]! ^! Formerly an independent kingdom, Madagascar became a French colony in 1896, but regained its independence in 1960. During 1992-93, free presidential and National Assembly elections were held, ending 17 years of single-party rule. In 1997, in the second presidential race, Didier RATSIRAKA, the leader during the 1970s and 1980s, was returned to the presidency. The 2001 presidential election was contested between the followers of Didier RATSIRAKA and Marc RAVALOMANANA, nearly causing secession of half of the country. In April 2002, the High Constitutional Court announced RAVALOMANANA the winner. 
]" ^" Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique ^# 20 00 S, 47 00 E ^$ Africa ^% `! 587,040 sq km `" 581,540 sq km `# 5,500 sq km ^& slightly less than twice the size of Arizona ^' 0 km ^( 4,828 km ^) `$ 12 nm `H 24 nm `I 200 nm `J 200 nm or 100 nm from the 2,500-m deep isobath ^* tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south ^+ narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center ^, `% Indian Ocean 0 m `& Maromokotro 2,876 m ^- graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, salt, quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish, hydropower ^. `' 5.07% `( 1.03% `) 93.91% (2001) ^/ 10,900 sq km (2000 est.) ^0 periodic cyclones, drought, and locust infestation ^1 soil erosion results from deforestation and overgrazing; desertification; surface water contaminated with raw sewage and other organic wastes; several species of flora and fauna unique to the island are endangered _J `K Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands `L none of the selected agreements ^2 world's fourth-largest island; strategic location along Mozambique Channel 
]# ^3 18,040,341 (July 2005 est.) ^4 `* 44.8% (male 4,051,832/female 4,038,837) `+ 52.1% (male 4,657,346/female 4,745,971) `, 3% (male 247,146/female 299,209) (2005 est.) ^5 `! 17.46 years `- 17.24 years `. 17.67 years (2005 est.) ^6 3.03% (2005 est.) ^7 41.66 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^8 11.35 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^9 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^: `/ 1.03 male(s)/female `0 1 male(s)/female `+ 0.98 male(s)/female `, 0.83 male(s)/female `1 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.) ^; `! 76.83 deaths/1,000 live births `- 85.05 deaths/1,000 live births `. 68.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) ^< `1 56.95 years `- 54.57 years `. 59.4 years (2005 est.) ^= 5.66 children born/woman (2005 est.) ^> 1.7% (2003 est.) ^? 140,000 (2003 est.) ^@ 7,500 (2003 est.) __ degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2004) ^A `2 Malagasy (singular and plural) `3 Malagasy ^B Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and related Betsileo), Cotiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry - Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava), French, Indian, Creole, Comoran ^C indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian 41%, Muslim 7% ^D French (official), Malagasy (official) ^E `M age 15 and over can read and write `1 68.9% `- 75.5% `. 62.5% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `4 Republic of Madagascar `5 Madagascar `V Republique de Madagascar `W Madagascar `X Malagasy Republic ^H republic ^I Antananarivo ^J 6 provinces (faritany); Antananarivo, Antsiranana, Fianarantsoa, Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliara ^K 26 June 1960 (from France) ^L Independence Day, 26 June (1960) ^M 19 August 1992 by national referendum ^N based on French civil law system and traditional Malagasy law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `6 President Marc RAVALOMANANA (since 6 May 2002) `7 Prime Minister Jacques SYLLA (27 May 2002) `8 Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister `9 president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 16 December 2001 (next to be held November 2006); prime minister appointed by the president `: percent of vote - Didier RATSIRAKA (AREMA) 37.7%, Marc RAVALOMANANA (TIM) 50.5% ^Q bicameral legislature consists of a National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (160 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and a Senate or Senat (100 seats; two-thirds of the seats filled by regional assemblies whose members will be elected by popular vote; the remaining one-third of the seats appointed by the president; all members will serve four-year terms) `9 National Assembly - last held 15 December 2002 (next to be held NA 2006) `: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - TIM 103, FP 22, AREMA 3, LEADER/Fanilo 2, RPSD 5, others 3, independents 22 ^R Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Constitutional Court or Haute Cour Constitutionnelle ^S Association for the Rebirth of Madagascar or AREMA [Pierrot RAJAONARIVO]; Economic Liberalism and Democratic Action for National