Country profile: Madagascar

Madagascar is the world's fourth biggest island after Greenland, New Guinea and Borneo. Because of its isolation most of its mammals, half its birds, and most of its plants exist nowhere else on earth.

The island is heavily exposed to tropical cyclones which bring torrential rains and destructive floods, such as the ones in 2000 and 2004, which left thousands homeless.

Overview

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The Malagasy are thought to be descendents of Africans and Indonesians who settled on the island more than 2,000 years ago. Malagasy pay a lot of attention to their dead and spend much effort on ancestral tombs, which are opened from time to time so the remains can be carried in procession, before being rewrapped in fresh shrouds.

AT A GLANCE Politics: In January 2009 political unrest erupted into violence. President Ravalomanana resigned in March following a fierce power struggle with opposition leader Andry Rajoelina, who then assumed power with military backing. Economy: Many areas suffer food shortages. Madagascar stands to benefit from a G8 pledge to write off the debts of 18 poor countries. International: Plans by Rio Tinto to start coastal strip mining in the south-east have alarmed environmentalists. Timeline

After sometimes harsh French colonial rule, which included the bloody suppression of an uprising in 1947, Madagascar gained independence in 1960. The military seized power in the early 1970s with the aim of achieving a socialist paradise.

This did not materialise. The economy went into decline and by 1982 the authorities were forced to adopt a structural adjustment programme imposed by the International Monetary Fund.

The World Bank has estimated that 70% of Malagasy live on less than $1 per day. Poverty and the competition for agricultural land have put pressure on the island's dwindling forests, home to much of Madagascar's unique wildlife and key to its emerging tourist industry.

The island has strong ties with France as well as economic and cultural links with French-speaking West Africa.

Facts

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• Full name: Republic of Madagascar
• Population: 19.6 million (via UN, 2009)
• Capital: Antananarivo
• Area: 587,041 sq km (226,658 sq miles)
• Major languages: Malagasy (official), French
• Major religions: Indigenous beliefs, Christianity
• Life expectancy: 59 years (men), 62 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary unit: Ariary
• Main exports: Vanilla, coffee, seafood, cloves, petroleum products, chromium, fabrics
• GNI per capita: US $410 (World Bank, 2008)
• Internet domain: .mg
• International dialling code: +261

Leaders

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Acting president: Andry Rajoelina

Andry Rajoelina heads an interim government formed under a shaky power-sharing agreement with supporters of Marc Ravalomanana, the president he ousted in March 2009 with military backing.

The internationally-brokered deal, reached in August 2009, was aimed at ending the nine month long power struggle between the two sides, but continuing disputes over details delayed its implementation.

Andry Rajoelina heads an interim unity government

The exiled Mr Ravalomanana objected to Mr Rajoelina staying on as interim president, saying this would legitimize his grab for power.

Under the deal, Mr Rajoelina remains in office until legislative and presidential elections expected before the end of 2010. According to the constitution, Mr Rajoelina, at 35, is technically too young to be president and will be barred from standing for election.

The dispute that led to the ouster of Mr Ravalomanana started in December 2008 when the government tried to close a TV channel owned by Mr Rajoelina, then mayor of the capital, Antananarivo.

Mr Rajoelina and his supporters challenged the president for power, and after failing to quell the opposition protests, the president ceded his authority to the military. The officers in turn offered power to Mr Rajoelina, who proclaimed himself president in March and suspended parliament.

The change of president was not recognized internationally, and Mr Ravalomanana's supporters in turn mounted their own campaign of protests against the new government.

Born into a well-off family, Mr Rajoelina rose to prominence as a disc jockey, going on to own a radio station and advertising company. He set up the Determined Malagasy Youth opposition movement and was elected mayor of Antananarivo in December 2007.

Mr Rajoelina's predecessor, Mark Ravalomanana, a self-made dairy tycoon, came to power in 2002. He used huge street demonstrations sparked by a disputed elections and military force to defeat Marxist President Didier Ratsiraka, who had ruled Madagascar for 23 years.

His first term saw free-market reforms which were welcomed by donors and investors. Aid increased and foreign debt was cancelled, but poverty remained endemic and protesters took to the streets over rising prices.

Media

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Ousted President Ravalomanana owns the Malagasy Broadcasting System, which operates MBS TV and Radio MBS. Many private radio stations in the capital are owned by pro-Ravalomanana politicians.

A boom in privately-owned FM radio stations and more critical political reporting by the print media followed a 1990s law on press freedom.

Although nationwide radio and TV broadcasting remain the monopoly of the state, there are hundreds of private local radio and TV stations.

There were around 110,000 internet users by September 2007 (ITU figure).

The press

• Midi-Madagasikara - privately-owned Antananarivo daily
• Madagascar-Tribune - privately-owned Antananarivo daily
• L'Express - privately-owned Antananarivo daily
• La Gazette de la Grande Ile - Antananarivo daily
• Lakroa (Cross) - Roman Catholic weekly
• Dans Les Media Demain - privately-owned, Antananarivo weekly
• Feon'ny Merina (Voice of the Merina) - privately-owned weekly for Merina people of Malay origin
• Jureco - privately-owned, monthly
• Revue de l'Ocean Indien - privately-owned, monthly, also covering other Indian Ocean islands

Television

• Television Malagasy (TVM) - state-owned
• Radio-Television Analamanga (RTA) - privately-run, Antananarivo
• Madagascar TV (MATV) - privately-run, Antananarivo
• MBS TV - commercial, owned by Ravalomanana

Radio

• Malagasy National Radio (RNM) - state-owned
• Radio Don Bosco - Roman Catholic FM station in capital
• Radio MBS - commercial network owned by Ravalomanana
• Radio Feon'ny Merina - privately-owned, Antananarivo, promotes interests of Merina people of Malay origin
• Radio Tsioka Vao - privately-owned, Antananarivo
• Radio Lazan' Iarivo (RLI) (Glory of Iarivo) - privately-owned
• Radio Korail - privately-owned, Antananarivo
• Radio Antsiva - privately-owned, Antananarivo