Madagascar

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, Madagascar spends 0.54 percent of its GDP, or US$77 million on its military. This makes Madagascar the 145th highest military spender in the world representing 0.004 percent of total global military expenditure.

The Army of Madagascar has been established since its independence in 1960. It consists of a Navy, an air force and land forces.

Military membership

Madagascar is also a member of four international military organizations which makes it the 123rd most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
International Atomic Energy Agency
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Since its independence, Madagascar has partaken in two international wars. These are:

First Madagascar expedition 1883-1885
Second Madagascar expedition 1894-1895

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

Madagascar is a member of 10 international political organizations which makes it the 139th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
Indian Ocean Commission
African Union
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
Member states of the Organization internationale de la Francophonie
International Criminal Court
Interpol
Association of World Election Bodies
World Organization for Animal Health

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Due to poverty, corruption and other undemocratic practices, the citizens of Afghanistan have a large amount of distrust toward the Afghan state. Aside from this, other fundamentalist groups within Afghanistan also threaten the democratic systems of the Afghan state.

Globally, Afghanistan leans more towards a dictatorship rather than a democracy. Based on its governmental structure, Afghanistan is ranked the 129th most democratic state globally.

The global rating of each state is displayed below.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Madagascar take place in the form of a presidential representative democratic republic. The president of Madagascar is head of state and the Prime Minister is head of government. Elections take place every five years where the president can be chosen for a maximum of 15 years.

Madagascar is the 104th most democratic state in the world. This is largely due to political unrest as well as disputes regarding the election results.

Known for being the largest vanilla producer in the world, Madagascar is home to one of the most diverse flora and fauna in the world. During its early history, the island was inhabited by the Imerina people. The first contact of Madagascar with the outside world was during the seventh century when Arab traders established trading posts on the island. It wasn't until they 18th century when Madagascar was united under a single kingdom which lasted until the end of the 19th century when France colonized it. This has led to a growth of discontent by the people of Madagascar and after the second world war, it became an overseas territory of France. After an armed conflict in its fight for independence, Madagascar became fully independent in 1958. Since then, there has been some political unrest, but Madagascar has remained relatively stable compared to other decolonized states. .

Madagascar is an island state which is located on the eastern coast of Africa. The geography of Madagascar mainly consists of low-lying terrain with the exception of a small mountain range in the northern part and in its center. Its territory mainly consists of a low-lying vegetation with the exception of a densely forested strip along its eastern coast.

It is the 46th largest state in the world with a total surface area of 589,976 square kilometers or 227,791 square miles. This makes Madagascar slightly smaller than Ukraine and slightly larger than Botswana.

It is the 65th state with the highest amount of surface water with a total area of 5529 square kilometers or 2135 square miles.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Most of its water is in the form of surface water which is mainly used for its agricultural sector. The only source of drinking water is groundwater which is heavily treated due to high contamination levels of its surface water.

The climate of Madagascar is characterized as a tropical climate and Madagascar is known to only have a rainy season and a dry season. The average temperature is 22.2 degrees Celsius or 72 degrees Fahrenheit which makes Madagascar the 91st warmest state in the world. Temperatures, however, are unevenly spread out throughout Madagascar with its highlands being significantly colder than its coastal areas.

During the rainy season, which is between November and April, the average temperature is around 26.4 degrees Celsius or 79.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

During the dry season, from May to October, the average temperature is 17.6 degrees Celsius or 63.7 degrees Fahrenheit.

On average, Madagascar receives 173 centimetres or 67 inches of rainfall per year. This makes Madagascar are the 44th state with the highest amount of rainfall. However, rainfall is unevenly spread out throughout Madagascar and its coastal area receives five times as much as its arid central area.

The capital of Madagascar, Antananarivo, is a home to 1.3 million people. The capital that is closest located to Antananarivo is Maroney the Comoros with a distance of one 915 kilometers or 568 miles. The capital that is furthest removed from Antananarivo is Mexico City, Mexico with a distance of 16,527 kilometers or 10,269 miles.

