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10 Things You Didn’t Know About Madagascar

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Madagascar

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Madagascar receives very few tourists, which is a shame because it’s one of the most stunning places on earth. Here are 10 fun facts about this vibrant African country, some have only seen on the animation movie by the same name ‘Madagascar’, to pique your interest in travelling there. And no, there are no penguins in Madagascar!

raftingdurango.com
raftingdurango.com

The standard greeting

The standard way people greet each other in Madagascar is by saying, “Mbola tsara Manahoana, Manakory, Akory.” These sing-songy words translate to, “Hello, Good morning.”

lemur
Thinkstock

Extremely rare wildlife

90 percent of Madagascar’s wildlife cannot be found anywhere else on the planet, including the adorable lemur, the carnivorous fossa and several birds.

conservationreport.wordpress.com
conservationreport.wordpress.com

The locals live modestly

Very modestly. 90 percent of the population gets by on less than $3 a day. But they are still happy to welcome visitors to their homes.

southafrica.to
southafrica.to

 

The locals speak French

There are two official languages in Madagascar: Malagasy and French. In 1897 Madagascar was absorbed into the French colonial empire and was under their rule until 1960 when they became an independent country.

butterflydiary.com
butterflydiary.com

 

Orchids abound

Over 930 orchid species grow on the island. Ecologists refer to the island as the “eighth continent” because of its incredible biodiversity.

en.wikipedia.org
en.wikipedia.org

It’s one of the largest islands

Madagascar is the 4th largest island in the world, taking up an area that is four times smaller than Greenland but only slightly smaller than New Guinea and Borneo.

theinnkeepersdaughter.com
theinnkeepersdaughter.com

Sports recognition

The 1999 Petanque World Champion was from Madagascar. Petanque is a game in which a player stands inside of a starting circle with both feet planted and throws hollow metal balls as near to a small wooden ball as they can get them.

en.wikipedia.org
en.wikipedia.org

The Malagasy are martial art geniuses

The traditional martial art of the island is called Moraingy and it uses absolutely no weapons but rather is a bare-fisted striking style.

hanginatthezoo.com
hanginatthezoo.com

 

Lemurs are celebrities

Lemurs, mentioned previously as an animal only found in Madagascar, often have main roles in Malagasy taboo-related folk tales. Lemurs are considered to be protectors and sometimes thought of as relatives to humans.

africaisdonesuffering.com
africaisdonesuffering.com

Malagasy are great poets

One of Madagascar’s main forms of art is oratory. The Malagasy are known for writing and reciting epic poems. The art is broken down into three categories: hainteny (poetry), kabary (public discourse) and ohabolana (proverbs).