Madagascar - the largest island in Africa

Madagascar is the largest island off the coast of Africa and throughout the Indian Ocean. Very often it is called a kind of miniature continent. This is due to the fact that its flora and fauna is very different from the one that exists on the African continent. Many of their representatives are found only here. Moreover, local landscapes are unique and do not repeat anywhere else on the planet. Several millennia ago, it was part of a huge continent known as Gondwana, which eventually broke up. As a result, South America, Africa, Antarctica and Madagascar itself were formed. Now the largest island of Africa is separated from the main continent by the Mozambique Channel, the width of which is about 300 kilometers.

The local landscape is very diverse. Most of the territory is a plateau. In some areas it rises above sea level to a height of up to 2,876 meters. Not far from the city of Antananarivo (the capital of Madagascar) are the Ankaratro mountains, whose maximum height is 2643 meters. The largest island of Africa can also boast of its fertile plains. They are on the west and east coasts. All local rivers flow into the Mozambique Channel and flow from east to west. Though there are not many of them, they annually attract a huge number of tourists with an abundance of their waterfalls and picturesque landscapes.

The best time to visit the largest island of Africa is the period from March to April. It is recommended to go to the central part from November to March. This is due to the specifics of the local climate. The thing is, there are wet and dry seasons here. On the east coast there are almost always showers, and strong trade winds lead to the fact that rain jets fly almost horizontally, so no canopies and umbrellas save them from them. The average winter temperature is 16, and the summer temperature is 34 degrees Celsius.

The Democratic Republic of Madagascar, which was formed as a result of a military coup in 1975, occupies not only this large island of Africa, but also a few small ones located nearby. The area of the country is slightly more than 587 thousand km ² . The population of the state exceeds 14 million people. Most of them live in the largest cities, among which the above mentioned Antananarivo, as well as Tulear, Tuamasina, Mahajanga, Fianarantsoa and others. Official in the republic are two languages - French and gelding (one of the dialects of Malagasy). The country is headed by the president, and the prime minister is the head of the government.

The first European to visit the largest island in Africa on August 10, 1500, was the Portuguese Diego Diaz. On new lands, travelers engaged in looting and murder, so as soon as they went to India, the local people sighed with relief. To his great regret, six years later the next European expedition appeared on the island. Its representatives were not very different from their predecessors, therefore most adults of Madagascar were destined to become slaves. At different times, the Portuguese, the French and the English tried to gain a foothold here. In 1896 the island became a colony of France. The right to self-government was received in 1958, and the proclamation of independence took place in 1960.

Currently, Madagascar is included in many world organizations, including the IMF, the UN, WHO and others.