1988 Edition

Administrative divisions

6 provinces

Boundary disputes

none; claims Frenchadministered Bassas da India, Europa Island, Juan de Nova Island, Glorioso Islands, Tromelin Island

Branches

executive — a 19-member Supreme Revolutionary Council (made up of military and political leaders); assisted by cabinet called Council of Ministers; unicameral legislative — Popular National Assembly; Military Committee for Development; regular courts are patterned after French system, and a High Council of Institutions reviews all legislation to determine its constitutional validity

Budget

expenditures, $300 million (1985)

Capital

Antananarivo

Climate

tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south

Coastline

4,828 km

Communists

Communist party of virtually no importance; small and vocal group of Communists has gained strong position in leadership of AKFM, the rank and file of which is non-Communist

Comparative area

slightly smaller than Texas

Continental shelf

150 nm

Council

Advance Guard of the Malagasy Revolution (AREMA), Didier Ratsiraka; Congress Party for Malagasy Independence (AKFM), Pastor Richard Andriamanjato; Movement for National Unity (VONJY), Dr. Marojama Razanabahiny; Malagasy Christian Demcratic Union (UDECMA), Norbert Andriamorasata; Militants for the Establishment of a Proletarian Regime (MFM), Manandafy Rakotonirina; National Movement for the Independence of Madagascar (MONIMA), Monja Jaona; Socialist Organization MONIMA (VS MONIMA), Remanindry Jaona

Elections

referendum held in December 1975 gave overwhelming approval to government and new constitution; elections for Popular National Assembly held in June 1977 and in August 1983; only one political group allowed to take part in the election, The National Front for the Defense of the Revolution, which presented a single list of candidates; a presidential election in November 1982 returned President Ratsiraka with an 80% majority; the challenger, Monja Jaona, received 20% and was later arrested after leading demonstrations to protest election fraud Political parties and leaders: seven parties are now allowed limited political activity under the national front and are represented on the Supreme Revolutionary

Environment

subject to periodic cyclones; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Ethnic divisions

basic split between highlanders of predominantly MalayoIndonesian origin (Merina 1,643,000 and related Betsileo 760,000) on the one hand and coastal tribes — collectively termed the Cotiers, with mixed black, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry (Betsimisaraka 941,000, Tsimihety 442,000, Antaisaka 415,000, Sakalava 375,000) on the other; there are also 11,000 European French, 5,000 Indians of French nationality, and 5,000 Creoles

Exclusive fishing zone

150 nm

Extended economic zone

150 nm

Fiscal year

calendar year

Government leaders

Adm. Didier RATSIRAKA, President (since June 1975); Lt. Col. Desire RAKOTOARIJAONA, Prime Minister (since 1977)

Imports

$772 million (c.i.f., 1985); foodstuffs

Infant mortality rate

177/1,000 (1984)

Labor force

about 4.9 million (1985), of which 90% are nonsalaried family workers engaged in subsistence agriculture; of 175,000 wage and salary earners, 26% agriculture, 17% domestic service, 15% industry, 14% commerce, 11% construction, 9% services, 6% transportation, 2% miscellaneous

Land use

4% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 58% meadows and pastures; 26% forest and woodland; 11% other; includes 1% irrigated

Language

French and Malagasy (official)

Legal system

based on French civil law system and traditional Malagasy law; constitution of 1959 modified in October 1972 by law establishing provisional government institutions; new constitution accepted by referendum in December 1975; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Life expectancy

46

Literacy

53%

Major trade partners

exports — 32% US, 18% Hong Kong, 10% FRG, 10% France; imports — 43% Hong Kong, 21% China (1985)

Member of

AfDB, EAMA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IRC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, OCAM, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

Monetary conversion rate

8 patacas=US$l (June 1986)

