Madagascar
Madagascar, (older name Malagasy Republic), is an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. The main island, also called Madagascar, is the fourth-largest island in the world, and is home to 5% of the world's plant and animal species, of which more than 80% are endemic to Madagascar.[citation needed] They include the lemur infraorder of primates, the carnivorous fossa, three bird families and six baobab species.
Population: 20 215 million (2008)
Size: 587 051 km2
Language: French, Malagasy and English
Capital City: Antananarivo
Airports: Ivato International Airport
Socio-economic statistics: East of Africa, in the Indian Ocean lies this pieces of earth, split of from the African mainland millions of years ago As an island - uninhabited until seafarers from Southeast Asia and Africa arrived 1500 to 2000 years ago - Madagascar's isolation has preserved unique species such as the endagered lemur and ancient boabab trees.
Economy: Fishing and forestry are pillars of an agriculture - based economy and it is the biggest vanilla producer in the world.
Tourism investment opportunities: World Heritage Sites.
Iconic attraction: The Madagascar lemurs
Places to see: Antananarivo, Avenue du Boabab at Morondava, Reserve speciale de L'a narana, snorkeling at Ifaty, Mangily and Madio Rano.
Climate: Rainy season November to April with average summer temperature of 20o C, which drops to just below 15o C in winter.
Currency: Malagasy Ariary (MGA)
Time Zone: GMT +3
National Day: 26 October, 1960