Madagascar+Geography

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Madagascar Geography

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**Madagascar** is an island in the Indian Ocean off the eastern coast of southern Africa, east of Mozambique. It is the fourth largest island in the world. The highest point is Maromokotro, in the Tsaratanana Massif region in the north of the island, at 2,876 meters (9,436 ft). The capital Antananarivo is in the Hauts Plateau near the center of the island. It has a total area of 587,040 square kilometers (226,660 sq mi) with 581,540 square kilometers (224,530 sq mi) of land and 5,500 square kilometers (2,100 sq mi) of water. Madagascar originated as part of the Gondwana super continent. Its west coast was formed when Africa broke off from Gondwana around 165 million years ago. Madagascar eventually broke off from India about 65 million years ago.
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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 climate is tropical along the coast, temperate inland, and arid in the south. The weather 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 sub equatorial climate; being most directly exposed to the trade winds it has the heaviest rainfall, averaging as much as 3,500 mm (137.8 in) annually. This region is notorious for a hot, humid climate in which tropical fevers are endemic and also for the destructive cyclones that occur during the rainy season, coming in principally from the direction of the Mascarene Islands.

Madagascar has a number of natural resources, including graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, salt, quartz, tar sands, semi-precious stones and mica. There are also fishing areas offshore and potential for hydropower. In 2001, it was estimated that 5.07% of the land area was used for arable land, 1.03% had permanent crops. Twenty-six percent of the land is forested. The majority of the population depend on subsistence farming, largely rice and cattle. The manufacturing sector is small but growing.

Demographics Côtiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, Arab ancestry - Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety , Antaisaka , Sakalava ), French, Desi, Creole, Comorian, ||
 * ~ Population || 20,042,551 (as of 2008) ||
 * ~ Density || 33 /km2 (85 /sq mi) ||
 * ~ Ethnic groups || Malayo-Indonesian ( Merina and related Betsileo ),

[|This information is from wikipedia]