Madagascar is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, off Mozambique in East Africa. It includes the island of Madagascar, which is the fourth largest island in the world, and a large number of smaller peripheral islands.
Madagascar has a very diverse variety of animals and plants. According to continental migration theory, the island of Madagascar belonged to the Gondwana continent, which separated from India about 88 million years ago, causing local plants and animals to develop in isolation. As a result, in Madagascar you will find animals and plants unique only to her. Over 90% of the wildlife in Madagascar is not found anywhere else on earth.
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| In the photo: a cute lemur living in Madagascar |
The official languages of Madagascar are Malagasy and French. On June 26, 1960, Madagascar gained independence from France, which had ruled it since 1885.
The capital of Madagascar is Antananarivo, and it is also the largest city (about 2.1 million inhabitants). In total, Madagascar has about 26,000,000 inhabitants.
In honor of Madagascar's Independence Day, get the best reasons to travel there and spend your next vacation there:
1. The natural swimming pool at Isalo National Park
Madagascar has so many amazing views. In the Oslo National Park you will see some of them and also be pampered in the cool and pampering natural water pool.
2. Ile Saint Marie
The coast of Madagascar is a tropical paradise. The island of St. Mary, also known as Nosy Boraha, is a 57-mile-long granite island off the east coast of Madagascar. The island used to be a hiding place for pirates so you can visit there in their cemetery. The island is full of tropical vegetation, has a wonderful coral reef (it is a highly recommended dive point) and is also home to the hampback whales that come to it during their breeding season and stay there for over four months.
3. The Hot Springs of Antsirabe
Antsirabe is the third largest city in Madagascar. It is located 167 km south of the capital Antananarivo in a mountain range 1500 meters above sea level. Due to the high location Antsirabe is the coldest city in Madagascar and the temperature in winter can reach 0 degrees Celsius. Its markets are vibrant and colorful, as everywhere on the island.
4. The Baobab trees
The baobab trees are best known for Antoine de Saint-Exupery's book, The Little Prince. In Madagascar you will see them a lot because these amazing trees are part of the natural vegetation.
5. Railway of Fianarantsoa-Côte Est
The railway was built by the French when they ruled the island, between 1926 and 1936. It will take you on an amazing journey through some of the most endangered habitats in the world, by cyclones, floods and mudslides. Many of the trains traveling on this line still bear their date of manufacture from 1893. Maintaining the train helps prevent deforestation of 97,400 acres. The train is still running, but the line is suffering from disruptions due to broken rails caused by cyclone storms and obsolescence.
6. Antennarivo
Antananarivo is the capital of Madagascar and is located on a mountain ridge in the Antananarivo district in the heart of the country. Antananarivo, called Tana for short, is a beautiful city full of colorful houses and streets, markets, parks and gardens. It is recommended to visit it at the Queen's Palace, the market and the botanical gardens.
7. Tsingy Rouge Red Tsingy Park
The red tsingi is a red stone formed by the erosion of the Irodo River in the Diana region of northern Madagascar. It is located about 60 km south of Antsiranana near the city of Sadjoavato.
8. Our Lady of La Salette Cathedral, Antsirabé
Not all Madagascar wonders are the product of nature's creation. The cathedral of Antsirabe was built as a small clay church in 1900 by a French priest. At the beginning of the 20th century, the missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette arrived and upgraded it to a church 22 meters long, 16 meters wide and 8 meters high, with a 14 meter high bell tower. In 1921, with the establishment of the Diocese of Antsirabe, the church was rebuilt for the growing Catholic community in Madagascar. Today the length of the church is 60 meters, its width is 16.77 meters and its height is 14 meters. The height of its bell tower is 45 meters.
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| Antsirabé Cathedral from the inside, photo source: vincekbz |
9. The special animals of Madagascar
Among the special animals in Madagascar you can meet the lemurs, which are the official animal of the island, the fossa, which is a reddish brown predator that resembles both cat and mongoose, the panther chameleon that lives in the forests of Madagascar, which is one of the largest chameleons, frogs, crocodiles , Butterflies, insects and more.
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| fossa |
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| panther chameleon |
10. Girls of the Sakalava tribe
The people of Madagascar are known as warm and kind people, and among them are different and fascinating ethnic groups with traditional tribal customs. One of the ethnic groups are the Sakalava tribe. The number of members of the tribe is estimated at about 600,000. Their name means "the people of the long valleys." They live mainly along the western end of the island of Toliara in the south to Sambirano in the north.
10. Andasibe-Mantadia National Park
The park, also known as the Perinet Special Reserve, is located about 100 kilometers east of the capital of Madagascar, Antananarivo. In the park you will meet the indri, the largest breed of lemur, and other animals. The most worthwhile hours to visit in the park are the morning hours, when the lemurs are alert and active and you can hear their cries from all sides.
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| A visitor to the park is pampered by Lamour who fell in love with her Chelsea Nowlin |
Besides there are lots of other good reasons to come to Madagascar, like its beautiful tropical beaches, nice people, insane nature and more. To get to Madagascar you need an entry visa.
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| Flag of Madagascar |
