Geography of Madagascar

Madagascar

Nickname: The Red Island
Satellite image of Madagascar
Geography
Location	Africa Indian Ocean
Coordinates	20°00′S 47°00′E / 20.000°S 47.000°E / -20.000; 47.000Coordinates: 20°00′S 47°00′E / 20.000°S 47.000°E / -20.000; 47.000
Area	587,041 km2 (226,658 sq mi)
Area rank	4th
Coastline	4,828 km (3,000 mi)
Highest elevation	2,876 m (9,436 ft)
Highest point	Maromokotro
Administration
Madagascar
Largest settlement	Antananarivo (pop. 1,403,449)
Demographics
Population	22,005,222 (July 2012 est.)
Pop. density	33 /km2 (85 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and related Betsileo), Côtiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry - Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava), French, Indian, Creole, Comorian, Chinese

Madagascar is a large island in the Indian Ocean off the eastern coast of southern Africa, east of Mozambique. It is the fourth largest island in the world. The highest point is Maromokotro, in the Tsaratanana Massif region in the north of the island, at 2,876 metres (9,436 ft). The capital Antananarivo is in the Hauts Plateaux near the centre of the island. Madagascar has a total area of 587,040 square kilometres (226,660 sq mi) with 581,540 square kilometres (224,530 sq mi) of land and 5,500 square kilometres (2,100 sq mi) of water. Madagascar is 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of mainland Africa.

Madagascar originated as part of the Gondwana supercontinent. Its west coast was formed when Africa broke off from Gondwana around 165 million years ago. Madagascar eventually broke off from India about 88 million years ago.

Madagascar can be divided into five general geographical regions: the east coast, the Tsaratanana Massif, the central highlands, the west coast, and the southwest. The highest elevations parallel the east coast.

The east coast consists of a narrow band of lowlands about one kilometer wide, formed from the sedimentation of alluvial soils, and an intermediate zone composed of steep bluffs alternating with ravines bordering an escarpment of about 500 metres (1,640 ft) in high elevation, which gives access to the central highlands. The coastal region extends roughly from north of Baie d'Antongil, the most prominent feature on the Masoala Peninsula, to the far north of the island. The coastline is straight, with the exception of a bay, offering less in the way of natural harbors than the west coast. The Canal des Pangalanes, an 800-kilometre (497 mi)-long lagoon formed naturally by the washing of sand up on the island by the Indian Ocean currents and by the silting of rivers, is a feature of the coast; it has been used both as a means of transportation up and down the coast and as a fishing area. The beach slopes steeply into deep water. The east coast is considered dangerous for swimmers and sailors because of the large number of sharks that frequent the shoreline. Madagascar also has many mountains, forests, rivers, and lakes.