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 | Madagascar.People. |  |
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Arahabao ny mpandalo fa tsy fantatra izay ho-fara rafozana Say hello to everyone you meet along the way because you do not know who will finally be your mother-in-law This is a wonderful Malagasy saying which goes a long way in explaining why these people are so friendly. There are 18 tribes in Madagascar today and all share a common language, Malagasy, which in itself is a rather unique aspect of this island. There are not many countries where so many different tribes can communicate so freely yet still maintain their distinct customs and characters. The main ethnic divisions are as follows: Source of this information (website in French) link |
| Antefasy East Coast Region Farafangana |
Betsimisaraka Region Tamatave |
| Antemoro East Coast Region Manakara |
Bezanozano East region Moramanga |
| Antesaka East Coast region of Vangaindrano |
Mahafaly Southwest Region Betioky and Ampanihy |
| Antankarana Northern region Diego Suarez |
Merina Region Antananarivo |
| Antambahoaka East Coast Region Mananjary |
Sakalava West of Tuléar to Nosy Be |
| Antanosy Fort Dauphin region |
Sihanaka Eastern region of Ambatondrazaka |
| Antandroy South region of Ambovombe |
Tanala Forest region of the East |
| Bara Centre-South region of Ihosy |
Tsimihety Northeast Region Centre Zafisoro: East region Farafangana |
| Betsileo Region of Fianarantsoa |
Mikea South west region. North of Tulear. The Mikea are particularly interesting because they are hunter-gatherers and linked closely to the ecology of the spiny forest in which they live. |
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There were supposed to be original inhabitants of Madagascar called the Vazimba who were a race of dwarf people whom the Merina battled against when they first arrived on the island circa 1300-1500. These original inhabitants were forced west and took refuge in the caves of the Tsingy de Bemaraha and Manambolo Gorge. To this day these two areas are considered sacred by the Malagasy. When we visited these areas in 2007 the local guides explained to us that we were not to raise our voices or point with our fingers etc. These instructions were out of respect for their ancestors. In Madagascar, the ancestors are part of the present, the past and the future. The Malagasy language is unrelated to African languages and instead has it's origins in Southern Borneo. The population of approx. 16 million people are predominantly Christian. The very first book printed in the Malagasy language was The Bible in 1835. The official languages of Madagascar are Malagasy and French with English being added as a third official language in 2007 after a referendum. Click on the links above left to see more information and photos of the culture, food and tourists in Madagascar |