Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Madagascar
conventional short form: Madagascar
local short form: Madagascar
former: Malagasy Republic
local long form: Republique de Madagascar

Government type

republic

Capital

Antananarivo

Administrative divisions

6 provinces (faritany); Antananarivo, Antsiranana, Fianarantsoa, Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliara

National holiday

Independence Day, 26 June (1960)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Location

Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique

Geographic coordinates

20 00 S, 47 00 E

Map references

africa

Area

total: 587,040 sq km
water: 5,500 sq km
land: 581,540 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly less than twice the size of Arizona

Land boundaries

0 km

Coastline

4,828 km

Maritime claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions)

territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or 100 NM from the 2,500-m deep isobath
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
contiguous zone: 24 NM

Climate

tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south

Terrain

narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Maromokotro 2,876 m

Natural resources

graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, salt, quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish, hydropower

Land use

arable land: 4.99%
permanent crops: 1.03%
other: 93.98% (2000 est.)

GDP

purchasing power parity - $14.56 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

5.5% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $800 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 29.3%
industry: 16.7%
services: 54% (2004 est.)

Industries

meat processing, soap, breweries, tanneries, sugar, textiles, glassware, cement, automobile assembly plant, paper, petroleum, tourism

Agriculture - products

coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, cloves, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), beans, bananas, peanuts; livestock products

Exports:

$868.2 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

coffee, vanilla, shellfish, sugar; cotton cloth, chromite, petroleum products

Exports - partners

US 35.7%, France 30.7%, Germany 7.1%, Mauritius 4.4% (2004)

Imports:

$1.147 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:

capital goods, petroleum, consumer goods, food

Imports - partners:

France 17.6%, China 11.1%, Hong Kong 6.7%, Iran 6.2%, South Africa 5.8% (2004)

Currency

Malagasy franc (MGF)

Currency code

MGF

Exchange rates

Malagasy francs per US dollar - 1,868.9 (2004), 1,238.3 (2003), 1,366.4 (2002), 1,317.7 (2001), 1,353.5 (2000)

Fiscal year

calendar year