Culture

a) Population

            i) What’s the population of the country?  Compare this to the population of the US.
            ii) Where do the people live in this country?  Rural areas?  Urban areas?  What are the populations in the two cities you used for Question 2 b)?

The population of Madagascar is 23,201,926. To help put that in perspective the United States population is 318,860,032. That means 300 million more people live in the US than Madagascar. Most of the population is located on the eastern side where the climate isn't so dry. The population of Antananarivo is 1,391,433 which is about 500,000 more than Oahu. The population of Mahajanga is a little over 250,000. I guess to me I thought that was even big because all I thought was on Madagascar was a bunch of lemurs thanks to the DreamWorks movie.

b) Agriculture-

            i) What types of agriculture do they have and what type of diet do they have?

Madagascar grows lots and lots of crops. From bananas to apples to passion fruit to oranges and every fruit in between. Corn is grown on the center plateau and coffee on the eastern side. Sugarcane is grown up towards Mahajanda. The most grown crop on the island is rice which is also grown on the central plateau. That being said it is the staple the people of Madagascars' diet. It is usually piled with zebu, pork, chicken, peanuts, and/or potatoes. There are also lots of fruits and vegetables available.

c) Industry and Tourism

            i) Are industry and tourism related to geography and climate?

Madagascar is a great place to go for those looking for adventure. Because of its east to west terrain variation and the fact that it is an island means that you can find just about anything your looking for from rainforest to deserts to beaches to mountains and everything in between. And thats just talking about the land. There are also many of plants and animals to help bring visitors here from all over the world. If that isn't enough it has beautiful temperatures 365 days of the year (as long as you don't mind a bit of rain for a few of the months). Unfortunately because it is so remote and parts are so uninhabited you would need a private boat or plane to get to certain places... which can make for quite a costly trip. 

d) Cultural Activities

            i) Are there any notable historical events that add to the climate/culture story?

There is the Santabary Festive which takes place in late April to give thanks at the beginning of the rice harvest. This celebration is said to be ancient. Most of Madagascar's other celebrations have to do with religions or just celebrating with dance and music.  All can be found at the iexplore link below.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ma.html
http://mapfrappe.blogspot.com/2011/02/countries.html
http://population.mongabay.com/population/madagascar/1070940/antananarivo
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/355562/Madagascar/23469/Agriculture-forestry-and-fishing
http://www.air-mad.com/about_history.html
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/madagascar
http://www.iexplore.com/travel-guides/africa/madagascar/festivals-and-events