|
Location: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east
of Mozambique
Geographic coordinates: 20 00 S, 47 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 587,040 sq km
land: 581,540 sq km
water: 5,500 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of
Arizona
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 4,828 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or 100 nm from the 2,500-m deep
isobath
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in
south
Terrain: narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains
in center
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Maromokotro 2,876 m
Natural resources: graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, salt,
quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 41%
forests and woodland: 40%
other: 14% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 10,870 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic cyclones
Environment - current issues: soil erosion results from
deforestation and overgrazing; desertification; surface water contaminated
with raw sewage and other organic wastes; several species of flora
and fauna unique to the island are endangered
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note: world's fourth-largest island; strategic
location along Mozambique Channel
Madagascar
COUNTRY
Formal Name: Republic of Madagascar.
Short Name: Madagascar.
Term for Citizens: Malagasy.
Capital: Antananarivo.
Date of Independence: June 26, 1960.
GEOGRAPHY
Size: 587,040 square kilometers.
Topography: East coast has lowlands leading to
steep bluffs and central highlands; Tsaratanana Massif in north
with volcanic mountains; west coast with many protected harbors
and broad plains; and southwest with plateau and desert region.
Climate: Two seasons: hot, rainy from November
to April; cooler, dry season from May to October; southeastern trade
winds dominate; occasional cyclones.
Data as of August 1994
Madagascar
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
Topography
Madagascar can be divided into five geographical regions: the east
coast, the Tsaratanana Massif, the central highlands, the west coast,
and the southwest. The highest elevations parallel the east coast,
whereas the land slopes more gradually to the west coast (see
fig. 3).
The east coast consists of a narrow band of lowlands, about fifty
kilometers wide, formed from the sedimentation of alluvial soils,
and an intermediate zone, composed of steep bluffs alternating with
ravines bordering an escarpment of about 500 meters in elevation,
which gives access to the central highlands. The coastal region
extends roughly from north of Baie d'Antongil, the most prominent
feature on the east coast of the island formed by the Masoala Peninsula,
to the far south of the island. The coastline is straight, with
the exception of the bay, offering less in the way of natural harbors
than the west coast. The Canal des Pangalanes (Lakandranon' Ampalangalana),
an 800-kilometerlong lagoon formed naturally by the washing of sand
up on the island by the Indian Ocean currents and by the silting
of rivers, is a feature of the coast; it has been used both as a
means of transportation up and down the coast and as a fishing area.
The beach slopes steeply into deep water. The east coast is considered
dangerous for swimmers and sailors because of the large number of
sharks that frequent the shoreline.
The Tsaratanana Massif region at the north end of the island contains,
at 2,880 meters, the highest point on the island and, north of this,
the Montagne d'Ambre (Ambohitra), which is of volcanic origin. The
coastline is deeply indented; two prominent features are the excellent
natural harbor at Antsiranana (Diégo Suarez), just south of the
Cap d'Ambre (Tanjon' i Bobaomby), and the large island of Nosy-Be
to the west. The mountainous topography to the south, however, limits
the potential of the port at Antsiranana by impeding the flow of
traffic from other parts of the island.
The central highlands, which range from 800 to 1,800 meters in
altitude, contain a wide variety of topographies: rounded and eroded
hills, massive granite outcrops, extinct volcanoes, eroded peneplains,
and alluvial plains and marshes, which have been converted into
irrigated rice fields. The central highlands extend from the Tsaratanana
Massif in the north to the Ivakoany Massif in the south. They are
defined rather clearly by the escarpments along the east coast,
and they slope gently to the west coast. The central highlands include
the Anjafy High Plateaux; the volcanic formations of Itasy (Lake
Itasy itself is found in a volcanic crater) and the Ankaratra Massif,
reaching a height of 2,666 meters; and the Ivakoany Massif in the
south. The Isalo Roiniforme Massif lies between the central highlands
and the west coast. Antananarivo, the national capital, is located
in the northern portion of the central highlands at 1,468 meters
above sea level. A prominent feature of the central highlands is
a rift valley running north to south, located east of Antananarivo
and including Lac Alaotra, the largest body of water on the island,
having a length of forty kilometers. The lake is located 761 meters
above sea level and is bordered by two cliffs, rising 701 meters
to the west and 488 meters to the east, which form the walls of
a valley resembling the rift valleys of East Africa. This region
has experienced geological subsidence, and earth tremors are frequent
here.
The west coast, composed of sedimentary formations deposited in
several layers over time, is more indented than the east coast,
especially in the northwest, thus offering a number of fine harbors
sheltered from cyclones, such as the harbor at Mahajanga. Deep bays
and well-protected harbors have attracted explorers, traders, and
pirates from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East since ancient times;
thus, the area has served as an important bridge between Madagascar
and the outside world. Yet the broad alluvial plains found on the
coast between Mahajanga and Toliara, which are believed to have
great agricultural potential, are thinly inhabited and remain largely
unexploited.
The southwest is bordered on the east by the Ivakoany Massif and
on the north by the Isala Roiniforme Massif. It includes two regions
along the south coast, the Mahafaly Plateau and the desert region
occupied by the Antandroy people.
The Mananara and Mangoro rivers flow from the central highlands
to the east coast, as does the Maningory, which flows from Lake
Alaotra. Other rivers flowing east into the Indian Ocean include
the Bemarivo, the Ivondro, and the Mananjary. These rivers tend
to be short because the watershed is located close to the east coast.
