Madagascar - officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, off the eastern coast of Africa. The main island, also called Madagascar, is the fourth largest island in the world. Is often considered to be a wonderful vacationing spot. The only drawback for tourists is a lack of infrastructure; however this also ensures that crowds of foreigners are not overrunning the country. It is the home of five percent of the world's plant and animal species, 80 percent of which are unique to Madagascar. Among its most notable examples of biodiversity are the lemur infraorder of primates, three endemic bird families and six endemic baobab species. The adjective (language, ethnicity and citizenship) derived from Madagascar is Malagasy (pronounced "mal-la-gash"). The primary language spoken in Madagascar is Malagasy.
Ecology - Madagascar's long isolation from the neighboring continents has resulted in a unique mix of plants and animals, many found nowhere else in the world; some ecologists refer to Madagascar as the "eighth continent". The eastern, or windward side of the island is home to tropical rainforests, while the western and southern sides of the island, which lie in the rain shadow of the central highlands, are home to tropical dry forests, thorn forests, and deserts and xeric shrub lands.
Religion - Approximately half of the country's population practices traditional religions, which tend to emphasize links between the living and the dead. The Merina in the highlands particularly tend to hold tightly to this practice. 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" celebrate 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 45% of the Malagasy are Christian, divided almost evenly between Catholics and Protestants. Many incorporate the cult of the dead with their religious beliefs and bless their dead at church before proceeding with the traditional burial rites.
Economy - Madagascar's sources of growth are tourism; textile and light manufacturing; agricultural products (the country is the world's leading producer of vanilla, accounting for about half the world's export market); and mining. Tourism targets the niche eco-tourism market, capitalizing on Madagascar's unique biodiversity, unspoiled natural habitats, and lemur species.
An enjoyable journey is to follow national route number 7 from Tana to Tulear , which takes in the towns of Antsirabe , Ambositra , Fianarantsoa , Ambalavao , Ihosy and Toliara as well as providing access to scenic attractions such as Ranomafana National Park (lemur spotting and hot springs), Isalo National Park, the Fianarantsoa-Manakara Rail Journey , home made paper factories , spiny forests and world class diving at Ifaty .
Other popular destinations include the islands of Nosy be in the northwest and St. Marie off the coast of Toamasina in the east, Morondava for its avenue of baobab trees in the west, the magnificent harbour of Antsiranana (Diego Saurez) in the north, and Port Daulphin ( Taolagnaro ) in the south.