The Society & Culture of Madagascar
Language
Madagascar was a French Colony until 1958; it is now a democratic Republic.
The people are an ethnic blend of Indonesia, Arabia, and East Africa. The population is comprised of 18 "official" people groups ("tribes") who probably define themselves more accurately as 33 linguistic/ethnic groups.
The Malagasy language (derived from Indonesian) is spoken in various dialect forms throughout the island. The dominant dialect (often called "official" Malagasy) is the Merina dialect, which is the language of the largest people group located around the capital, Antananarivo.
French (the colonial language) is spoken among the educated population. Outside the urban areas it is difficult to find French speakers. English is becoming a third official language, especially among students.
Besides the Malagasy people, there are significant Indian and Chinese communities, who are some of the country's preeminent business people.
Religion
The traditional religion of the Malagasy people is ancestor worship, practiced by 48% of the population (although many Christians still practice it). 45% of the Malagasy people claim Christianity, which is divided almost equally between Protestant and Catholic. Muslims claim 7% of the country's population; however, many people hold to a type of "folk-Islam" in which they follow Muslim customs, such as abstaining from pork, with other customs/taboos based on misinterpretations of the Koran.
The majority of Madagascar's people groups trace their historical ethnic origins to Indonesia (the largest Muslim nation in the world) but Madagascar is not predominantly Muslim. The ancestors of the Malagasy left Indonesia before the time of Christ, several hundred years before Mohammed was born, they brought their traditional religion (ancestor worship) with them.
Economics
Poverty level is over 70%. Functional literacy is less than 50%. Communication literacy is more like 7%. Life expectancy is less than 58 years, and the average number of births per woman is 5. The impact of HIV aids, though significant, is difficult to determine because of the lack of effective testing.
