History UsefulNotes / Madagascar

* '''Highest point:''' Maromokotro (2876 m/9,436 ft) (77th)

* '''Highest point:''' Maromokotro (2876 m/9,436 ft) (96th)

Also, contrary to what ''VideoGame/{{Pandemic}}'' and similar games might have told you, Madagascar is actually the 21st century world's capital of TheBlackDeath, totaling several hundred cases and several dozen deaths every year—up to 85% of the world's total. Not to mention that if you somehow managed to close off all of the island's ports and airports, it would still leave several thousand miles of coastline unmonitored, rendering the country's borders as secure as a single sheet of wet one-ply toilet paper.

[[WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar And no, there are no penguins on Madagascar.]][[note]]Though vagrant [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_penguin African penguins]] might end up there, and there are Miocene remains.[[/note]] Also, contrary to what ''VideoGame/{{Pandemic}}'' and similar games might have told you, Madagascar is actually the world's capital of the plague, totaling several hundred cases and several dozen deaths every year—up to 85% of the world's total. Not to mention that if you somehow managed to close off all of the island's ports and airports, it would still leave several thousand miles of coastline unmonitored, rendering the country's borders as secure as a single sheet of wet one-ply toilet paper.

* '''Lowest points:''' Indian Ocean (3,741 m/12,274 ft) (-)

* '''ISO-3166-1 Code:''' MG

A big island east of Mozambique, Madagascar is a unique East African country. Once upon a time, a long ago, the Indian subcontinent was firmly attached to Africa. They of course split, and most of the subcontinent drifted off to bang into Asia...but some bits and pieces of the old united continent remained, and Madagascar is the largest. Since this happened at about the same time as the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cretaceous–Paleogene_extinction_event Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event]] (you know, the one that killed off the dinosaurs and something like 75% of all species then living), this meant that when life got back on its feet, the island developed its own biodiversity, completely different to the rest of the world.

[[AC:The Malawian national anthem]]

Ô belle Madagascar
Notre amour pour toi ne faillira pas
Et restera à ta cause éternellement fidèle.

* '''Population:''' 682,800

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A big island east of Mozambique, Madagascar is a unique East African country. Once upon a time, a long ago, the Indian subcontinent was firmly attached to Africa. They of course split, and most of the subcontinent drifted off to bang into Asia...but some bits and pieces of the old united continent remained, and Madagascar is the largest. Since this happened at about the same time as the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cretaceous–Paleogene_extinction_event Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event]] (you know, the one that killed off the dinosaurs and something like 75% of all species then living), this meant that when life got back on its feet, the island developed its own biodiversity, completely different of the rest of the world.

-> '''Julian:''' Welcome to Madagascar.

-> '''Julian:''' No. Not who-ah. As-car.

[[WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar And no, there are no penguins on Madagascar]].[[note]]Though vagrant [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_penguin african penguins]] might end up there, and there are Miocene remains.[[/note]] Also, contrary to what ''VideoGame/{{Pandemic}}'' and similar games might have told you, Madagascar is actually the world's capital of the plague, totaling several hundred cases and several dozen deaths every year—up to 85% of the world's total. Not to mention that if you somehow managed to close off all of the island's ports and airports, it would still leave several thousand miles of coastline unmonitored, rendering the country's borders as secure as a single sheet of wet one-ply toilet paper.

[[WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar And no, there are no penguins on Madagascar]]. Also, contrary to what ''VideoGame/{{Pandemic}}'' and similar games might have told you, Madagascar is actually the world's capital of the plague, totaling several hundred cases and several dozen deaths every year—up to 85% of the world's total. Not to mention that if you somehow managed to close off all of the island's ports and airports, it would still leave several thousand miles of coastline unmonitored, rendering the country's borders as secure as a single sheet of wet one-ply toilet paper.

A big island east of Mozambique, Madagascar is a unique country. Once upon a time, a long ago, the Indian subcontinent was firmly attached to Africa. They of course split, and most of the subcontinent drifted off to bang into Asia...but some bits and pieces of the old united continent remained, and Madagascar is the largest. Since this happened at about the same time as the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cretaceous–Paleogene_extinction_event Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event]] (you know, the one that killed off the dinosaurs and something like 75% of all species then living), this meant that when life got back on its feet, the island developed its own biodiversity, completely different of the rest of the world.

[[WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar And no, there are no penguins on Madagascar]]. Also, contrary to what ''VideoGame/{{Pandemic}}'' and similar might have told you, Madagascar is actually the world's capital of the plague, totaling several hundred cases and several dozen deaths every year—up to 85% of the world's total.

