INTRODUCTION

Country name: Republic of Madagascar Capital City: Antananarivo National Day: 26 June Area: 587.041? (about 1.6 times as big as that of Japan) Population: 17 million (as of the year of 2003)

The country is located in the southeast off the coastline of African continent and the 4th greatest island in the world floating in the Indian Ocean. Madagascar, together with India, broke away from Africa more than 100 million years ago - well before the evolution of most modern groups of mammals.

History: Madagascar is home to an amazing variety of cultures, due to its long history as a trading nexus and migratory destination for people from throughout Indonesia, Africa, and the Arabian peninsula. Today, the 18 clans that live in this island nation retain key elements of their heritage while also sharing a common Malagasy culture and language-giving rise to the Malagasy phrase "unity amongst diversity."

People: Malagasy

Ethnic: African and Malaysian origins, the number of tribe are 18 (Merina, Betsileo and others) While Madagascar officially shares one culture and language, the Malagasy people are divided into 18 tribes whose boundaries are based on old kingdoms rather than ethnic characteristics. Most Malagasy are of mixed race, but some, such as the Merina from the Antananarivo area, are predominantly Indonesian in appearance, and others, like the Vezo of the south-west coast, have close ties to eastern Africa and look like black Africans.

Languages: Malagasy, French, English Despite the status of French as the official language, Malagasy is widely spoken. It belongs to the Austronesian language family, which includes Indonesian and many Polynesian languages, and its closest linguistic cousin is spoken on southern Borneo. It has also adopted words from French, Arabic, nearby African languages and English.

Music: Most contemporary and traditional Malagasy music revolves around dance rhythms with influences from Indonesia and the African mainland, notably Kenya. These rhythms are accompanied by the flute, whistle and valiha, a unique, 28-stringed instrument resembling a bassoon but played more like a harp. The lokanga voatavo, or cordophone, is also popular, as are a few types of guitar, including the kabosy, similar to a ukelele. Vaky soava is a rhythmic style of singing accompanied only by hand clapping, and perhaps the most renowned exponent is Paul Bert Rahasimanana, who developed a personal style that included adding a musical accompaniment. He weaves themes of poverty, love, loss and hope into his music.

Religion: Christian (41%), Indigenous beliefs (52%), Muslim (7%) Around 50% of Malagasy follow traditional religions, and even confirmed Christians (41%) usually still devoutly carry out traditional practices.

Culture: The Malagasy regard the dead with awe and reverence, and give the afterlife as much importance as the present; the dead play a role in the life of the living rarely seen in other cultures. Mourners carry out elaborate rituals at funerals, and if it is deemed that the dead are displeased, further rituals are enacted to appease them. The most famous of these is the famadihana, or turning of the bones, when the dead are exhumed, entertained, talked to and reburied with gifts and new shrouds. There are several Muslim communities, and Muslims comprise about 7% of the population.

Malagasy meal: The dominant element of any Malagasy meal is vary or rice, and vary doesn't accompany the meal, the meal accompanies the vary. Roadside canteens normally offer a big plate of rice with a few tidbits to garnish it, such as beef, fish or poultry. Other than rice, favourite Malagasy dishes include romazava (beef and vegetable stew) and ravitoto (pork stew with manioc greens). Many dishes are accompanied by achards, a hot, pickled vegetable curry. The seafood on the coast is excellent and cheap, and you can eat a range of tropical fruits (voankazo) such as pineapples, lychees, mangoes and bananas for most of the year. The French influence ensures that the coffee is excellent and more popular than tea. The local THB or Three Horses Beer is also very good. Around Ambalavao and Fianarantsoa they produce several excellent wines, including a greyish-coloured one appropriately enough called gris. The rotguts come in several different kinds but all are strong enough to unblock your pipes. Toaka grasy is a crude rum made from rice and sugar cane; trembo is a coconut toddy; and litchel is an alcoholic fruit drink made from lychees. Up the scale is a distilled rum called roma.

Madagascar has: - 5 national parks: Montagne d'ambre, Isalo, Mantadia, Ranomafana; Mananara nord. - Special reserves of which the main ones are: Andasibe, Bezaha mahafaly, Ankarana, Sainte Marie, Nosy Mangabe. - 11 integral natural reserves - 70 % of the world's lemur species - 146 classified monuments and sites, 27 restored - 125 unclassified monuments and sites - 23 special reserves for the protection of animal and plant species - 6 hunting reserves and 2 private reserves - A high endemic rate for batrachians, reptiles and butterfly species - An extraordinary wealth of crafts - A botanical treasure of dry spiny deserts.

World Heritage Sites in Madagascar: - Royal Hill of Ambohimanga (2001) - Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve (1990) - Antongona - Cliff and caves of Isandra - rice cultural Landscape and hydraulics of Betafo - Site and Rova de Tsinjoarivo - Malagasy South-west, Mahafaly Country

ECONOMY

Currency: Malagasy franc (MGF). Started the new currency, Ariary (25.000 Fmg = 5,000 Ariary) in August 2003. Now both of them are used.

Natural resources: graphite, chromites, coal, bauxite, salt, quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish, hydropower

Agriculture - products: coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, cloves, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), beans, bananas, peanuts; livestock products

Industries: meat processing, soap, breweries, tanneries, sugar, textiles, glassware, cement, automobile assembly plant, paper, petroleum, tourism

EXPO AICHI - National Day: May 30, 2004.

Exchange history between Japan and Madagascar (source: MOFA http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/africa/madagascar/index.html)

Diplomatic Relations: 5 in July, 1960 (Date of the recognition of the State)

Trade with Japan (1998): Exports: 4,065 million yen (shrimps, chronium ore, vanilla, etc) Imports: 4,333 million yen (trucks, automobiles etc)

Direct Investment from Japan (cumulative total fiscal 1951-1998): 10,945 million yen

Cultural Exchanges Japan donated books for the library in Madagascar. Every year Japanese Embassy holds a film festival and other cultural festivals.

Japan Assistances - Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Kazunori Tanaka to Visit Uganda, Malawi and Madagascar (August 2004) - Emergency Assistance to Madagascar for Cyclone Disaster (March 2004) - Emergency Assistance to Madagascar for Cyclone Disaster (February 2004) - Agreement on Technical Cooperation between the Government of Japan and the Government of the Republic of Madagascar (October 2003) - Emergency Aid for Tropical Cyclone Disaster in Madagascar (May 2003) - Emergency Assistance to Madagascar for Flood Disaster (February 2003) - Statement by the Press Secretary on the Presidential Election in the Republic of Madagascar (January 2002) - Meeting between the foreign ministers of Japan and Madagascar (Summary and evaluation) (June 2000) - Emergency Assistance to Madagascar for Disastrous Cholera Outbreak (March 2000)

Madagascar's climate is tropical with two seasons. - the rainy season (December-April). - the dry season (May-November).This is probably the best time to travel to Madagascar

For more information about Madagascar and its business opportunities, please visit the website of the Embassy of Madagascar in Japan http://madagascar-embassy.jp