Despite being abundant in natural resources, the vast majority of the people of Madagascar are reliant on the agricultural sector. The largest crop that is being exported is a vanilla. Other crops are cloves and coffee. Other large sectors of Madagascar are its mining industry, textile production and its tourism industry. However, due to inconsistent growth as well as its the dependence on the international monetary fund, many foreign investors look elsewhere. The largest export partners of Madagascar are the United States and France which combined represent 40 percent of all exports. Most of its imports comes from China and France which combined represent 30 percent of all imports.

Madagascar is a member of 13 international economic organizations which makes it the 79th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Alliance for Financial Inclusion
African development Bank
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
International Monetary Fund
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
International Bamboo and Rattan Organization
Indian Ocean Rim Association
Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States
Southern African Development Community

International Solar Alliance
Group of 77

Its GDP is US$13.5 billion which makes it the 129th highest in the world representing 0.016 percent of total global GDP.

Its GDP per surface area is the 183rd highest in the world with US$22,847 per square kilometer or US$59,175 per square mile.

Its GDP per capita is among the lowest in the world. With US$504 per capita, it is the 189th highest.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power is the 183rd highest in the world and stands at US$1608.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

With a total population of 26.7 million people, Madagascar is the 52nd most populous state in the world. It is argued that the first inhabitants of Madagascar were descendants of Indonesia. However, it is uncertain how these first inhabitants have travelled this large distance. Today, as a result of the resettlement of slaves during the French occupation, the majority of the Malagasy people are a mixture between African and Malagasy descent. Its official languages are French and Malagasy, with English being widely spoken.

Madagascar has the 135th highest population density in the world with 117 people per square mile or 45 people per square kilometer.

More than 150,000 people, or 0.6 percent of the population have migrated to other states. Because Madagascar is an island state with a high rate of poverty, migration is especially difficult. Still, there are labour demands in Arab states as well as East Asia which provide hard working conditions, as well as economic opportunities. However, the most popular destination is France which has received 60 percent of all migrants from Madagascar.

Immigration to Madagascar are has been limited by the government of Madagascar. This is mainly due to the high poverty rate as well as malnutrition which would be further enhanced by immigration. Currently, there are just over 25,000 people, or 0.1 percent of the population that have migrated to Madagascar. These are mainly people that re-migrated from France, which represents 50 percent of all immigrants.

The literacy rate of Madagascar is the 161st highest in the world and stands at 67.8 percent. This low literacy rate is mainly due to a lack of funding or no funding at all in rural areas. However, Madagascar has made great strides with the help of the United Nations which has raised the literacy rate to 50 percent since the second half of the 20th century.

Madagascar has the 161st highest life expectancy in the world with 68.2 years. Women reach an average age of 69.9 years while men reach 66.5 years. Its slow economic development also translates into low investments into its healthcare system. This has led to an uneven distribution of healthcare and a high mortality rate in easily prevented deaths such as malaria, diarrhoea and tuberculosis.

The government of Madagascar provides freedom of religion towards all religions.

71.2 percent of the population adheres to Christianity. The largest denomination is Protestantism followed by Catholicism. There have been some discriminatory practices between the Protestant majority and the Catholic minority.

On the right, the global share of Christians per state is displayed

Islam was introduced by Muslim traders that arrived in Madagascar in the seventh century. Some of these traders settled in Madagascar and started their Muslim communities. Today, 5.3 percent of the population adheres to Islam with the Sunni denomination being the largest. This makes Madagascar the 91st most Islamic state in the world. Despite being presents for many centuries, Muslims in Madagascar face discrimination by the government of Madagascar in the form of harassment or obstruction of legal steps.

There are no official Buddhist organizations in Madagascar.

There is a small minority of Hindus in Madagascar. These mainly originate from India and are active in Madagascar as businessmen.

0.03 percent of the population adheres to Judaism. Despite not being home to many Jews, there were plans by Nazi Germany to transform Madagascar into a Jewish state.

Other religions are represented by three percent of the population. These are mainly animistic beliefs as well as ancestral worshiping.

Irreligion is represented by 4.6 percent of the population.

Madagascar