Madagascar gained independence from France in 1960, and was ruled by a single-party system until democratic elections were held in 1992. Protests over the election of President Ravalomanana lead to a short period of military rule in 2006. Parliamentary elections were held in 2013. The main source of employment for citizens of Madagascar is in agriculture, with almost 80% of the population earning a living in this vein.

• Country Profile
  • Land Mass/Major Cities – An island off the Southeastern shores of Africa, the capital city is Antananarivo.
  • Languages – French (official), Malagasy (official), English
• Business Activity
  • Agriculture – Bananas, beans, cassava, cloves, cocoa, coffee, livestock, peanuts, rice, sugarcane, and vanilla
  • Industries – Automobile assembly, beer, cement, glassware, leather, meat processing, mining, paper, petroleum, seafood, soap, sugar, textiles, and tourism
  • Natural Resources – Bauxite, chromite, coal, fish, graphite, hydropower, mica, quartz, salt, semiprecious stones, and tar sands
  • Exports – Chromite, clothing, coffee, cotton, petroleum products, shellfish, sugar, and vanilla
  • Imports – Capital goods, consumer goods, food, and petroleum
  • Major Trading Partners – Bahrain, Belgium, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Kuwait, Mauritius, Netherlands, South Africa, and the United States

Source: CIA. (2017). The World Factbook: Madagascar. CIA. Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ma.html