S: ~ African Countries--Madagascar ~
1: Madagascar is not only a well-known movie, but also an island located in the Indian Ocean. Here are some quick facts about it: ~The official name is the Republic of Madagascar, and its capital is Antananarivo. ~Its home to all sorts of exotic wildlife, vegetation, and many tribes of people. Think bright, bold, beautiful, colorful...and Madagascar! ~Approximately 20.1 million people (as of 2010 by
2: ~MAP OF AFRICA~ | Flag of Madagascar
3: ~Madagascar has a republic government, and it's National Independence Day is the 26th of June (1960) ~The flag has two equal horizontal bands of red and green with a vertical white band of the same width on hoist side; by tradition, red stands for sovereignty, green for hope, white for purity. ~The National Anthem is "Ry Tanindraza nay malala o" (Oh, Our Beloved Fatherland), by Pasteur RAHAJASON/Norbert RAHARISOA; adopted in 1959. ~Its legal system includes civil law system based on the old French civil code and customary law in matters of marriage, family, and obligation
4: ~Located in Southern Africa, this island is in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique. ~It is slightly less than twice the size of Arizona. ~With an area of 592,800 sq. km., the terrain is a mountainous central plateau, and a coastal plain. ~It is tropical along the coast, temperate inland, and arid in the south. ~Some of its natural resources include: graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, rare earth elements, salt, quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish, and hydropower.
5: Madagascar's population is predominantly of mixed Asian and African origin. Most people practice traditional religions, which tend to emphasize links between the living and the dead. They believe that the dead join their ancestors in the ranks of divinity and that ancestors are intensely concerned with the fate of their living descendants. The Merina and Betsileo reburial practice of famadihana, or "turning over the dead" celebrates this spiritual communion. In this ritual, relatives' remains are removed from the family tomb, rewrapped in new silk shrouds, and returned to the tomb following festive ceremonies in their honor. About 41% of the Malagasy are Christian, divided almost evenly between Roman Catholic and Protestant. While many Christians continue the practices famadihana, others consider them to be superstitions that should be abandoned. Many of the Christian churches are influential in politics.
6: Madagascar is a source country for women and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; sex and labor trafficking have increased, particularly due to a lack of economic development and a decline in the rule of law during the current political crisis, which began in March 2009; children, mostly from rural areas, are subjected to domestic servitude, commercial sexual exploitation, and forced labor in mining, fishing, and agriculture within the country Tavy is mostly used for converting tropical rainforests in Madagascar into rice fields. Typically, an acre or two of forest is cut, burned, and then planted with rice. This destroys the soil and can cause landslides, mudslides, and more. Tavy is the most expedient way for many Malagasy to provide for their families, and where day-to-day subsistence is a question there is little concern for the long-term consequences of the actions. From this perspective, as long as there is more forest land freely available for clearing, you might as well use the land before a neighbor does.
7: Ry Tanindraza nay malala Ry Madagasikara soa. Ny fitiavanay anaotsy miala, Fa ho anao ho anao doria tokoa. Tahionao ry Zanahary 'Ty No sindrazanay ity Hiadana sy ho finaritra He sambatra tokoa izahay. Ry Tanindrazanay malala Irinay mba hanompoan'anao Ny tena sy fo fanahy anananay 'zay sarobidy Sy mendrika tokoa. | Tahionao ry Zanahary 'Ty No sindrazanay ity Hiadana sy ho finaritra He sambatra tokoa izahay. Ry Tanindrazanay malala Irinay mba hitahian' anao, Ka Ilay Nahary 'zao ton tolo izao no Fototra ijoroan, ny satanao. Tahionao ry Zanahary 'Ty No sindrazanay ity Hiadana sy ho finaritra He sambatra tokoa izahay. | Just for fun, here is their national anthem:
9: CITED SOURCES | https://www.cia.gov/ http://www.fotopedia.com/albums/WE_l7qWW-us/entries/iCwEblJdq84 http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5460.htm http://www.antananarivo.usembassy.gov/current_issues.html http://www.wildmadagascar.org/conservation/threats.html http://www.fotothing.com/nateinmada/photo/3cfc65956ad651c3b17fc88772858f64/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodilynn/272936838/