National holiday

Independence Day, 26 June

Nationality

noun — Malagasy (sing, and pi.); adjective — Malagasy

Organized labor

4% of labor force

Population

10,730,754 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 3.11%

Religion

52% indigenous beliefs; about 41% Christian, 7% Muslim

Special notes

world's fourth largest island; important location along Mozambique Channel

Suffrage

universal over age 18

Terrain

narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center

Territorial sea

50 nm

Total area

587,040 km2; land area: 581,540 km2

Type

real authority in hands of the President, although Supreme Revolutionary Council is theoretically ultimate executive authority

Voting strength

4.8 million registered voters (1982); in 1977 local elections, President Ratsiraka 's AREMA captured about 89.5% of the 73,000 available positions on 11,400 local executive committees; AKFM won about 7.3% of the seats, MONIMA 1.7%, and VONJY 1.4%; UDECMA won only about 45 seats; in the 1983 legislative election AREMA won 117 out of the 137 seats in the Popular National Assembly

Official name

Democratic Republic of

Agriculture

cash crops — coffee, vanilla, cloves, sugar, tobacco, sisal, raffia, pepper, cocoa; food crops — rice, cassava, cereals, potatoes, corn, beans, bananas, coconuts, and peanuts; animal husbandry widespread; imports some rice, milk, and cereal

Budget

overall government operations — total revenues, $420 million; current expenditures, $300 million; capital expenditures, $150 million; other expenditures, $90 million (1984)

Electric power

114,000 kW capacity; 479 million kWh produced, 46 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$350 million (f.o.b., 1985 est.); coffee, vanilla, sugar, cloves; agricultural and livestock products account for about 85% of export earnings

External debt

$2.2 billion disbursed; debt service payment 33% of exports after rescheduling (1984)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Fishing

catch 54,500 (1983); marketed output— 22,150 metric tons fish; 6,695 metric tons shellfish (1984 est.)

GDP

$2.4 billion, about $250 per capita; real growth rate 2.1% (1984)

Imports

$353 million (f.o.b., 1985 est.); 27.5% raw materials, 25.3% equipment, 23.1% energy, 12.6% food, 11.5% consumer goods

Major industries

agricultural processing (meat canneries, soap factories, brewery, tanneries, sugar refining), light consumer goods industries (textiles, glassware), cement plant, auto assembly plant, paper mill, oil refinery

Major trade partners

exports — 34% France, 13.1% US, 10.4% Japan, 7.6% Indonesia, 5.5% Italy; imports— 32.5% France, 8.6% USSR, 6.1% FRG, 5.7% Qatar, 5.6% US (1985)

Monetary conversion rate

747 Malagasy francs=US$l (September 1986)

Natural resources

graphite, chrome, coal, bauxite, ilmenite, tar sands, semiprecious stones

Airfields

none; 1 seaplane station

157 total, 128 usable; 28 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 42 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Branches

Popular Army, Aeronaval Forces (includes Navy and Air Force), paramilitary Gendarmerie

Civil air

no major transport aircraft

3 major transport aircraft

Highways

42 km paved

40,000 km total; 4,694 km paved, 811 km crushed stone, gravel, or stabilized soil; remainder improved and unimproved earth (est.)

Inland waterways

of local importance only; isolated streams and small portions of Canal des Pangalanes

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 31 December 1986, $58.9 million; about 9% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 109,000; 63,000 fit for military service (1986 est.) 300km Indian Ocean Faradofay S« regional map VII

males 15-49, 2,314,000; 1,380,000 fit for military service; 93,000 reach military age (20) annually

Ports

1 major

4 major (Toamasina, Antsiranana, Mahajanga, Toliara)

Railroads

1,020 km 1.000-meter gauge

Telecommunications

fairly modern communication facilities maintained for domestic and international services; 13,000 telephones; 4 AM and 3 FM radio broadcast transmitters; est. 75,000 radio receivers; international high frequency radio communication facility; access to international communications carriers provided via Hong Kong and China Defense Forces Defense is responsibility of Portugal

fair system includes open-wire lines, coaxial cables, and radiorelay links; submarine cable to Bahrain; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT station; 96,000 telephones (0.9 per 100 popl.); 14 AM, no FM, 24 TV stations Defense Forces