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| Country | Madagascar | | | Flag |  | | | Capital | name: Antananarivo geographic coordinates: 18 52 S, 47 30 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) | | | Population | 19,448,815 (July 2007 est.) | | | GMT | +3 | | | Location | Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique
see map | | | Area | total: 587,040 sq km land: 581,540 sq km water: 5,500 sq km | | | Ethnic groups | Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and related Betsileo), Cotiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry - Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava), French, Indian, Creole, Comoran | | | Religions | indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian 41%, Muslim 7% | | | Languages | French (official), Malagasy (official) | | | Government type | republic | | | National holiday | Independence Day, 26 June (1960) | | | Constitution | 19 August 1992 by national referendum | | | Legal system | based on French civil law system and traditional Malagasy law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations | | | Background | Formerly an independent kingdom, Madagascar became a French colony in 1896, but regained its independence in 1960. During 1992-93, free presidential and National Assembly elections were held, ending 17 years of single-party rule. In 1997, in the second presidential race, Didier RATSIRAKA, the leader during the 1970s and 1980s, was returned to the presidency. The 2001 presidential election was contested between the followers of Didier RATSIRAKA and Marc RAVALOMANANA, nearly causing secession of half of the country. In April 2002, the High Constitutional Court announced RAVALOMANANA the winner. | | Internet country code | .mg | |
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