Madagascar is a country that occupies a large island of the same name, located in the Indian Ocean off the eastern coast of Africa. It is the fourth largest island in the world.
The first people arrived in Madagascar between 350 BC and 550 AD from Borneo on outrigger canoes. These Austronesian first settlers were joined around 1000 AD by Bantu migrants crossing the Mozambique Channel.
Other groups such as Arabs, Indians, and Chinese continued to settle on Madagascar over time, each one making lasting contributions to Malagasy cultural life.
Madagascar's long isolation from the neighbouring continents has resulted in a unique mix of flora and fauna; many of which are unique and endemic to Madagascar. This has led some ecologists to refer to Madagascar as the "eighth continent". Of the 10,000 plants native to Madagascar, 90% are found nowhere else in the world.
Be sure to visit Tsingy de Bemaraha, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Tsingy de Ankarana, and the Avenue of the Baobabs, an extra-ordinary stand of huge baobab trees, located 45 minutes north of Morondava on Madagascar's west coast.
