Tourism on the island of Madagascar

Tourism on the island of Madagascar

Heaven on Earth

 Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar (its old name Malagasy Republic), is an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. The main island, also called Madagascar, is the fourth largest island in the world, and is home to 5% of plant and animal species in the world, of which more than 80% settlement in Madagascar. Primates, including lemurs, and Alphusa Digger to eat meat, and three families of birds, six species of baobab. Thirds of Madagascar's population live below the international poverty line (less than $ 1.25 a day

As part of East Gondwana, the territory of Madagascar split from Africa for nearly 160 million years, and the island of Madagascar was created when it separated from the Indian subcontinent since the 80 to 100 million years ago. Most archaeologists estimate that the human settlement of Madagascar happened between 200 and 500 AD, when the sailors from Southeast Asia (probably from Borneo or the southern Celebes) in sailing.

 Bantu settlers probably crossed the Mozambique Channel to Madagascar at about the same time, or shortly thereafter. However, the Malagasy traditions and ethnic evidence to indicate that they may have preceded them fishermen groups Mika. Alontimoro who founded the kingdom in the south of Madagascar in the Middle Ages due to the origin of immigrants from Somalia.

 I started writing in the history of Madagascar in the seventh century, when Muslims established trading centers along the northwest coast. During the Middle Ages, the kings of the island began to extend their power through trade with their neighbors on the Indian Ocean, particularly the Arab traders, and the Persians and Alsomaliaan who arrived in Madagascar in eastern Africa, the Middle East and large Hindamishaik begun to dominate large areas of the island.

Including the chieftain of Sakalava Menabe, centered in what is now the town of Morondava, and Buena, centered in what is now the capital of the province of Mahajanga. Sakalava rippling effect across what is now the provinces of Antsiranana, Mahajanga and Toliara. Madagascar was served as an important port for trading across the oceans to the East African coast that gave Africa a trade route to the Silk Road, and at the same time served as a port for ships coming.

 Madagascar is currently divided into six autonomous provinces, and is divided into 22 regions, and these regions were created in 2004. Provincial level will be higher after the division of the provinces and resolved according to the results of a referendum April 4, 2007, which means that by October 4, 2009.

Covers an area of ​​587,000 square kilometers Madagascar and thus be the forty-sixth state in terms of area and is also the fourth largest island in the world. It is slightly larger than France, which is one of 11 districts in separate plateau of South Africa.

 Toward the east, a steep escarpment leads from the central highlands down into the bar of the rain forest with a narrow coast in the far east. Benjlanis channel is a series of natural and artificial lakes connected by canals that stretches along the east coast about 460 km (285 mi) (about two-thirds of the island).

The slope of the central highlands toward the west is more gradual, with remnants of seasonal forests and plains of grass savannah-like (which were in the south and southwest, which hosts the dry grass and thistles desert baobab). On the west coast are many protected harbors, but the silt deposits represent a major problem caused by sediment from the high levels of erosion in the direction of everybody.

On top of this hill lies the central highlands, a plateau region ranging in altitude from 2,450 to 4,400 feet (750 to 1350 meters) above sea level. Characterized by the Central Highlands Bodian rice listed between barren hills. There are red laterite soil that covers a large part of the island has been subject to erosion, showing clearly the reason for naming this country as the "Red Island".

 The highest peak on the island Maaromokotro at an altitude of 2,876 meters, found in mass Tsarattanana rocky and located in the far north of the country. Mass Ankartara rock located in the downtown area south of the capital Antananarivo and has the third highest mountain in the island, Tciafageoffohna, up 2,642 meters to the south lies the lump of rock Andranjetera

 And it tops many higher than 2,400 meters, including Tharna and fourth highest peaks in Madagascar, Beck Aamarevolaila, known more widely by Beck Bobby (2,658 meters), and the summit of Peak Puri (2,630-meter) peaks again in this lump of rock include Beck Swandra (2,620 meters) and Beck Evangomina (2,556 meters) also contain this block also Andranjetera protected in times of very rare, snow falling on the area in the winter because of the high altitude.

There are two seasons: hot rainy season from November to April and a cool, dry season from May to October South East trade winds are prevailing in the country, has been facing the island sometimes hurricanes

   Led the isolation of Madagascar from the neighboring continents for a long time to a unique combination of plants and animals, many of which are found nowhere else in the world, some ecologists refer to Madagascar as the continent's "eighth out of 10,000 plants endemic to Madagascar, 90% of them do not found nowhere else in the world

Animal and plant life diverse in Madagascar in danger because of human activity, where one-third of local agriculture has disappeared since the seventies, and 18% of them only remains intact since the arrival of humans 2000 years ago, has lost Madagascar more than 90% of the original forest birds, elephant, the giant birds that were not able to fly to Madagascar, extinct since at least the seventeenth century. The largest bird in the world, is believed to be more than three meters long, has several national parks

 Approximately 50% of the country's population practice traditional religious rituals, which tends to emphasize links between the living and the dead. Merina in the highlands particularly tend to maintain these rituals. They believe that the dead ancestors to participate in the ranks of divinity and that ancestors intensely interested in the fate of their children's births. Merina and Albtselio practicing re-buried or "delivery of the Dead", and celebrate this spiritual communication.

In this ritual, is removed, the remains of victims from the family tomb, and damage to the coffins of new silk, and returned to the tomb after a ceremony in their honor in some cases, where they are raising the bodies and carry them high above the heads of revelers with singing and dancing before returning them to the grave.

 Despite the outrageous persecution and genocide of Lchristaan ​​during the nineteenth century in the reign of Queen Ranavalona First, about 45% of Madagascar today are Christians, this Alencih divided almost evenly between Catholics and Protestants. Many people worship the dead integrates with other religious beliefs and bless their dead at church before proceeding with the burial rites. They also may claim a Christian minister to attend famadihana.

A lot of influential Christian churches in politics. The best example of this is the Malagasy Council of Churches (FFKM), which consists of the oldest and most prominent of four Christian denominations (Roman Catholic, Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar, Lutheran and Anglican)

  Islam in Madagascar constitutes about 7% of the population. Arab merchants and Somali Muslims were the first to bring Islam in the Middle Ages, and they had a profound effect on the West Coast. For example, many Malagasy converted to Islam for the first time turned to the Malagasy language alphabet, depending on the Arabic alphabet, and was named Surabi. Muslims are concentrated in the provinces of Mahajanga and Antsiranana (Diego Suarez).

 Muslims are divided between the Malagasy ethnicity, Indians, Pakistanis and residents of the Comoros. The number of mosques in the south-eastern region of 10 to 50 mosques in the past ten Alokhirhovi Recently, several tribes converted to Islam in Madagascar one occasion in Antimor tribe in the south-east 17,500 turned to Islam at once