Recovery or LEADER/Fanilo [Herizo RAZAFIMAHALEO]; Fihaonana Party or FP [Guy-Willy RAZANAMASY]; I Love Madagascar or TIM [Marc RAVALOMANANA]; Renewal of the Social Democratic Party or RPSD [Evariste MARSON] ^T Committee for the Defense of Truth and Justice or KMMR; Committee for National Reconciliation or CRN [Albert Zafy]; National Council of Christian Churches or FFKM ^U ABEDA, ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO ^V `N Ambassador Rajaonarivony NARISOA `O 2374 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 `P [1] (202) 265-5525, 5526 `Q [1] (202) 483-7603 `R New York ^W `N Ambassador Wanda L. NESBITT `Z 14-16 Rue Rainitovo, Antsahavola, Antananarivo 101 `[ B. P. 620, Antsahavola, Antananarivo `P [261] (20) 22-212-57, 22-212-73, 22-209-56 `Q [261] (20) 22-345-39 ^X two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a vertical white band of the same width on hoist side 
]% ^Y Having discarded past socialist economic policies, Madagascar has since the mid 1990s followed a World Bank and IMF led policy of privatization and liberalization. This strategy has placed the country on a slow and steady growth path from an extremely low level. Agriculture, including fishing and forestry, is a mainstay of the economy, accounting for more than one-fourth of GDP and employing 80% of the population. Exports of apparel have boomed in recent years primarily due to duty-free access to the United States. Deforestation and erosion, aggravated by the use of firewood as the primary source of fuel are serious concerns. President RAVALOMANANA has worked aggressively to revive the economy following the 2002 political crisis, which triggered a 12% drop in GDP that year. Poverty reduction and combating corruption will be the centerpieces of economic policy for the next few years. ^Z $14.56 billion (2004 est.) ^[ 5.5% (2004 est.) ^\ purchasing power parity - $800 (2004 est.) ^] `; 29.3% `< 16.7% `= 54% (2004 est.) ^^ 7.3 million (2000) ^a 50% (2004 est.) _! `> 3% `? 29% (1999) _d 38.1 (1999) _" 7.5% (2004 est.) _P 14.7% of GDP (2004 est.) _# `@ $783.7 million `A $1.079 billion, including capital expenditures of $331 million (2004 est.) _$ coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, cloves, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), beans, bananas, peanuts; livestock products _% meat processing, soap, breweries, tanneries, sugar, textiles, glassware, cement, automobile assembly plant, paper, petroleum, tourism _& 3% (2000 est.) _' 840.2 million kWh (2002) _( 781.4 million kWh (2002) _) 0 kWh (2002) _* 0 kWh (2002) _+ 0 bbl/day (2001 est.) _, 13,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) _- NA _. NA _R 0 bbl (1 January 2002) _W 0 cu m (1 January 2002) _X $-281.9 million (2004 est.) _/ $868.2 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) _0 coffee, vanilla, shellfish, sugar; cotton cloth, chromite, petroleum products _1 US 35.8%, France 30.8%, Germany 7.7% (2004) _2 $1.147 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) _3 capital goods, petroleum, consumer goods, food _4 France 17.2%, China 9.7%, Hong Kong 6.6%, Iran 6.4%, Mauritius 6.2%, South Africa 5.6% (2004) _Y $500.3 million (2004 est.) _5 $4.6 billion (2002) _6 $354 million (2001) _7 Madagascar ariary (MGA) _8 Malagasy francs per US dollar - 1,868.9 (2004), 1,238.3 (2003), 1,366.4 (2002), 1,317.7 (2001), 1,353.5 (2000) _9 calendar year 
]& _: 59,600 (2003) _; 279,500 (2003) _< `B system is above average for the region `C open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter links connect regions `D country code - 261; submarine cable to Bahrain; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) _= AM 2 (plus a number of repeater stations), FM 9, shortwave 6 (2001) _> 1 (plus 36 repeaters) (2001) _? .mg _@ 773 (2003) _A 70,500 (2003) 
]' _e `! 732 km `c 732 km 1.000-m gauge (2004) _B `! 49,827 km `E 5,780 km `F 44,047 km (1999 est.) _b 600 km (2004) _C Antsiranana, Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliara _K `! 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 14,865 GRT/17,936 DWT by type: cargo 5, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 2 `\ 1 (2005) _D 116 (2004 est.) _E `! 29 `] 1 `G 2 `^ 4 `_ 20 `T 2 (2004 est.) _L `! 87 `^ 2 `_ 42 `T 43 (2004 est.) 
]( _F People's Armed Forces: Intervention Force, Development Force, and Aeronaval (Navy and Air) Force; National Gendarmerie _M 18 years of age (est.); conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004) _] males age 18-49: 3,542,797 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 2,218,662 (2005 est.) _^ `` 187,000 (2005 est.) _N $44.6 million (2004) _O 1.2% (2004) 
]) _H claims Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, and Juan de Nova Island (all administered by France) _I illicit producer of cannabis (cultivated and wild varieties) used mostly for domestic consumption; transshipment point for heroin 