Pre-Trip Information

Background

In recent years, the population of Madagascar was estimated at approximately 20 million. Almost 80 percent of the population lives in rural areas. Although the overall population density in rural areas is relatively low, it varies greatly from region to region, often being substantially above average on the island's limited arable land, which constitutes only about five percent of the total land area.

Madagascar's internal population migration is commonly from rural areas to other rural areas, particularly from the densely populated plateau region to the under populated western coastal areas. Migration to the capital has created a significant urbanization crisis. In a city designed to accommodate 50,000 people, population estimates now place the number close to 900,000. Antananarivo is dramatically poor even by African standards, health care is exceedingly low, and joblessness and homelessness are high. By at least one recent study, it is also now considered one of the world's most polluted cities.

Ethnicity

Madagascar's population is of predominantly mixed Asian and African origin. Recent research suggests that the island was uninhabited until Indonesian seafarers arrived in roughly the first century of the common era, or C.E., possibly by way of southern India and East Africa, where they acquired African wives and slaves. Immigrants from eastern Africa are believed to have started coming around the 8th century C.E.

Over the centuries there has been significant inter-marriage between those of Indo-Malay heritage and those of African heritage. As a result, all 18 ethnic groups are a mixture of the two races to varying degrees.

Asian features are most predominant in the central highland people, the Merina (two million) and the Betsileo (one million), whereas the people of the coast have more distinctly African features. The largest groups outside of the central highlands are the Betsimisaraka (2.2 million) and Tsimhety (1.1 million) and the Sakalava (917,600). In addition, there are communities of Comorians, French, Indians and Chinese.

Language

The Malagasy language is of Malayo-Polynesian origin, versions of which are spoken throughout the island. There are 18 recognized dialects of Malagasy, with varying degrees of mutual comprehensibility. Official Malagasy, a version of the Merina dialect, is taught in schools. French is spoken among the educated of this former French colony.

Religion

Most people practice traditional religions, which tend to emphasize links between the living and the dead. 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 exhumed, re-wrapped in new silk shrouds, and re-buried following festive ceremonies in their honor. Other ethnic groups pay tribute to the ancestors in different ways, but investment in the family tomb is considered tantamount, island-wide.

About 40 percent of the Malagasy are Christian and are divided almost evenly between Roman Catholic and Protestant. Many incorporate ancestor worship with their Christian beliefs and bless their dead at church before proceeding with the traditional burial rites. They also may invite a pastor to attend a famadihana.

Ethnicity and Power

A historical rivalry exists between people of the central highlands (Merina) and people from the coast and lowlands (collectively known as cotiers). Merina consider cotiers to be less capable and cotiers consider Merina to be using their position of historic dominance to hoist their current interests over the people of the rest of the island. As the people from the area of the capital, the Merina have a geographic advantage, as well as an economic and education advantage over their coastal counterparts. Therefore, they dominate the civil service, business and professions. The Merina-cotier divide is the most significant divide not only in the social sphere, but also in the political sphere.

Health and Welfare

According to recent estimates, Madagascar's population growth rate of about 3.005 percent per annum, making it high -- but -- comparable with most African countries. The average life expectancy at birth was averaged at about 62.5 years of age, according to recent estimates. The infant mortality rate has been estimated at approximately 55.59  deaths per 1,000 live births.

According to the United Nation Development Program (UNDP), an estimated 65 percent (57.8 percent female, 72.2 percent male) of the population age 15 and above are literate. The CIA estimated an 68.9 percent literacy rate (75.5 percent for men, 62.5 percent for women), which is slightly higher than that of the UNDP. There is reason to believe, however, that both sets of figures are somewhat inflated and include people with a very basic ability to read and write.

About 6.2 percent of GDP in this country is spent on health expenditures; about three percent of GDP is spent on educational expenditures.

Human Development

The aforementioned statistical data suggests that Madagascar is a country with a low quality of life. In this regard, one notable indicator used to measure a country's quality of life is the Human Development Index (HDI), which is compiled annually since 1990 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The HDI is a composite of several indicators, which measure a country's achievements in three main areas of human development: longevity, knowledge and education, as well as economic standard of living. In a ranking of 169 countries and territories, the HDI places Madagascar in the low human development category, at 135th place.

Note: Although the concept of human development is complicated and cannot be properly captured by values and indices, the HDI, which is calculated and updated annually, offers a wide-ranging assessment of human development in certain countries, not based solely upon traditional economic and financial indicators.