Madagascar
The Read Island
East of the African continent lies Madagascar. It is the fourth largest island in the world, slightly larger than France. It’s a beautiful place, famous for its unique wildlife and landscape.
90 % of all mammals in Madagascar are endemic. It means they live no other places. The most fabled animals of the island are the Lemurs. Scientist disagree on how many species there are, but some scientists claim the number to be more than 100 . Some of them live within the confines of a very limited area, like a forest or on the banks of a lake.
But Madagascar is famous for other animals as well, like insects, spiders, birds and chameleons. Of the 150 species Chameleons in the world 75 live in Madagascar and only there. Among them the largest and the smallest.
And of course, it is in Madagascar you find the mystical fossa, the mighty predator of the forest.
No other island has as diverse landscape as Madagascar. Imagine a place where it only takes two hours to drive from the rainforest to the Desert. In the western part of the island you will encounter entire forests of baobab trees, the famous Tsingy, and the spooky spiny forest. And if you don’t know what a Baobab, tsingy nor spiny forest is, just look below
I’m happy to have spent time on Madagascar and experienced many of its treasures. Yet, What I like the most about Madagascar are the people. They are friendly, polite, generous, handsome and artistic.
Facts about Madagascar
History of Madagascar
150 000 years ago, small mammals drifted on wood to the island. These were the forefathers of the lemurs
Humans started to arrive from Malaysia and Indonesia about 2300 years ago. They traveled all the way from present day Malaysia and Indonesia in outrigger canoes. Some of these first settlers may have been the forefathers to the mysterious Wazimba people.
Bantu people from east Africa started to arrive about 600-700 years A.D.
Later people started entering from, India and Arabia. The first alphabet used on the island was Arabic.
1100 years ago, a new wave of people from the far east started migrating to Madagascar.
The Wazimba who have dominated the interior of the island for centuries is defeated by A tribe from the coast. This tribe will soon be known as the Merina.
Andrianampoinimerina becomes king of The Merina people. He ends 77 years of civil war. The king starts the Marina conquest of Madagascar.
Radama1 the great. He unites almost all of Madagascar and invites Christian Missionaries to Madagascar to open schools.
Ranavalona 1. After Radama 1dies his queen Ranavalona rules Madagascar for 35 years. The quen wants to isolate Madagascar and persecutes the Christians. Many people are killed by being dumped of a cliff in Antananarivo. She also uses a poisonous nut to execute people. During her reign Madagascar’s population drops from 5million to 2.5 million.
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In 1895 the French occupy Madagascar and turns it into a colony.
1896 Slavery is abolished
In 1947 the Malagasy revolt against the French. Thousands of Malagasy people are killed.
1960 Madagascar becomes an independent nation.