Welcome to our sympatique island of the Indian Ocean, where the sun, the sea and beaches come together. The multicolored Madagascar. A museum country!
Madagascar is an island, located in the Indian Ocean. East of Africa, separated by the canal of Mozambique . Malagasy is the name of our people, a mix of Asian and African culture. The country is well known with its Beautiful beaches, its unique nature and wildlife, the baobabs and Lemurs. It’s an adventure land, for the people who are looking for authenticity and memorable trip.
Many people in the world don’t know yet about Madagascar, most heard about the country after the release of the movie “Madagascar” with the king Julian, however it is not really Madagascar.
Here is a few overview about the real Madagascar
Madagascar is located in the south of the equator, in the ocean Indian, eastern of Africa, separated by the channel of Mozambique approximately 400kms of wide. The country is situated between latitude 12°S and 26°S and longitude 43°E and 51°E.
Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the planet, with a total area of 587 000km squares.
The name of the population in Madagascar is Malagasy, we are Malagasy!
TOPOGRAPHY
Madagascar’s topography is diverse and include variety of landforms, such as highlands, plateaus, valleys, bassins, costal plains and mountains. Here are some more details
– Highlands: The highlands cover the central part of the country, they include a range of hills and mountains with a range of elevation from 800 to 2 876 meters. The highlands is home of largest city in Madagascar, including Antananarivo, the capital city.
– PLATEAUS: The plateaus are located in the eastern and western sides of the highlands and are characterized by flat, elevated terrain with an average terrain of 1 000meters, the eastern plateau is called the Betsimisaraka plateau, while the western is named the Menabe plateau.
– VALLEY and BASSINS: Madagascar has several valleys and bassins located between the highlands and the plateaus. The most significant one is the Tsiribihina Valley, wich is a long valley located in the west coast.
– COSTAL PLAINS: Madagascar has several costal plains along its eastern and western coastal plains. The eastern costal plains is known for its humid and tropical climate, and is home to several wetland areas for wildlife, including Andasibe and Masoala peninsula
– MOUNTAINS: The country has several mountain range, presented by 3 highest peaks, being Maromokotro, which is located in the north part of the island, Ankaratra in the highland and Andringitra in the south of the country.
CLIMATE
Madagascar has a tropical climate with significant regional variations. The climate is influenced by several factors, including its location near the equator, its topography and oceanic currents.
Here are some of the climate of Madagascar to know for your trip
Madagascar has two distinct seasons, the dry and wet seasons, and has several micro-climates due to the topography.
– DRY SEASON:
The dry season of Madagascar runs from May to October. During this time the country experience hot and dry weather, particulary in the western and southern regions. The eastern coast is still humid, althought the rainfall is significantly reduced.
– WET SEASON:
The wet season occurs from November to April, and during this periode the country experiences the heavy rainfall, particularly in the eastern coast. The western and the highland receives less rainfall than the east but have significant precipitation.
– MICROCLIMATES
Due to the island’s topography, Madagascar has several microclimates that support diverses range of ecosystem, for examples the rainforests on the eastern coast have high humidity and receive significant rainfall, while the spiny forest in the southwest are aride and dry.
– TEMPERATURE
The temperature in Madagascar varies by region and altitude, the highlands have cooler climate than the coastal areas.With an average temperature ranging from 15°C to 20°C. The coastal regions are generally warmer, ranging from 25°C to 30°C.
Related Tours
HISTORY
The early history of Madagascar dates back to the Gondwana period which began around 600 million years ago. At that time, Madagascar was part of a super continent called Gondwana, which also included South America, Africa, Australia and Antartica.
Around 160 millions years ago, Madagascar began to separate from Africa, and by 80 million years ago, it had drifted into its present location in the Ocean Indian. This separation from Africa allowed Madagascar to develop its unique fauna and flora.
Around 2000 years ago, the first humans arrived in Madagascar. These settlers was Austronesian speaking from south east Asia who had navigated the Indian Ocean using outrigger canoes. They brought with them crops like rice, taro, banana, as well as domesticated animal like chicken and pigs.
The Austronesian settlers are joined later by the Bantu speaking migrants from Africa who brought with them iron working technology. The two groups intermarried and forming the Malagasy people, and creating a unique blend of southeast Asian and African cultural influences.
VONJY DRIVER GUIDE MADAGASCAR
- NATIVE MADAGASCAR TOURS
- Antananarivo MADAGASCAR