Madagascar tourist information with details about
travel to and around the country. Where to stay and what to see is made easier with
insider tips and hand-selected Madagascar links, by dedicated editors and visitors to
TravelNotes.org - The Online Guide to Travel.
The Democratic Republic of Madagascar is the world's
4th largest island; situated 360 km east of Mozambique.
Weather in Madagascar
View a graphical weather forecast for the week ahead in places around
Madagascar.
Antananarivo
Weather, Antsirabe Weather, Fianarantsoa Weather, Mahavelona
Weather, Toamasina
Weather.
Man is said to have arrived on Madagascar more than 2,000 years
ago; by canoe from Melanesia, Polynesia, Indonesia - and joined later by the Bantu from
Africa and Arabian traders - to make up this unique Afro-Asian nation.
The Merina and Betsileo peoples, who live in the interior of
Madagascar, are the descendants of these early migrants from Indonesia.
The Portuguese, English, and French all had problems in their early
attempts to colonise Madagascar; although the French did manage to hang around for thirty
years during the 1600s.
Succeeding Merina monarchs took it in turns to befriend the English or
the French, but relations were always strained.
Queen Ranavalona III finally gave in to the French at the end of the
19th century, and the country became known as the Malagasy Republic.
The name reverted back to Madagascar after Independence.
The official languages of Madagascar are the Merina dialect of
Malagasy - of Malayo-Indonesian origin - and French.
Traditional Music in Madagascar
The 22-string valiha, played at circumcisions and religious
ceremonies, is the traditional instrument of Madagascar. It is often produced from an
oblong wooden box and bicycle-brake cable.
At 1,571 km long, by 571 km wide, there are plenty of beaches and
contrasts on Madagascar.
A mountainous central spine separates the permanently damp east from
the drier west, and sub-desert south.
Madagascar Photo Essay:
This web site is intended to illuminate the principles of ecology and evolutionary biology
and to educate people about threats to biodiversity.
Masoala National Park, in north-eastern Madagascar, is the
country's largest and contains many animal species unique to Madagascar; including the
red-ruffed lemur, Madagascar red owl, serpent eagle, and 22 species of rare butterfly.
Known as Tananarive, until 1977, Antananarivo is the capital of
Madagascar.
The capital is situated in a rice-growing region, in the central part
of the island and began as a fortress of the Merina rulers, in the early 17th century.
Their large palace can still be seen.
The train line in Madagascar goes from the capital, Antananarivo,
to Toamasina; a seaport on the Indian Ocean.
Books
on Madagascar Travel:
Browse Amazon's best-selling list of books on travel in Madagascar.
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