flora and Fauna |
Due to the islands seperation from the African mainland 165 million years ago, most of the island's rich plant and animal life is unique to Madagascar.
New species and even new genera are still being discovered by scientific missions.
The island has no large predatory mammals or poisonous reptiles, although spiders and scorpions are common.
Monkeys are not found on the island, primate evolution stopped with Lemurs (for which the island is rightly famous).
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| Culture |
Madagascar was a French colony from 1896 until the island regained independance in 1960, as such French is widely spoken (Malagasy is the first language), whilst English is fairly uncommon (although becoming rapidly more popular).
The people of Madgascar (the Malagasy), numbering about 13 million, are Afro-Indonesian in origin and are officially divided into 18 main 'tribes' or clans.
Christianity is the dominant religion, although most Malagasy practice a unique form of ancestor worship.
Islam and Hinduism are practised by the countries Asian community.
75% of the population live below the poverty line, with 15% of children dying before their first birthday.
Only 10% of homes have electricity, and a similar figure have running water; 2% have WCs and 6% telephones.
Madagascar is the world's eleventh poorest country, however internationally supported economic reforms have dropped inflation from 60% to 6%, and there is hope on the horizon.
Educational standards are low, with one third of children receiving no education at all.
The literacy rate is below 50%.
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| Logistics |
The country uses a electrical supply of 220 volts.
The timezone is GMT +3.
Visas are required by all, and are available either upon arrival (£16/US$26) or from the embassy/consulate in your country of residence (£40/US$65).
If you require a visa for more than 30 days, get it before you arrive, as the extension process is extremely time-consuming once within the country.
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