Madagascar

Half of all children under five in Madagascar suffer chronic malnutrition.  25% of the population live in areas vulnerable to natural disasters such as cyclones, floods and droughts.

Life in Madagascar

Madagascar is an island country in the Indian Ocean off the coast of southern Africa, where farming, fishing and forestry form the backbone of the economy.  By area, Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, with a land mass of 587,000 km2 and around 26 million inhabitants.  The island nation is separated by the Mozambique Channel from the African continent. 

Madagascar’s geographical isolation also contributes to the high levels of poverty found in the country.  The vast majority of subsistence farming is small-scale, with 7 out of 10 smallholder farmers owning no more than 1.2 hectares of land.  As a result, food production is insufficient to sustain the population.  As the world’s water levels continue to rise, Madagascar's location makes it very susceptible to cyclones.

Madagascar gained full independence from France in 1960, with the country’s First Republic (1960 – 1972)  established as a democratic system modelled on  France.  The Democratic Republic of Madagascar (1975 – 1992) was a socialist state that governed the island in the wake of popular movements among farmers and students.  After the dissolution of the socialist regime, the Third Republic of Madagascar (1992 – 2009) ushered in a new, eighteen-year history for the country.  Madagascar returned to constitutional governance after elections were held on December 20, 2013, after a period of political crisis.

Madagascar's main exports include coffee, tea, spices, clothing, and accessories and the majority of the population speak Malagasy and French.  It is also home to about 12,000 of the world's plant species.