Place details
Place nameMadagascar
Other namesRepoblikan'i Madagasikara, Repoblika Malagasy, République de Madagascar, Madagasikara, Republic of Madagascar, Madagaskar, MDG, MG, ISO450, MA00, Repoblika Demokratika n'i Madagaskar, Repoblika Demokratika Malagasy, République démocratique de Madagascar, Democratic Republic of Madagascar, République Malgache, Malagasy Republic, Malgache Republic, Malagasy
Latitude-20
Longitude47
SourceThesaurus of Geographic Names
Overview
Comprises the island of the same name and surrounding islets. Malayo/Indonesian immigration occurred ca. 1000 BCE via African coast; Africo-Arabs arrived later; Portuguese landed ca. 1500; several important native kingdoms flourished 17th-19th centuries; French settled 17th-18th centuries; official languages are Malagasy (of Malayo-Polynesian origin) and French.