NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Geography of Madagascar

Madagascar is an island in the Indian Ocean, off the eastern coast of southern Africa, east of Mozambique. The highest point is Maromokotro, in the Tsaratanana Massif region in the north of the island, at 2,876 m (9,436 ft). The capital, Antananarivo, is in the Hauts Plateaux near the centre of the island. It has a total area of 587,040 km² (226,642 sq mi), with 581,540 km² (224,630 sq mi) of land, and 5,500 km² (2,100 sq mi) of water. Geographical coordinates are 20°00′S, 47°00′E. Download high resolution version (330x717, 12 KB)map of Madagascar, converted directly from CIA World Factbook GIF File links The following pages link to this file: Madagascar Geography of Madagascar Categories: CIA World Factbook images ... Download high resolution version (330x717, 12 KB)map of Madagascar, converted directly from CIA World Factbook GIF File links The following pages link to this file: Madagascar Geography of Madagascar Categories: CIA World Factbook images ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (876x1640, 1489 KB) ECW to TIFF to PNG (compression level 9). ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (876x1640, 1489 KB) ECW to TIFF to PNG (compression level 9). ... Imagine the smiley face in the top left corner as an RGB bitmap image. ... Satellite image of Congo, generated from raster graphics data supplied by The Map Library. ... Image File history File links Madagascar_topo. ... Image File history File links Madagascar_topo. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Maromokotro is the highest mountain on Madagascar. ... Tsaratanana is a town in western Madagascar in the Mahajanga Province. ... Nickname: Location of Antananarivo (red dot) in Madagascar Country Madagascar Founded 1625 Population (2001 census) - City 1,403,449 Antananarivo (pronounced IPA [Ã¦ntÉ™ËŒnÃ¦nÉ™ËˆÉ¹iËvoÊŠ] or [É‘ËntÉ™ËŒnÉ‘ËnÉ™ËˆÉ¹iËvoÊŠ]), population 1,403,449 (2001 census), is the capital of Madagascar. ... To help compare orders of magnitude of different geographical regions, we list here surface areas between 100,000 kmÂ² and 1,000,000 kmÂ². See also areas of other orders of magnitude. ... Square kilometre (U.S. spelling: square kilometer), symbol kmÂ², is a decimal multiple of SI unit of surface area square metre, one of the SI derived units. ... This article is about the unit of measure. ... To help compare orders of magnitude of different geographical regions, we list here areas between 1,000 kmÂ² and 10,000 kmÂ². See also areas of other orders of magnitude. ...

Madagascar originated as part of the Gondwana supercontinent. Its east 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. For other uses of Gondwana and Gondwanaland, see Gondwana (disambiguation). ...

Geographical regions

Madagascar can be divided into five geographical regions: the east coast,the Tsaratanana Massif, the central highlands, the west coast, and the southwest. The highest elevations parallel the east coast, whereas the land slopes more gradually to the west coast.

The east coast consists of a narrow band of lowlands, about one kilometer wide, formed from the sedimentation of alluvial soils, and an intermediate zone, composed of steep bluffs alternating with ravines bordering an escarpment of about 500 meters (1,600 ft) in elevation, which gives access to the central highlands. The coastal region extends roughly from north of Baie d'Antongil, the most prominent feature on the east coast of the island formed by the Masoala Peninsula, to the far north of the island. The coastline is straight, with the exception of the bay, offering less in the way of natural harbors than the west coast. The Canal des Pangalanes (Lakandranon' Ampalangalana), an 800-kilometer (500 mile) long lagoon formed naturally by the washing of sand up on the island by the Indian Ocean currents and by the silting of rivers, is a feature of the coast; it has been used both as a means of transportation up and down the coast and as a fishing area. The beach slopes steeply into deep water. The east coast is considered dangerous for swimmers and sailors because of the large number of sharks that frequent the shoreline... Masoala National Park, in northeast Madagascar, is the largest of the islands protected areas. ... The Canal des Pangalanes is a series of man made and natural lakes linked by rivers running down the east coast of Madagascar for about 300 miles. ...

