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Geography of Madagascar

Madagascar is considered to be a large nation because of its total area. Its total land area is 587,041 km² (approx. 226,657 mi²). Continental shelf of Madagascar is approximately 101,505 km² (around 39,191 mi²). Madagascar is located in Africa. Africa is the world’s second-largest and second-most populous continent. African countries include, but are not limited to, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Egypt. Madagascar is not a landlocked country. It means that is is bordered by at least one major body of water. The average elevation range of Madagascar is 615 m (2,018 ft).

Neighbors

Total length of land borders of Madagascar is 0 kilometers (~0 miles). Madagascar has no land borders, meaning that it also has no neighbouring countries in the traditional sense of the word.

Cities

The capital city of Madagascar is Antananarivo. The largest city in Madagascar is Antananarivo.

Elevation

The average elevation range of Madagascar is 615 m (2,018 ft). The highest point of Madagascar is Maromokotro, with its official height being 2876 m (9,436 ft). The lowest point of Madagascar is Indian Ocean. The elevation difference between the highest (Maromokotro) and lowest (Indian Ocean) points of Madagascar is 2876 m (2 ft).

Area

The total land area of Madagascar is 587,041 km² (approx. 226,657 mi²). and the total exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is 1,225,259 km² (~473,073 mi²). The continental shelf of Madagascar is approximately 101,505 km² (around 39,191 mi²). Including land mass and EEZ, the total area of Madagascar is approximately 1,812,300 km² (~699,730 mi²). Madagascar is considered to be a large nation because of its total area.

Forest and arable land

128,380 km² of Madagascar's territory is covered in forests, and forest land comprises 22% of all the land in the country. There are 29,251 km² of arable land in Madagascar, and it comprises 5% of the country's total territory.

Read our section on climate to discover what parameters affect these and other biomes of the country.

Natural resources

The most notable natural resources found in Madagascar are graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, rare earth elements, salt, quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish, hydropower.