Introduction
Background
Madagascar was one of the last major habitable landmasses on earth to be settled by humans. Madagascar was a pirate stronghold during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The French conquered the island in 1896 and made it a colony. Independence was regained in 1960.
Geography
Area
total : 587,041 sq km
land: 581,540 sq km
water: 5,501 sq km
Climate
tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south
Natural resources
graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, rare earth elements, salt, quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish, hydropower
People and Society
Population
total: 29,452,714
Ethnic groups
Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and related Betsileo), Cotiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry - Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava), French, Indian, Creole, Comoran
Languages
Malagasy (official) 99.9%, French (official) 23.6%, English 8.2%, other 0.6% (2018 est.)
Religions
Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar/Malagasy Lutheran Church/Anglican Church 34%, Roman Catholic 32.3%, other Christian 8.1%, traditional/Animist 1.7%, Muslim 1.4%, other 0.6%, none 21.9% (2021 est.)
Population growth rate
2.18% (2024 est.)
Government
Government type
semi-presidential republic
Capital
name: Antananarivo
Executive branch
chief of state: President Andry RAJOELINA (since 16 December 2023)
head of government: Prime Minister Christian NTSAY (since 6 June 2018)
Legislative branch
summary: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (18 seats) and the National Assembly (151 seats)
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Amielle Pelenne NIRINIAVISOA MARCEDA (since 31 October 2019)
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Claire PIERANGELO (since 2 May 2022)
Economy
Economic overview
low-income East African island economy; natural resource rich; extreme poverty; return of political stability has helped growth; sharp tax revenue drop due to COVID-19; leading vanilla producer; environmentally fragile
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$51.255 billion (2023 est.)
$49.291 billion (2022 est.)
$47.488 billion (2021 est.)
Real GDP per capita
$1,700 (2023 est.)
$1,700 (2022 est.)
$1,600 (2021 est.)
Exports
$4.689 billion (2022 est.)
$3.362 billion (2021 est.)
$2.589 billion (2020 est.)
Exports - partners
US 18%, France 15%, China 13%, Japan 11%, Germany 4% (2022)
Exports - commodities
nickel, garments, vanilla, cloves, cobalt (2022)
Imports
$6.041 billion (2022 est.)
$4.769 billion (2021 est.)
$3.718 billion (2020 est.)
Imports - partners
China 24%, India 10%, France 9%, Oman 6%, South Africa 6% (2022)
Imports - commodities
refined petroleum, rice, fabric, palm oil, cotton fabric (2022)
Page last updated: Monday, September 09, 2024
