INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT MADAGASCAR

MADAGASCAR HAS PRESERVED MANY OF

THEIR TRADITIONAL PASTIMES SUCH AS MORAINGY,

A TYPE OF HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT POPULAR

IN COASTAL REGIONS, SAVIKA, WRESTLING OF

ZEBU CATTLE, OR FANORONA, A STRATEGY

BOARD GAME WIDESPREAD THROUGHOUT

THE HIGHLAND REGIONS

HERY RAJAONARIMAMPIANINA, THE PRESIDENT OF

MADAGASCAR (SERVING SINCE JANUARY 2014), HAS

A LONGER FAMILY NAME THAN ANY OTHER

HEAD OF STATE IN THE WORLD

ALMOST 80% OF THE WORLD’S VANILLA COMES

FROM MADAGASCAR. OTHER KEY AGRICULTURAL

RESOURCES INCLUDE COFFEE, LYCHEES AND SHRIMPS

MADAGASCAR IS HOME TO OVER 100 SPECIES

AND SUBSPECIES OF LEMUR, INCLUDING THE

LEGENDARY CREATURE KNOWN AS THE AYE-AYE,

A LARGE NOCTURNAL PRIMATE FAMOUS FOR

HIS BIZARRE APPEARANCE AND UNUSUAL

METHOD OF FINDING FOOD KNOWN AS

PERCUSSIVE FORAGING

DESPITE BEING ONE OF THE WORLD´S MOST

IMPORTANT BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS,

MADAGASCAR HAS BEEN SUFFERING FROM

DEFORESTATION. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT, DUE TO

LOGGING, POACHING AND POLLUTION, MORE

THAN 90% OF THE ORIGINAL FOREST HAS BEEN

LOST SINCE THE ARRIVAL OF HUMANS

TO THE ISLAND

RUGBY IS BY FAR THE MOST POPULAR SPORT

IN MADAGASCAR. THE COUNTRY IS CURRENTLY

RANKED 41ST WORLDWIDE BY WORLD RUGBY

AND IT BOASTS OVER 22,540 REGISTERED

PLAYERS AND MORE THAN 410 RUGBY CLUBS

ALTHOUGH THE PREDOMINANT RELIGION IN

MADAGASCAR IS CHRISTIANITY (INTRODUCED

BY MISSIONARIES), MOST OF THEM ARE STILL

ANIMISTS, BELIEVING IN THE MAGIC POWERS

OF THEIR ANCESTORS. EVEN MODERN

MALAGASIES REGARD THE DECEASED

RELATIVES AS PART OF THE FAMILY. MANY

OF THEM BURY THE DEAD IN COFFINS

PLACED HIGH UP IN CAVES AND ON THE

CLIFFS (TO BRING THEM CLOSER TO

ANCESTORS IN HEAVEN)

ALTHOUGH MADAGASCAR DOES NOT RANK AMONG

TOP AFRICAN TOURIST DESTINATIONS SUCH AS

THE SEYCHELLES OR MAURITIUS, IT BOASTS A

NUMBER OF BREATHTAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL BEACHES