Owing to the steep elevations, they flow rapidly, often over spectacular
waterfalls. The rivers flowing to the west coast and emptying into
the Mozambique Channel tend to be longer and slower, because of
the more gradual slope of the land. The major rivers on the west
coast are the Sambirano, the Mahajamba, the Betsiboka (the port
of Mahajanga is located at the mouth), the Mania, the North and
South Mahavavy, the Mangoky, and the Onilahy. The Ikopa, which flows
past Antananarivo, is a tributary of the Betsiboka. The Mangoky
River has a basin area of some 50,000 square kilometers; the Ikopa
River and the Betsiboka River have basin areas of 18,550 and 11,800
square kilometers, respectively. The principal river in the south,
the Mandrare, has a basin area of some 12,435 square kilometers,
but it runs dry during certain months in this desert region. Important
lakes, aside from Alaotra, include Lake Kinkony in the northwest
and Lake Ihotry in the southwest.
Madagascar has been called the "Great Red Island" because of the
supposed preponderance of red lateritic soils. The red soils predominate
in the central highlands, although there are much richer soils in
the regions of former volcanic activity--Itasy and Ankaratra, and
Tsaratamana to the north. A narrow band of alluvial soils is found
all along the east coast and at the mouths of the major rivers on
the west coast; clay, sand, and limestone mixtures are found in
the west; and shallow or skeletal laterite and limestone are located
in the south.
Data as of August 1994
Madagascar
Climate
The climate is dominated by the southeastern trade winds that originate
in the Indian Ocean anticyclone, a center of high atmospheric pressure
that seasonally changes its position over the ocean. Madagascar
has two seasons: a hot, rainy season from November to April; and
a cooler, dry season from May to October. There is, however, great
variation in climate owing to elevation and position relative to
dominant winds. The east coast has a subequatorial climate and,
being most directly exposed to the trade winds, has the heaviest
rainfall, averaging as much as 3.5 meters annually. This region
is notorious not only for a hot, humid climate in which tropical
fevers are endemic but also for the destructive cyclones that occur
during the rainy season, coming in principally from the direction
of the Mascarene Islands. Because rain clouds discharge much of
their moisture east of the highest elevations on the island, the
central highlands are appreciably drier and, owing to the altitude,
also cooler. Thunderstorms are common during the rainy season in
the central highlands, and lightning is a serious hazard.
Antananarivo receives practically all of its average annual 1.4
meters of rainfall between November and April. The dry season is
pleasant and sunny, although somewhat chilly, especially in the
mornings. Although frosts are rare in Antananarivo, they are common
at higher elevations. During this time, the blue skies of the central
highlands around Antananarivo are considered by many to be among
the clearest and most beautiful in the world.
The west coast is drier than either the east coast or the central
highlands because the trade winds lose their humidity by the time
they reach this region. The southwest and the extreme south are
semidesert; as little as one-third of a meter of rain falls annually
at Toliara. Overall, surface water is most abundant along the east
coast and in the far north (with the exception of the area around
Cap d'Ambre, which has relatively little surface water). Amounts
diminish to the west and south, and the driest regions are in the
extreme south.
Madagascar suffers the impact of cyclones from time to time. From
February 2-4, 1994, Madagascar was struck by Cyclone Geralda, the
worst cyclone to come ashore on the island since 1927. The cyclone
killed seventy people and destroyed enough property to leave approximately
500,000 homeless, including 30,000 in Antananarivo and 80,000 in
Toamasina. The cyclone also significantly damaged the country's
infrastructure, most notably coastal roads, railroads, and telecommunications,
as well as agriculture. Damage has been estimated at US$45 million,
and the World Bank's
(see Glossary) International Development Association and various
European organizations are engaged in financing the reconstruction.
The Madagascar government will contribute US$6 million toward the
infrastructure rehabilitation.
Data as of August 1994
Madagascar
Flora and Fauna
The island of Madagascar has been described as an "alternate world"
or a "world apart" because of the uniqueness and rarity of many
of its plant and animal species. Their characteristics are believed
to reflect the island's origins as a part of Gondwanaland and its
many millions of years of virtually total isolation following the
breakup of the landmass. Thus, certain plants, including the "traveler's"
tree (so called because its trunk holds potable water), are found
both in Madagascar and on the South American continent, but not
in Africa. Many of the most characteristic African species, particularly
such large mammals as the elephant, rhinoceros, giraffe, zebra,
and antelope and such beasts of prey as the lion and leopard, do
not exist in Madagascar. In addition, the island has been spared
the great variety of venomous snakes indigenous to the African continent.
Although it is assumed that most life forms on the island had an
African (or South American) origin, many millions of years of near-complete
isolation have allowed old species--elsewhere extinct--to survive
and new species unique to the island to evolve. Thus, a great number
of plant, insect, reptile, and fish species are found only in Madagascar,
and all indigenous land mammal species--sixty-six in all--are unique
to the island.
Madagascar was once covered almost completely by forests, but the
practice of burning the woods to clear the land for dry rice cultivation
has denuded most of the landscape, especially in the central highlands.
Rain forests are concentrated on the steep hillsides along a slender
north-south axis bordering the east coast, from the Tsaratamana
Massif in the north to Tolagnaro in the south. Secondary growth,
which has replaced the original forest and consists to a large extent
of traveler's trees, raffia, and baobabs, is found in many places
along the east coast and in the north. The vegetation of the central
highlands and the west coast is for the most part savanna or steppe,
and coarse prairie grass predominates where erosion has not exposed
the orange-red lateritic soil. In the southwest, the vegetation
is adapted to desert conditions.
The remaining rain forest contains a great number of unique plant
species. The country has some 900 species of orchids. Bananas, mangoes,
coconut, vanilla, and other tropical plants grow on the coasts,
and the eucalyptus tree, brought from Australia, is widespread.
Wood and charcoal from the forests are used to meet 80 percent
of domestic fuel needs. As a result, fuelwood has become scarce.
The World Bank in 1990 launched an environmental program that has
increased the planting of pine and eucalyptus to satisfy fuel needs.
Data as of August 1994
|
