Madagascar, A recent visitor to my blog

Coat of arms of Madagascar

Nosy Iranja Beach , Madagascar

One of my latest visitors was from Madagascar.
Madagascar 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.
It is 227,000 square miles in size.Population 20,653,556(2009)

Madagascar Moon Moth aka Madagascar Comet. The world's largest butterfly

Madagascar's long isolation from the neighboring continents has resulted in a unique mix of plants and animals, many found nowhere else in the world; some ecologists refer to Madagascar as the "eighth continent". Of the 10,000 plants native to Madagascar, 90% are found nowhere else in the world. Madagascar's varied fauna and flora are endangered by human activity, as a third of its native vegetation has disappeared since the 1970s, and only 18% remains intact.

Giant Coua

New Coke Shook The Economy
In 1985 Coca-cola switched to New Coke which involved less vanilla, Madagascar's economy took a marked downturn, but returned to previous levels after the return of Coke Classic.

Economy
GDP (U.S.$, 2008 est., official exchange rate): $9.729 billion.
GDP per capita (2008 est., purchasing power parity): $1,000.
Unemployment: no reliable data available.
Natural resources: Graphite, chrome, coal, bauxite, ilmenite, nickel, gold, oil, tar sands, precious and semiprecious stones, and hardwoods.

Agriculture (26% of GDP, 2008 est.): Products--rice, livestock, seafood, coffee, vanilla, sugar, cloves, cotton, sisal, peanuts, and tobacco.
Industry (15.9% of GDP, 2008 est.): Types--processed food, clothing, textiles, mining, paper, refined petroleum products, glassware, construction, soap, cement, tanning.
Trade:
Exports (2007, f.o.b.) $989 million: apparel, shrimp, vanilla, coffee, cloves, graphite, essential oils, industrial minerals and gemstones. Major export markets--France, U.S., Germany, Italy, U.K.

Imports (2007, f.o.b.) $1.933 billion: foodstuffs, fuel and energy, capital goods, vehicles, consumer goods and electronics. Major suppliers--France, China, Iran, Mauritius, Hong Kong.