World Factbook
Madagascar
République de Madagascar/Repoblikan'i Madagasikara
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
581,540 sq km
water
5,501 sq km
total
587,041 sq km
Climate
tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south
Terrain
narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center
Land use
other
12.2% (2023 est.)
forest
17.5% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
70.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 5.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 64.1% (2023 est.)
Location
Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique
Coastline
4,828 km
Elevation
lowest point
Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point
Maromokotro 2,876 m
mean elevation
615 m
Irrigated land
10,860 sq km (2012)
Map references
Africa
Land boundaries
total
0 km
Maritime claims
contiguous zone
24 nm
territorial sea
12 nm
continental shelf
200 nm or 100 nm from the 2,500-m isobath
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Natural hazards
periodic cyclones; drought; and locust infestation volcanism: Madagascar's volcanoes have not erupted in recorded history
Geography - note
world's fourth-largest island; strategic location along Mozambique Channel; despite Madagascar’s close proximity to the African continent, ocean currents isolate the island, resulting in high rates of endemic plant and animal species; approximately 90% of the flora and fauna on the island are found nowhere else
Natural resources
graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, rare earth elements, salt, quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish, hydropower
Area - comparative
almost four times the size of Georgia; slightly less than twice the size of Arizona
Geographic coordinates
20 00 S, 47 00 E
Population distribution
most of population lives on the eastern half of the island; significant clustering is found in the central highlands and eastern coastline, as shown in this population distribution map