Madagascar
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Sam Schwartz
4/20/08
Dr. Patricia Kazarow
MUS — 102
Madagascar
Introduction
Madagascar is an island off the west coast of Africa, east of Mozambique with rich culture and a deep passion for the arts. Their location offers many unique customs and tradition which present Madagascar in many different perspectives. With over a quarter of a million square miles in size Madagascar is quite notably a much larger island than traditionally observed. With a large land mass there population is also quite large with a national ranking of 55th in the world ( ). Culture is another large topic of Malagasy discussion. Their foundation and customs have lead to a very distinct and well-recognized genre of music. Madagascar was formally known as the Malagasy Republic due to their original French influence. In this paper, I will discuss many general topics about the country of Madagascar. From statistics to the arts, all major topics will be explored with a emphasis on music.
Physical
Madagascar’s various interesting and defining stats will be discussed. Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world with over 4,828 kilometers of coastline. The percentage of arable land to permanent land is 5.03% to 1.02% respectively. Some of Madagascar’s major natural resources are graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, salt, quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, and fish. The highest point in Madagascar is Mt. Maromoktoro, which is approximately 2,876 m. Due to the proximity of the equator, and tropical Indian currents the climate is tropical along the coasts and temperate inside the island. As mentioned before the total area is almost a quarter million square miles, which is slightly less than twice the size of Arizona. Some of the current issues involving the environments are soil erosion due to the clearing and overgrazing of which results in desertification. One of the main attractions to Madagascar is the wildlife, which have suffered greatly due the impact and destruction of their habitat.
Social Features