Madagascar

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Country Name

Madagascar, or officially the Republic of Madagascar.

Location

Madagascar is an island located off the southern coast of Africa. Madagascar is bordered by the Indian Ocean and is east of Mozambique.

It shares maritime borders with Comoros, Mauritius, Mozambique, Réunion, Mayotte, and South Africa.

Capital

Antananarivo.

The reason for naming the country

The name Madageiscar was first recorded in the memoirs of 13th-century Venetian explorer Marco Polo as a corrupted transliteration of the name Mogadishu, the Somali port with which Polo had confused the island.

Flag

The Madagascar flag was adopted on October 14, 1958.

Madagascar gained independence from France on June 26, 1960.

The flag of Madagascar consists of a horizontal red stripe over a green stripe, with a vertical white stripe.

One theory on the Madagascar flag's meaning says that the flag's colors represent Madagascar's history, their desire to get independent, and traditional classes. The white is said to stand for purity and the red for independence and freedom; the green represents the coastal regions and symbolizes hope.

Language

Malagasy is the most popular language in Madagascar with the majority of the population speaking this language. French is an official language in Madagascar as provided by the Constitution of Madagascar.

Religion

85% of the population now practiced Christianity, while just 4.5% of Madagascans practiced folk religions; among Christians, practitioners of Protestantism outnumbered adherents of Roman Catholicism. Islam is also practiced on the island. The vast majority of Muslims are Sunni. Hinduism is also practiced in Madagascar.

Currency

Malagasy ariary (MGA).

Time Zone

+03:00 GMT.

Government Regime

Unitary semi-presidential constitutional republic.

Climate

Madagascar has a tropical climate, with wet weather on the east coast, desert weather on the southwest, and mild weather in the highlands. The climate becomes colder in interior and mountain places.

Because the country is located in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are reversed as compared to the Northern Hemisphere.

Except for the east coast, where it rains all year, the nation has a rainy season from November to March and a dry season from April to October (or from May to September in the north).

As is characteristic of tropical locations, precipitation frequently falls in the form of thunderstorms, especially in the afternoon, thus even during the wettest months, there is plenty of sunshine, at least in the early hours.

Cool air masses from the southwest can influence the nation throughout the cool season, from mid-May to September, and sometimes also in October, bringing a little cool weather at night, especially in the center-south, and even cold in interior places.

The nation is fascinating not only because of the grandeur of its scenery but also because of its flora and wildlife.

International Phone Code

+261

Internet Code

.mg

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