 |
The directory of informations
and links about Madagascar
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Madagascar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|
Madagascar ·
History ·
Politics ·
Geography ·
Ecology ·
Economy ·
Foreign relations ·
Demographics
Demographics of Madagascar
Madagascar's population is predominantly of mixed Austronesian and African origin, though those who
are visibly Austronesian in appearance and culture are the minority, found in the highland regions.
Recent research suggests that the island was uninhabited until Austronesian seafarers arrived about
1,500 to 2,000 years ago. Recent DNA research shows that the Malagasy people are approximately of
half Austronesian and half East African descent, although some Arab, Indian and European influence
is present along the coast. Malagasy language shares some 90% of its basic vocabulary with the Maanyan
language from the region of the River Barito in southern Borneo.
Subsequent migrations from the East Indies and Africa consolidated this original mixture, and 36
separate tribal groups emerged. Asian features are most predominant in the Merina (3 million) ; the
coastal people (called c?tiers) are of more clearly African origin. The largest coastal groups are the
Betsimisaraka (1.5 million) and the Tsimihety and Sakalava (700,000 each). The Vezo live in the southwest.
Two of the southern tribes are the Antandroy and the Antanosy.
During the French colonial administration (1895-1960) and some time after independence, people were
officially classified in ethnic groups. This practice was abandoned in the first census (1975) after
independence, so any recent classification and figures for ethnic groups is an unofficial estimate.
There is for instance no mention of ethnicity or religion in the national identity cards. Also, territorial
divisions (provinces, regions) do not follow any ethnic division lines, despite an attempt by the colonial
administration in the early 20th century. Ethnic divisions continue, and may cause violence, but their role
is limited in today's society. Regional political parties are also rare, although some parties have their
most of their support in certain areas.
Only two general censuses, 1975 and 1993, have been carried out after independence.
In 1993 (last census) there were 18,497 foreign residents on Madagascar, or 0.15% of the population.
Language
The Malagasy language (pronounced Mal-gash) is of Malayo-Polynesian origin and is generally spoken
throughout the island. French is spoken among the educated population of this former French colony.
English, although still rare, is becoming more widely spoken and in 2003 the government began a pilot
project of introducing the teaching of English into the primary grades of 44 schools, with hopes of
taking the project nationwide. Many Peace Corps volunteers are serving to further this effort and train
teachers.
In the first Constitution of 1958, Malagasy and French were named the "official languages of the
Malagasy Republic".
No official languages were recorded in the Constitution of 1992. Instead, Malagasy was named the
"national language". However, many sources still claimed that Malagasy and French were official languages,
as they were de facto. In April 2000 a citizen brought a legal case on the grounds that the publication of
official documents in the French language only was unconstitutional. The High Constitutional Court observed
in its decision that, in the absence of a language law, French still had the character of an official
language.
In the Constitution of 2007, Malagasy remains the national language, while official languages are
reintroduced: Malagasy, French and English. The motivation for the inclusion of English is partly to
improve relations with the neighbouring countries where English is used, and to encourage foreign direct
investment.
Religion
Approximately half of the country's population practises traditional religions, which tend to emphasize
links between the living and the dead. The Merina in the highlands particularly tend to hold tightly
to this practice. They believe that the dead join their ancestors in the ranks of divinity and that
ancestors are intensely concerned with the fate of their living descendants. The Merina and Betsileo
reburial practice of famadihana, or "turning over the dead", celebrates this spiritual communion. In
this ritual, relatives' remains are removed from the family tomb, rewrapped in new silk shrouds, and
returned to the tomb following festive ceremonies in their honour where sometimes the bodies are lifted
and carried high above the celebrants heads with singing and dancing before returning them to the tomb.
About 45% of the Malagasy are Christian, divided almost evenly between Catholics and Protestants. Many
incorporate the cult of the dead with their religious beliefs and bless their dead at church before
proceeding with the traditional burial rites. They also may invite a pastor to attend a famadihana.
The Roman Catholic church is open to its members continuing these practices, while more conservative
Protestant denominations tend to condemn them to be superstitions or demon worship that should be
abandoned. Many of the Christian churches are influential in politics. The best example of this is
the Malagasy Council of Churches (FFKM) comprised of the four oldest and most prominent Christian
denominations (Roman Catholic, Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar, Lutheran and Anglican).
Islam in Madagascar constitutes about 7% of the population. The Muslim traders who first brought
Islam in the 10th century had a deep influence on the west coast. For example, many Malagasy converted
to Islam and the Malagasy language was, for the first time, transcribed into an alphabet, based on the
Arabic alphabet, called Sorabe. Muslims are concentrated in the provinces of Mahajanga and Antsiranana
(Diego Suarez). Muslims are divided between those of Malagasy ethnicity, Indo-Pakistanis, and Comorians.
The number of mosques in the south-east region has increased from 10 to 50 in the last ten years.
Recently, there has been some growth in Islam through conversion.
Madagascar ·
History ·
Politics ·
Geography ·
Ecology ·
Economy ·
Foreign relations ·
Demographics
This Article is taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License
Open the original Article on Wikipedia
The latest Authors of this Version are ...
Open the full History of Authors of the original Article
|
|
|
|
|
Choose to browse whether this site or the web!
|
|
|
| © Kübitz ·
· contact · disclaimer |
|
|
Recommendations:
www.madagaskar-online.de
|
 |
