Capital: Antananarivo

Population: 16.4 million

Area: 587,040 km²

Time: GMT + 3 hours

Currency:  Malagasy franc (MGF)

Climate:  The country has a tropical climate along the coast, but is more temperate inland. Summer is roughly from November to March when temperatures reach 35ºC and over. In winter, which is from about April to October, temperatures  average about 15ºC.

People: Most of the population are Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and Besileo), Cotiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesain) and of Arab descent. There are also French, Indian, Creole and Comorans

Official language: Both French and Malagasy

Geography: There is a central mountainous plateau which slopes towards the coast.

Neighbouring countries: Comoros, Mozambique and Seychelles

Economy:  The country’s economy depends largely on agriculture, fishing and forestry.
There is also textile manufacturing and the processing of agricultural products, like coffee, tobacco, cloves, sugar cane, sisal and approximately 80% of the world’s supply of vanilla.  Its main trade partners are France and the United States.  Madagascar is one of the world’s poorest countries and recent political problems have hindered the economy, but all of this appears to have since been resolved and the economy has been growing steadily over recent years.

When to go: It is generally recommended that visitors go in the wintertime, between April and October when it is not so hot.  The summer is traditionally the peak time for tropical cyclones in Madagascar and is best avoided.

What to pack: Due to Madagascar’s hot climate, it is recommended that visitors bring light, long-sleeved clothing that can be removed and repacked easily. 

• Shorts, T-shirts, sun dresses
• Raincoat or waterproof jacket
• Swimming costumes
• Good comfortable walking shoes
• Casual lightweight cotton, khaki or neutral coloured clothes for safaris
• Fleece or sweater and a warm jacket for cool evenings
• Wide brimmed hat
• Lots of sun tan lotion, sunblock and lip cream
• Insect repellent creams
• Binoculars, camera (different kinds of film are widely available )
• Sunglasses