Madagascar /english/
ANNA MAGERKO
FRENCH REPORT
MADAGASCAR
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Madagascar
By: Anna Magerko
French 1
Mrs. Newsome
11/15/97
Madagascar
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.