[[WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar And no, there are no penguins on Madagascar]]. [[VideoGame/{{Pandemic}} Brazilian tourists are also recommended not to cough or]]—[[MemeticMutation SHUT. DOWN. EVERYTHING.]]

It seems the people chose to forget they were once a French Colony, as now only a few people and some parts of the government still speak French. Most of the population speaks Malagasy, the local language. Theoretically, if you speak French, you can still manage to get around.

WorldWarII scholars might know of the Madagascar Plan. During the first years of the war, the Nazi government suggested that all the Jews in Europe could be deported to Madagascar, where they could presumably form their own Zionist society isolated from the rest of the world (with supervision of Germany, of course). Eventually it was all dropped, [[SarcasmMode maybe because it sounded too cruel]].

[[WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar And no, there are no penguins on Madagascar]]. [[VideoGame/{{Pandemic}} Brazilian tourists are also recommended not to cough or]]--[[MemeticMutation SHUT. DOWN. EVERYTHING.]]

The island has had all kinds of governments: a bunch of tribes, a kingdom, part of TheFrenchColonialEmpire and it was also administrated by the [[LesCollaborateurs Vichy regime]]. Then it was taken by the Allies in the Battle of Madagascar.

The country is also unique culturally in Africa. Unlike the rest of the continent, Madagascar was settled by the Malagasy people, speakers of an Austronesian language, specifically part of the Malayo-Polynesian group who had come across the Indian Ocean in ships, much as their Polynesian relatives crossed the Pacific. The closest relatives to the Malagasy language are on Borneo (of all places). In any case, the Malagasy brought with them crops and livestock (e.g. bananas, taro, and pigs) from Southeast Asia, which is climatically quite similar to Madagascar and East Africa; it is hypothesized that contact with the Malagasy and their crops helped the Bantu colonize eastern and southern Africa.

Economically, Madagascar has gone from bad to worse, and most of the country barely lives with less than US$2 per day. Most of the money is made of the tourism industry; considering the island is like a completely different world, it's understandable.

Even though the country was a French colony, it seems the people forced themselves to forget all about it, because only a few people speaks French nowadays, except for some of the government. Most of the population speaks Malagasy, the local language. Theorically you can still manage with it, though.

WorldWarII scholars might know the island for the Madagascar Plan. During the first years of the war, the Nazi government suggested that all the Jews in Europe could be deported to Madagascar, where they could presumably form their own Zionist society isolated from the rest of the world (with supervision of Germany, of course). Eventually it was all dropped, [[SarcasmMode maybe because it sounded too cruel]].

->-- '''''{{Madagascar}}'''''

[[ThePenguinsOfMadagascar And no, there are no penguins on Madagascar]]. [[{{Pandemic}} Brazilian tourists are also recommended not to cough or]]--[[MemeticMutation SHUT. DOWN. EVERYTHING.]]

[[ThePenguinsOfMadagascar And no, there are no penguins on Madagascar]]. [[{{Pandemic}} Brazilian tourists are also recommended not to cough or-]][[MemeticMutation SHUT. DOWN. EVERYTHING.]]

->The white vertical band and the red upper half symbolizes the Merina Kingdom, the island's last political entity prior to colonization, as well as its roots in Southeast Asia (its colors are similar to that of UsefulNotes/{{Indonesia}}); the green lower half symbolizes the Hova, the islands' caste of free commoners who were instrumental in the overthrow of French rule.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/125px-Flag_of_Madagascar_svg_218.png

A big island east of Mozambique, Madagascar is a unique country. Once upon a time, a long ago, the Indian subcontinent was firmly attached to Africa. They of course split, and most of the subcontinent drifted off to bang into Asia...but some bits and pieces of the old united continent remained, and Madagascar is the largest. Since this happened at about the same time as the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cretaceous-Paleogene_extinction_event Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event]] (you know, the one that killed off the dinosaurs and something like 75% of all species then living), this meant that when life got back on its feet, the island developed its own biodiversity, completely different of the rest of the world.

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A big island east of Mozambique, Madagascar is a unique country. Once upon a time, a long ago, when the continents still didn’t alignate to their current positions, the island was part of the Indian subcontinent, but split from it and drifted towards Africa. This allowed the island to develop its own biodiversity, completely different of the rest of the world.

Economically, Madagascar has gone from bad to worse, and most of the country barely lives with less than US$2 per day. Most of the money is made of the tourim industry; considering the island is like a completely different world, it's understandable.

[[ThePenguinsOfMadagascar And no, there are no penguins on Madagascar]].