SFD 2010 Madagascar
Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar (older name Malagasy Republic, French: République malgache), is an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. The main island, also called Madagascar, is the fourth-largest island in the world.
Archaeologists generally say Madagascar was first inhabited sometime 300BC - 500AD, by Austronesian peoples who arrived on outrigger canoes. Since, there have been many Bantu and Arab influences and population intermixture. Madagascar was ruled by the local Merina kingdom in the 19th century and was part of the French colonial empire from 1890 to 1960, when the current Republic of Madagascar became independent.
Malagasy, the local language spoken by the majority of the population, is an Austronesian language and one of the official languages. The other official languages are French, official since independence, and English, official since 2007.
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