Today Kayla and I went to the National Museum of Antananarivo. There we learned all about the economy, history, government, and geography. Did you know that the economy in Madagascar is based on agriculture? This would be including fishing and forestry, the main focuses of their economy, which also emploies 80% of the population. Also, lately Madagascar's been getting money from tourism, seafood products, industries, and other services. Their exports are a main part of their income, too. This includes coffee, vanilla, shellfish, sugar; cotton cloth, chromite, and petroleum products.
| GDP | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
| Agriculture | 33.5 % | 33.1 % | 31.8 % |
| Industry | 11.9 % | 11.8 % | 12.5 % |
| Services | 47.9 % | 48.4 % | 48.5 % |
Source: Central Bank of Madagascar
After we found that information, we headed over to the geography, history, and government exibits. I would have to say that the geography was most interesing. We learned that the climate ranges from tropical along coast, temperate inland, and arid in south. Also, if you are interested in hiking then you would like to know that Madagascar has narrow coastal plains, high plateaus, and mountains in center of the country. The main landforms are mountains, volcanos, rivers, lakes, and bays.
Cassie was more interested in Madagascar's history. She was facinated that in 1883, France invaded Madagascar and by 1896 had established rule over the island, which became a French colony. France used Madagascar as a source for timber and exotic spices, like vanilla. The Malagasy had two major uprisings against the French, in 1918 and 1947, but the country did not gain independence until June 26, 1960. Then in 1975, Didier Ratsiraka took control of the country. He ruled Madagascar as a dictator until he was overthrown in 1991 amid an economic collapse. He regained the presidency shortly after and ruled until losing a contested election in 2001. The new president, Marc Ravalomanana, promised to bring democracy to the country. Having gotten his start selling yogurt on the streets from the back of his bicycle, Ravalomanana built a business empire and became Madagascar's richest man. As of 2005, he is still president and the economy continues to improve.
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| Marc Ravalomanana |
Later on in the day, Cassie and I went out for lunch. We remembered learning in the museum that Madagascar cuisine is composed of a rice base. India, China, France, East Africa, and Arabian cultures have contributed in forming the culinary products of Madagascar. With that knowledge in mind, we went to a street market and I got the mofo gasy, which is Malagasy bread, that originated in East Africa. Cassie got the mofo baolina, a corn flour donut, which originated in India.
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