Madagascar at a glance ...

Andringitra photo credit: José Eduardo Silva

Key Information

Official Country Name: Republic of Madagascar
Nationality: Malagasy (noun and adjective, singular and plural)
Official Languages: Malagasy, French, English
Population: 20,600,000 (2009 estimate)
Annual Population Growth Rate: 3% (2009 estimate)
Capital City: Antananarivo
Area: 587,040 km2 (226,658 square miles)
Independence:  Formerly an independent kingdom, Madagascar became a French colony in 1896.
It regained its independence on June 26, 1960.
Birth Rate: 38.14 /1000 (2009 estimate)
Death Rate: 8.14 /1000 (2009 estimate)
Infant Mortality Rate: 54.2 /1000
Religions: indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian 41%, Muslim 7%
Time Zone: UTC+3
International Dialing Code: +261
Internet Domain: .mg

Social Indicators

GDP per capita, purchasing-power-parity: US$ 1,000 (2008)
Proportion of population living on less than US$1 /day: 52% (2005)
Primary school enrollment rate: 74%
Primary school completion rate for girls: 57%
Adult literacy rate: 82% (2008)
Life expectancy at birth: 62.89 years
Childhood immunization rate: > 62% (2008)
HIV/AIDS prevalence rate: 0.17% (lowest in Africa)

Economy

Monetary unit:  Ariary
1 US dollar = 1,900 Malagasy Ariary (2009 average)
1000 Malagasy Ariary = 0.53 US$ (2009 average)
Gross Domestic Product (GDP): US$ 20.18 billion (2008)
Annual Growth rate of GDP: 7% (2008)
Gross National Income (GNI) per capita: US$ 245 (2009 IMF estimate)
Annual Growth rate of per capita GNI: 3.7% (2007)
Inflation rate: 9.2% (2008)
Primary Products:  vanilla, seafood, livestock, rice, cassava, pepper, sugar cane, litchi, cocoa, coffee, cloves, timber, mangoes, corn (maize), potatoes, peanuts
Other Natural Resources:  nickel, ilmenite, chromite, cobalt, sapphire, ruby, garnet, beryl, emerald, gold, zirconium, bauxite, niobium, labradorite, copper, lead, manganese, platinum, zinc, uranium, mica, tin, graphite
Main Exports:  clothing and textile products, shrimp, petroleum products, vanilla, chromite, cloves, cacao, coffee, lychees, sisal, timber, seafood, canned fruits and vegetables, gemstones, sugar, leather and hides, beans, raffia, pepper, graphite, spiny lobsters, essential oils, medicinal herbs and plants, cinnamon, corn (maize), peanuts, mica, quartz, rhum, rice, banana, cassava and tapioca, bat guano
Main Export Partners:  France, USA, Germany, China, Italy, United Kingdom, Spain, Mauritius
Main Imports:  machinery and transport equipment, textiles, petroleum, iron bars and other iron products, radios/televisions/telephones and accessories, plastics, kerosene, rice, edible oils, pharmaceutical products, gasoline, cement, paper, sugar, flour, office equipment, processed food products, paper products, fertilizer, tractor trucks and agricultural machinery, tires and rubber products, clothing, glass products, powdered milk, lubricants, malt, books, alcoholic beverages, soap and detergents, shoes, paints, sewing machines, disinfectants and insecticides, tobacco and tobacco products
Main Import Partners:  China, Bahrain, France, South Africa, India, USA, Germany, Mauritius, Thailand
Main Industries:  food processing, mining, oil refining, forestry, cement, breweries, tanneries, soap, paper, textiles, tourism, automobile assembly

Political and Administrative Systems

Government type:  Republic, under the principle of the separation of powers between the Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches
Legislative Branch:  The Senate: The upper house is renewed every five years: two thirds of the seats are filled by an equal number of elected senators from each of the six provinces; the remaining one-third of the senators are nominated by the President of the Republic based on their individual expertise in judicial, economic, social or cultural matters.
  The National Assembly: the lower house consists of deputies elected in geographical precincts for a five-year term.
Executive Branch:  The President of the Republic of Madagascar is elected by popular vote to a five-year term
  The Council of Ministers is appointed by the President and headed by the Prime Minister
Judicial Branch:  the Supreme Court and related jurisdictions,
the Courts of Appeal and related jurisdictions, and
the High Constitutional Court
Age of eligibility to vote: 18 years
National Flag: