TONGA SOA ! (WELCOME !)

GEOGRAPHY

The island of Madagascar, called “The Big Island”, covers an area of 578,000 sq. km and is the fourth largest island in the world - almost one and a half times the size of France. It is situated in the Indian Ocean, southeast of South Africa, and surrounded to the northwest and east by the Comoro Islands, Mayotte Island, Réunion and Mauritius.

HISTORY

Madagascar’s history is distinct from that of Africa, Asia and
the tiny islands of the Indian Ocean.
Discovered in 1506 by the Portuguese, Madagascar was a kingdom before being colonised and annexed by the French in 1896. It became an independent republic in 1958, and proclaimed its independence on 26 June 1960. It is currently headed by its third President : Marc Ravalomanana (since 6 May 2002).

POPULATION

The island is home to an amazingly diverse population 17,000,000 inhabitants, half of whom are under the age of twenty, including the «zanatany» (people of French origin who have lived on the island for several generations). Composed of 18 different ethnic groups, the island is a good example of how people can live together in harmony: the Chinese, French, Comorians, Indo- Pakistanis and Europeans all live together on good terms. The capital, Antananarivo, has a population of around 1 million; the surrounding area is home to a similar number of inhabitants.

Languages: Malagasy and French.

Religions : reflecting its many communities, the people of Madagascar peacefully practice a number of religions, including ancestor worship, Catholicism, Protestantism and Islam.

Seasons : the best time to visit Madagascar is between May and November.

COMMON PHRASES

Welcome = Tonga soa
Hello = Manao ahoana
Good evening = Ahoana
How are you? = Fahasalamàna?
Goodbye = Veloma.
Thank you very much = Misaotra betsaka.
Yes sir (madam) = Eny tompoko.
Good night = Tafandria mandry.
How much is it? = Ohatrinona?
What time is it please? = Amin’ny firy izao azafady?

Public Holidays in Madagascar

FOOD : MADAGASCAR BOASTS AN ABUNDANCE OF EXOTIC DISHES

The staple foods include rice, bredes (a kind of spinach), manioc, coconut, zebu and fish. Well-known dishes include ravitoto: a mixture of boiled meat (zebu or pork) with manioc leaves, romazava (meat, bredes, onion and tomato stew) and traditional coconut rice.