In the 1930s, the Sea and Colonial League, with the support of the Polish government, demanded overseas colonies, which would be a source of cheap resources and labor. Moreover, it was a place where the Jewish minority could be located. The most realistic was the redemption of Madagascar from France. Surprisingly, the French initially agreed to it! However, the condition was that the island should be visited by Jews not only from Poland but also from other parts of Europe. ¹⁾

Madagascar was first known as The Malagasy Republic. It was established in 1958 as an autonomous republic of the French Community. It became fully independent in 1960, and in 1975 changed the name to the Democratic Republic of Madagascar. ²⁾

Madagascar has been classified as a biodiversity hotspot by Conservation International. This is because various plants and animals are found nowhere else on Earth, and approximately 90 percent of all species found in Madagascar are endemic. The island is often referred to as the “eighth continent” by ecologists. ³⁾

On an island with an area lies the Republic of Madagascar, whose capital is Antananarivo, the largest city of the island, located in its central part. ⁴⁾

The official languages in Madagascar are Malagasy and French. ⁵⁾

The Malagasy language belongs to the Austronesian family (a family of languages spoken by about 350 million indigenous people on the islands of Oceania, Southeast Asia, and Madagascar), the Barito group (a group of Austronesian languages spoken in Indonesia, southeast of Borneo). ⁶⁾

Madagascar is part of the former supercontinent Gondwana, which broke away about 200 million years ago. ⁷⁾

The highest elevation in the country is Maromokotro Peak (9,436 feet), which lies in the Tsaratanana massif located at the northern end of the island. ⁸⁾

There are no active volcanoes on the island, but there are quite a few traces of past volcanic activity. Madagascar's extinct volcanoes are Ambre-Bobaomby, Ankaizina Field, Vakinankaratra Field, Itasa Volcanic Field, Nosy-Be. ⁹⁾

Madagascar has two long seasons typical of these latitudes: summer - from November to April and winter - from May to October. ¹⁰⁾

Madagascar has been called the “Great Red Island.” ¹¹⁾

In Madagascar, more than 80% of vascular plant species are endemic. ¹²⁾

There are about 107 species of lemurs on the island - 75% of those found in the world. ¹³⁾

There are 43 protected areas on the island including national parks and strict and special nature reserves. ¹⁴⁾

The earliest records of Madagascar date back to the 1st century, and by the 4th century, it was already known to the Arabs, who described it as the country of Wag Wag in the 10th century. ¹⁵⁾

Madagascar is an agricultural country, with about 75% of the working population engaged in farming. ¹⁶⁾

Madagascar is the world leader in vanilla production. ¹⁷⁾