Living in Madagascar: some numbers
In the Indian Ocean, 9000km from Paris, 400km to the east coast of Africa, south of the Comoros and Mayotte to the west of Mauritius and Reunion.
Population:
About 21 million
Density:
36.2 hab / km ²
Area:
587 000 km² (4,800 km coastline)
Life expectancy:
According to sources, unreliable, barely 60 years
Capital:
Antananarivo (Tananarive). 1.6 million people, nearly 2 million for the general Tananarive
Official Languages:
Malagasy and French
Currency:
The MGA has officially replaced the Malagasy franc in January 2005
Government:
Democratic republic with a presidential character
Ethnic groups:
18 officially, besides some subgroups. Indo-Pakistani communities, Chinese, Comoros and Europeans, a community of French (about 25,000).
Religions:
Ancestor worship, Catholicism and Protestantism, without necessarily forego the traditional rites. Muslim communities also.
Human Development Index:
0.543 (146th world)
Patrimony of Humanidad for UNESCO:
Strict Nature Reserve Tsingy of Bemaraha (1990), the Royal Hill of Ambohimanga (2001), the forests of Antsinanana (2007).
