|
|
Article: Madagascar
- Article from:
- The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
CopyrightThe Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information)
|
Madagascar , officially Republic of Madagascar, republic (2005 est. pop. 18,040,000), 226,658 sq mi (587,045 sq km), in the Indian Ocean, separated from E Africa by the Mozambique Channel. Madagascar is the world's fourth largest island. The country also claims several small islands including the French possessions of
Juan de Nova Island
,
Europa Island
, the
Glorioso Islands
,
Tromelin Island
, and
Bassas da India
. The capital and largest city is
Antananarivo
.
Land and People
Madagascar is made up of a highland plateau fringed by a lowland coastal strip, narrow (c.30 mi/50 km) in the east and considerably wider (c.60-125 mi/100-200 km) in the west. The plateau attains greater ...