Government Unitary semi-presidential

republic

- President Hery Rajaonarimampianina

- Prime Minister Jean Ravelonarivo

Legislature Parliament

- Upper house Senate

- Lower house National Assembly

Independence

- from France 26 June 1960

- Current

constitution

17 November 2010

Area

- Total 587,041 km2 (47th)

226,597 sq mi

- Water (%) 0.009%

Population

- 2012[5] estimate 22,005,222 (53rd)

- 1993 census 12,238,914

- Density 35.2/km2 (174th)

91.1/sq mi

GDP (PPP) 2014 estimate

- Total $33.642 billion[6]

- Per capita $1,429[6]

GDP (nominal) 2014 estimate

- Total $11.188 billion[6]

- Per capita $475[6]

Gini (2010) 44.1[7]

medium

HDI (2013) 0.498[8]

low · 155th

Currency Malagasy ariary (MGA)

Time zone EAT (UTC+3)

- Summer (DST) not observed[9] (UTC+3)

Drives on the right

Calling code +261[9]

ISO 3166 code MG

Internet TLD .mg

president following a 2013 election deemed fair and

transparent by the international community. Madagascar is a

member of the Organisation internationale de la

francophonie.

In 2012, the population of Madagascar was estimated at just

over 22 million, 90% of whom live on less than $2 per day.

Malagasy and French are both official languages of the

state. The majority of the population adheres to traditional

beliefs, Christianity, or an amalgamation of both.

Ecotourism and agriculture, paired with greater investments

in education, health, and private enterprise, are key elements

of Madagascar's development strategy. Under

Ravalomanana, these investments produced substantial

economic growth, but the benefits were not evenly spread

throughout the population, producing tensions over the

increasing cost of living and declining living standards

among the poor and some segments of the middle class. As

of 2014, the economy has been weakened by the recently

concluded political crisis, and quality of life remains low for

the majority of the Malagasy population.

Contents

1 Etymology

2 Geography

2.1 Climate

3 Ecology

3.1 Environmental challenges

4 History

4.1 Early period

4.2 Arab and European contacts

4.3 Kingdom of Madagascar

4.4 French colonization

4.5 Independent state

5 Government

5.1 Structure

5.2 Administrative divisions

5.3 Politics

5.4 Security

6 Economy

6.1 Natural resources and trade

6.2 Infrastructure and media

7 Health

8 Education

9 Demographics

9.1 Ethnic diversity

9.2 Language

9.3 Religion

10 Culture

10.1 Arts

10.2 Sport and recreation

Madagascar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascar

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