MadagascarBy | Saturday, September 8  2012 at  15:49

Dialling Code
+261

Internet Code
.mg

Transport
Main Port: Tamatave (Toamasina)
Airport: Antananarivo (TNR) located 17km from the City

Modern issues

Environmental
Deforestation (more than 80% of the forests have gone. Illegal logging of Rosewood, forest Ebony and other precious hardwoods is on the rise
Soil erosion (due to Tavy or slash and burn to clear land for agriculture)
Overexploitation of living resources including hunting and over-collection of species from the wild

Political
Andry Rajoelina is currently heading a power-sharing transitional government after he overthrew Marc Ravalomanana in March 2009 with the help of the military

Getting Mr. Rajoelina to commit to key political reforms has been tough and despite having a new cabinet, cracks have already begun to emerge with resignations becoming the order of the day

Economic
Mr Rajoelina’s takeover was deemed unconstitutional and as a result, many donor nations (including the US) and several donor agencies have stopped aid to the nation

Social
There is an undercurrent of tension in Madagascar between the highlanders and coastal people
Since the March 2009 coup, Madagascar’s poverty has deepened significantly

The economy continues to falter and one consequence of this is the rise of sex tourism and child prostitution
Malaria is the largest health problem in Madagascar

Foreign Affairs
Claims to the ‘Iles Eparses’ which have been French possessions since 1897; Madagascar continues to refute French sovereignty over the Islands. However, this does not affect the close ties Madagascar has with France

The Major Conflicts

Malagasy Revolt
When: 1947 - 1948
Who: Mouvement Democratique de la Renovation Malagache (MDRM) VS French Government
Why: Movement for Madagascar’s independence
Outcome: French soldiers received reinforcements which suppressed the movement but more than 11,000 people were killed and the movement continued as a guerrilla war through 1948

Monima Revolt
When: 1971
Who: National Movement for the Independence of Madagascar (Mouvement National pour l'Indépendance de Madagascar-Monima) VS French Government
Why: Movement for Madagascar’s Independence, started as a peasants revolt against the government’s tax collections
Outcome: French quickly suppressed the revolt Monima leaders were arrested and deported to Nosy Lava

Madagascar’s Coup
When: 2009
Who: Andry Rajoelina (Antananarivo’s Mayor) and Military VS Marc Ravalomanana’s Government
Why: Rajoelina claimed Ravalomanana was a dictator with no consideration for the poor
Outcome: Andry Rajoelina is now the President of the High Transitional Authority until the next elections

What to see?
The Tsingy: World Heritage Site of eroded limestone formations that form a ‘forest’ of stone
Flora and Fauna: Have developed in isolation from other parts of the world and are therefore very unique; of the 202 species of bird, 105 are not found anywhere else in the world, there are 28 varieties of lemur and 32 species of chameleon

Sports
Popular Sports
Athletics
Judo
Football
Tennis
Basketball

Famous Sportsmen and Sportswomen
Dally Randriantefy: Professional tennis player who retired in 2006

Quirks
The traditional ‘Turning of the Bones’ or ‘famadihana’ ceremony: the corpses of the ‘razana’ (ancestors) are removed from their tombs, cleaned and wrapped in a new shroud before becoming guests of honour at a party that may last several day - it is hoped that this will keep the powerful ancestors happy so that they will intervene positively in the lives of the family
The current President, Andry Rajoelina, was a former DJ.