Central highlands

The central highlands, which range from 800 to 1,800 m (2,600 to 5,900 ft) in altitude, contain a wide variety of topographies: rounded and eroded hills, massive granite outcrops, extinct volcanoes, eroded peneplains, and alluvial plains and marshes, which have been converted into irrigated rice fields. The central highlands extend from the Tsaratanana Massif in the north to the Ivakoany Massif in the south. They are defined rather clearly by the escarpments along the east coast, and they slope gently to the west coast. The central highlands include the Anjafy High Plateaux; the volcanic formations of Itasy (Lake Itasy itself is found in a volcanic crater) and the Ankaratra Massif, reaching a height of 2,643 m (8,668 ft); and the Ivakoany Massif in the south. The Isalo Roiniforme Massif lies between the central highlands and the west coast. Antananarivo, the national capital, is located in the northern portion of the central highlands at 1,276 m (4,186 ft) above sea level. A prominent feature of the central highlands is a rift valley running north to south, located east of Antananarivo and including Lac Alaotra, the largest body of water on the island, having a length of forty kilometers. The lake is located 761 m (2,496 ft) above sea level and is bordered by two cliffs, rising 701 m (2,299 ft) to the west and 488 m (1,601 ft) to the east, which form the walls of a valley resembling the rift valleys of East Africa. This region has experienced geological subsidence, and earth tremors are frequent here.

West coast

The west coast, composed of sedimentary formations deposited in several layers over time, is more indented than the east coast, especially in the northwest, thus offering a number of fine harbors sheltered from cyclones, such as the harbor at Mahajanga. Deep bays and well-protected harbors have attracted explorers, traders, and pirates from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East since ancient times; thus, the area has served as an important bridge between Madagascar and the outside world. Silting up of harbors on this coat, caused by sediment from the high levels of erosion suffered inland in Madagascar, is a major problem. The broad alluvial plains found on the coast between Mahajanga (Majunga) and Toliara (Tuléar), which are believed to have great agricultural potential, are thinly inhabited and remain largely unexplored, although they are the subject of growing minerals and hydrocarbons exploration activity. The giant oil fields of Tsimiroro (heavy oil) and Bemolanga (ultra heavy oil) lie towards the west of the island. Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Lubbock, Texas Ignacy Åukasiewicz - inventor of the refining of kerosene from crude oil. ... Tsimiroro is the name of a large oil field in the onshore Morondava Basin of Madagascar. ... Madagascar (Madagasikara) Bemolanga is the name of a large tar sands deposit in the onshore Morondava Basin of Madagascar discovered in the early 1900s. ...

Southwest

The southwest is bordered on the east by the Ivakoany Massif and on the north by the Isala Roiniforme Massif. It includes two regions along the south coast, the Mahafaly Plateau and the desert region occupied by the Antandroy people. This article is about arid terrain. ...

Rivers and lakes

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 rivers flowing to the west coast and emptying into the Mozambique Channel tend to be longer and slower, because of the more gradual slope of the land. The major rivers on the west coast are the Sambirano, the Mahajamba, the Betsiboka (the port of Mahajanga is located at the mouth), the Mania, the North and South Mahavavy, the Mangoky, and the Onilahy. The Ikopa, which flows past Antananarivo, is a tributary of the Betsiboka. The Mangoky River has a basin area of some 50,000 square kilometers (19,000 sq mi); the Ikopa River and the Betsiboka River have basin areas of 18,550 and 11,800 square kilometers (7,170 and 4,560 sq mi), respectively. The principal river in the south, the Mandrare, has a basin area of some 12,435 square kilometers (4,803 sq mi), but it runs dry during certain months in this desert region. Important lakes, aside from Alaotra, include Lake Kinkony in the northwest and Lake Ihotry in the southwest. Lake Alaotra, also Lac Alaotra, is Madagascars largest lake, and forms the center of the islands most important rice-growing region. ... Location of Mozambique Channel The Mozambique Channel is a portion of the Indian Ocean between the island of Madagascar and southeast Africa, namely Mozambique. ... Betsiboka River estuary seen from space. ... Mahajanga is a city and seaport on the north-west coast of Madagascar. ... The Mania River is a river in Madagascar that flows from the central mountains of the island, emptying into the Mozambique Channel. ... Mangoky River Delta from space, November 1989 (NASA) The Mangoky River is 350 miles (564 kilometers) long and rises in the Central Highlands of Madagascar just east of the city of Fianarantsoa. ... Onilahy is a river in Toliara Province, southern Madagascar. ... Nickname: Location of Antananarivo (red dot) in Madagascar Country Madagascar Founded 1625 Population (2001 census) - City 1,403,449 Antananarivo (pronounced IPA [Ã¦ntÉ™ËŒnÃ¦nÉ™ËˆÉ¹iËvoÊŠ] or [É‘ËntÉ™ËŒnÉ‘ËnÉ™ËˆÉ¹iËvoÊŠ]), population 1,403,449 (2001 census), is the capital of Madagascar. ... Lake Kinkony seen from space Lake Kinkony is a large lake in northwestern part of Madagascar, in the Mahajanga Province. ... Lake Ihotry seen from space Lake Ihotry is a closed saline lake in semi-arid southwestern part of Madagascar. ...

