4th largest island in the world,known as the “Land of Wonders” in the Indian Ocean
Size : 579 000km2 including numerous small islands and archipelagos
Located 400km off the east coast of Africa, south of the Equator .
Capital
Antananarivo in the heart of the island , in the highlands (between 1200m to 1500meters above sea level) , Ivato airport the first international airport of Madagascar is situated in the capital , is a must for every one , a place where you start your holiday , a stop-over for your continuation to another destination
A chain of mountains dominates the centre of the island with Mont Maromokotraat the highest point (2876m), descending sharply to the Indian ocean.
There are dense tropical rain forests on the east coast near the sea.
The dry deciduous forest, the spiny bush, the grasslands and savannah are in the western plain and the aridsouth .
Climate
Tropical , hot rainy season (November-March) , mild dryseason (Mai – October)
With different weather over the island, you can see climates from temperate, to tropical, and desert in one island.
The highlands are at high altitude so people talk about “winter” during the dry season and the temperature ranges between 0°C to 20°C The rainy season starts in mid-November and it often rains in the afternoon or at the end of the day but it doesn’t rain every day.
The east is the wet region so it rains all year. The dryer period is May, October , November and December. Heavier rains and cyclones occur from mid January to March
Although the rainy season is from November to March in the western part, the dry season is from April to October ,so we have dry, sunny weather for seven or eight months
Population
22 millions
Language
Malagasy , French , some English spoken in the towns , and in the hotels or tourists sites
Religion :most of the Malagasy people are Christians
Travel period
You can come to Madagascar all year , but remember that you may have storms and cyclones during the first three months of the year. If you can put up with the rain, the wildlife at this time is amazing , the forests are green and lush with many flowers, birds, and reptiles, you have also the chance to enjoy fresh tropical fruit.
Sightseeing in Antananarivo
City tour , visit of the sacred hill of the blue Hill (Ambohimanga) , lemurs park , botanical and zoological garden