Madagascar Mangroves Enrich the Biodiversity of Malagasy!

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Unique Biodiversity Thrives in Madagascar!

Republic of Madagascar is the world's fourth largest island and a bit larger than France, its former colonial master is. It has been a French colony (1895-1960).

However, it is named Malagasy Republic on October 14, 1958 as an autonomous state in the French Community until the constitution of 1959, which prepared the island state for full independence on June 26, 1960.

The capital city, Antananarivo, known as Tananarive in French, is the largest city in the country. Large urban area surrounds the city, which is located almost in the heart of the island. The city is also the capital of Analamanga Region.

The following article is about this island country. If you have more information, or if you want to correct some information here, please use the form at the bottom of the page. I will reward you for doing this by some useful e-books you can use to benefit from them, or just read for more knowledge. Thanks.

Madagascar, Malagasy, Antananarivo

Some sources say, King Andrianjaka built the city when he called 1,000 of his men to take one of the hills off to build the royal palace and thus called the city he built there the city of one thousand warriors.

However, others say those were protestors against the king. Did you know something accurate regarding this information? Bring it through the form. There are more than 1.4 million people living in Antananarivo.

The island occupies a good location in the Indian Ocean some 800 kilometres off the African southeastern coast, with a coastal line that spreads to about 4,828 kilometres in length.

The land covers 581,540 square kilometres and the water covers 5,501 square kilometres. The island has been separated from Africa about 160 million years ago. However, it is not isolated from the neighbouring continent or other continents in the world.

Although massive deforestation and animals hunting erode the country from the large first animal species there, it still contains 5% of the world's plant and animal species and that make a unique blend of plants and animals, many of them found nowhere else in the world.

The animal species live in tropical rainforests in the east and tropical dry forests in the west and south, in addition to some other temperate inland areas and arid areas in the south.

They include lemur, bat, tenrec, rodent, mongoose, Madagascar bigheaded Turtle, beetle, chameleons, fish and Malagasy hippopotamus, many of which are vulnerable and endangered animals.

Madagascar's central mountains protect about 3,300 square kilometres of mangrove wetland along the western coastline from the eastern trade wind and the monsoon winds and the coral reefs protect it from the ocean waves in the Mozambique Channel.

Here between the tangled roots of the mangrove thrive and grow endless communities of crustaceans, molluscs, turtles and tropical fish.

Rare indigenous birds like the Madagascar Teal, the Madagascar Plover, the Madagascar Kingfisher and the Madagascar Fish Eagle find their food in this rich area.

The mangrove is also an indispensable area for rare migratory birds such as series of Plover, the African Spoonbill and the Great White Egret, only found on Madagascar.

The ecosystem in Madagascar mangrove and commercial shrimp farming, as found in the area and the influx of freshwater supply from many rivers flowing down from the mountains are accustomed to a tidal difference of up to four meters. The whole is thus dependent on a very delicate salt balance.

If there is a rise in sea level and an increase in seawater temperature, both because of the global warming, this occurrence will disturb the balance.

A rise in sea temperatures and increased acidity may end up destroying the coral reefs that protect the mangrove, and thus increase the penetration of saltwater.

If this happen it will reduce the size of the mangrove and pose a serious threat both to the commercial shrimp farms and to the habitat that supports so many different species.

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