Soils

Madagascar has been called the "Great Red Island" because of the preponderance of red lateritic soils. The red soils predominate in the central highlands, although there are much richer soils in the regions of former volcanic activity, Itasy and Ankaratra, and Tsaratanana to the north. A narrow band of alluvial soils is found all along the east coast and at the mouths of the major rivers on the west coast; clay, sand, and limestone mixtures are found in the west; and shallow or skeletal laterite and limestone are located in the south. Deforestation and grazing mean that the soils suffer from aggressive erosion in many locations. Cutting of laterite brickstones, Angadipuram, India Laterite is a surface formation in tropical areas which is enriched in iron and aluminium and develops by intensive and long lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock. ... Alluvium is soil land deposited by a river or other running water. ... For other uses, see Limestone (disambiguation). ...

Climate

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 subequatorial climate and, being most directly exposed to the trade winds, has the heaviest rainfall, averaging as much as 3.5 m (140 in) annually. This region is notorious not only for a hot, humid climate in which tropical fevers are endemic but also for the destructive cyclones that occur during the rainy season, coming in principally from the direction of the Mascarene Islands. Because rain clouds discharge much of their moisture east of the highest elevations on the island, the central highlands are appreciably drier and, owing to the altitude, also cooler. Thunderstorms are common during the rainy season in the central highlands, and lightning is a serious hazard. The tropics are the geographic region of the Earth centered on the equator and limited in latitude by the two tropics: the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. ... For the usage in virology, see temperate (virology). ... In general terms, the climate of a locale or region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life. ... In meteorology, an anticyclone (that is, opposite to a cyclone) is a weather phenomenon in which there is a descending movement of the air and a high pressure area over the part of the planets surface affected by it. ... Mauritius (right) and RÃ©union (left) The Mascarene Islands (or Mascarenhas Archipelago) is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar, which includes Mauritius, RÃ©union, Rodrigues, and Cargados Carajos shoals. ...

Antananarivo receives practically all of its average annual 1.4 meters (55 in) of rainfall between November and April. The dry season is pleasant and sunny, although somewhat chilly, especially in the mornings. Although frosts are rare in Antananarivo, they are common at higher elevations. Nickname: Location of Antananarivo (red dot) in Madagascar Country Madagascar Founded 1625 Population (2001 census) - City 1,403,449 Antananarivo (pronounced IPA [Ã¦ntÉ™ËŒnÃ¦nÉ™ËˆÉ¹iËvoÊŠ] or [É‘ËntÉ™ËŒnÉ‘ËnÉ™ËˆÉ¹iËvoÊŠ]), population 1,403,449 (2001 census), is the capital of Madagascar. ...

Although hail falls on many of the higher areas of the island (including Antananarivo), snow is unknown except on the Ankaratra massif where above 2,400 m (8,000 ft) it may occasionally fall and even remain for several days.

The west coast is drier than either the east coast or the central highlands because the trade winds lose their humidity by the time they reach this region. The southwest and the extreme south are semidesert; as little as one-third of a meter (13 in) of rain falls annually at Toliara. Overall, surface water is most abundant along the east coast and in the far north (with the exception of the area around Cap d'Ambre, which has relatively little surface water). Amounts diminish to the west and south, and the driest regions are in the extreme south.

Madagascar suffers the impact of cyclones from time to time. From February 2-4, 1994, Madagascar was struck by Cyclone Geralda, the worst cyclone to come ashore on the island since 1927. The cyclone killed seventy people and destroyed enough property to leave approximately 500,000 homeless, including 30,000 in Antananarivo and 80,000 in Toamasina. The cyclone also significantly damaged the country's infrastructure, most notably coastal roads, railroads, and telecommunications, as well as agriculture. Damage has been estimated at US$45 million, and the World Bank's (see Glossary) International Development Association and various European organizations are engaged in financing the reconstruction. The Madagascar government will contribute US$6 million toward the infrastructure rehabilitation. Toamasina (Masc. ...

