Madagascar History
Although Madagascar is geographically close to mainland Africa, its history and culture are quite distinct. The first settlers are believed to have arrived from Indo-Malaya in the 5th century. The first European visitors were the Portuguese in 1506, but they did not occupy the island. With British help a strong independent Merina monarchy developed in the 19th century and conquered the whole island. It had close links with the British Royal Family. Protestantism brought by the London Missionary Society (LMS) was adopted as the official religion. The LMS created a written language, and together with French and other missionaries, developed the educational system and introduced industrialisation. The last Queen, Ranavalona III, was exiled in 1895 when France imposed protectoral status. In 1942, British and Commonwealth forces ousted the Vichy French. Following the return to French control at the end of WWII, there was a serious uprising against French colonialism in 1947. At least 80,000 people (and perhaps twice this number) died.
Madagascar became independent in 1960, under the conservative leadership of President Philibert Tsiranana. Following civil disturbances, he relinquished power to the military in 1972. In 1975, the Head of State, Colonel Richard Ratsimandrava, was assassinated. Admiral Didier Ratsiraka replaced him and returned Madagascar to civilian rule under the banner of ‘revolutionary socialism’, establishing close links with the Communist world. But the real move to multi-party democracy and a liberal media only started in the late 1980s. After months of strikes and pro-democracy demonstrations in 1990/91, a new Third Republic Constitution (a Parliamentary system) was introduced in 1992.
Related Travel Information
Madagascar Geography
Madagascar lies in the South West Indian Ocean, some 400 km off the African coast. It is the world's fourth largest island, about 2.5 times the size of the UK. Most of the population depend on subsistence farming, based mainly on rice and cattle, although manufacturing is growing. Madagascar is noted for its bio-diversity and high proportion of endemic species. But, because of slash and burn agriculture and poor management, only 26% of the land remains forested. Climatically sub-tropical, temperatures vary; in the highlands daytime temperatures are 31C in January and 15C in July. Most of the country has
Madagascar: General Information for travellers
LOCAL TIME
Madagascar is 3 hours ahead of GMT
VISAS & IMMIGRATION
All visitors must have visas, except citizens of some African countries. Proof of return ticket is required. Passports must be valid for at least 6 months from departure date. If you are arriving from the African continent you must have a yellow fever vaccination certificate.
MONEY
Official Currency: Malagasy franc
Travellers cheques can be exchanged at banks and most the large hotels. Credit cards are accepted at the major hotels. It is advisable to take with you foreign currency in US Dollar as generally air travel
The Battle of Blood River : South African History
After the Voortrekkers had failed to negotiate with the Zulus the secession of land for settling and grazing, and had endured a number of catastrophic assaults, they assembled at the Ncome River for a decisive battle. On December 16, 1838, 464 Boers under the command of Andries Pretorius defeated more than 10,000 Zulu warriors. The deeply religious Boers did not ascribe the military victory to their technically superior armaments, but interpreted it primarily as a sign of God. Before the battle, they had prayed and made a vow that if
The Expansion of the Trek Boers : South African History
From the beginning of the 18th century the Cape settlers expanded their territory towards the north and the east. These settling movements were led by the Trek Boers, white farmers who penetrated the hinterland looking for grazing land for their cattle.
The Trek Boers preferred the free and unrestricted life on their ox wagons and in tents to the more protected existence within the realms of town administration. The price they had to pay for their lifestyle was constant armed conflict with native peoples. First the Khoikhoi successfully resisted the conquest
History of the Colony of Natal : South African History
The Portuguese sailor Vasco da Gama reached the bay of today’s Durban on Christmas Day 1497. He named it "Rio de Natal", Christmas River. From that time on, the bay was a frequent port-of-call for sailors and merchants, but not until 1823 did a real settlement start to develop. In 1835, Port Natal was renamed Durban after the then Governor of the Cape Colony, Sir Benjamin Durban. Life in the small harbour town was very precarious. The Zulus regarded Natal as their own territory and merely tolerated the white settlers,