Flora and fauna

The island of Madagascar has been described as an "alternate world" or a "world apart" because of the uniqueness and rarity of many of its plant and animal species. Their characteristics are believed to reflect the island's origins as a part of Gondwanaland and its many millions of years of virtually total isolation following the breakup of the landmass. Thus, certain plants, including the "traveler's" tree (so called because its trunk holds potable water), are found both in Madagascar and on the South American continent, but not in Africa. Many of the most characteristic African species, particularly such large mammals as the elephant, rhinoceros, giraffe, zebra, and antelope and predators such as lions and leopards, do not exist in Madagascar. In addition, the island has been spared the great variety of venomous snakes indigenous to the African continent. Although it is assumed that most life forms on the island had an African (or South American) origin, many millions of years of near-complete isolation have allowed old species--elsewhere extinct--to survive and new species unique to the island to evolve. Thus, a great number of plant, insect, reptile, and fish species are found only in Madagascar, and all indigenous land mammal species--sixty-six in all--are unique to the island.

Madagascar was once covered almost completely by forests, but the practice of burning the woods to clear the land for dry rice cultivation has denuded most of the landscape, especially in the central highlands. Rain forests are concentrated on the steep hillsides along a slender north-south axis bordering the east coast, from the Tsaratanana Massif in the north to Tolagnaro in the south. Secondary growth, which has replaced the original forest and consists to a large extent of traveler's trees, raffia, and baobabs, is found in many places along the east coast and in the north. The vegetation of the central highlands and the west coast is for the most part savanna or steppe, and coarse prairie grass predominates where erosion has not exposed the orange-red lateritic soil. In the southwest, the vegetation is adapted to desert conditions.

The remaining rain forest contains a great number of unique plant species. The country has some 900 species of orchids. Bananas, mangoes, coconut, vanilla, and other tropical plants grow on the coasts, and the eucalyptus tree, brought from Australia, is widespread.

Wood and charcoal from the forests are used to meet 80 percent of domestic fuel needs. As a result, fuelwood has become scarce. The World Bank in 1990 launched an environmental program that has increased the planting of pine and eucalyptus to satisfy fuel needs.

Natural resources

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. For other uses, see Graphite (disambiguation). ... Chromite, iron magnesium chromium oxide: (Fe,Mg)Cr2O4, is an oxide mineral belonging to the spinel group. ... Coal Coal (IPA: ) is a fossil fuel formed in swamp ecosystems where plant remains were saved by water and mud from oxidization and biodegradation. ... Bauxite with penny Bauxite with core of unweathered rock Bauxite is an aluminium ore. ... For other uses, see Salt (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Quartz (disambiguation). ... Athabasca Oil Sands Tar sands is a common name of what are more properly called bituminous sands, but also commonly referred to as oil sands or (in Venezuela) extra-heavy oil. ... For other uses, see Gemstone (disambiguation). ... Rock with mica Mica sheet Mica flakes The mica group of sheet silicate minerals includes several closely related materials having highly perfect basal cleavage. ... Undershot water wheels on the Orontes River in Hama, Syria Saint Anthony Falls Hydropower is the capture of the energy of moving water for some useful purpose. ...

In 2001, it was estimated that 5.07% of the land area was used for arable land, 1.03% had permanent crops. Due to slash and burn agriculture, only 26% of the land remains forested. In geography, arable land is a form of agricultural land use, meaning land that can be (and is) used for growing crops. ... Assarting in Finland in 1892 Slash and burn (a specific practice that may be part of shifting cultivation or swidden-fallow agriculture) is an agricultural procedure widely used in forested areas. ...

The majority of the population depend on subsistence farming, largely rice and cattle. The manufacturing sector is small but growing. Like most farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, this Cameroonian man cultivates at the subsistence level. ... For other uses, see Rice (disambiguation). ... For general information about the genus, including other species of cattle, see Bos. ...

Environmental issues

Madagascar is currently suffering in some areas from soil erosion as a result of deforestation and overgrazing, desertification, and contamination of surface water with raw sewage and organic waste. Several species of flora and fauna that are unique to the islands are endangered. Regular cyclones cause flooding in low lying coastal regions. This article is about the process of deforestation in the environment. ... Ship stranded by the retreat of the Aral Sea Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various climatic variations, but primarily from human activities. ...

Extreme points

This is a list of the extreme points of Madagascar, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location. Compass rose with north highlighted and at top Look up North in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A compass rose with South highlighted South is most commonly a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. ... The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST, internally called HT-7U) is a project being undertaken to construct an experimental superconducting tokamak magnetic fusion energy reactor in Hefei, the capital city of Anhui Province, in eastern China. ... A compass rose with west highlighted This article refers to the cardinal direction; for other uses see West (disambiguation). ...

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