COUNTRY PROFILEREPUBLIC
COUNTRY PROFILEREPUBLIC OF MADAGASCARMining and ecotourism are promising economic sectors.Capital: Antananarivo.Other towns/cities: Toamasina, Antsirabe, Mahajanga.Population: 28.8-million.GDP: -billion.GDP per capita: 8.Currency: Ariary.Regional Economic Community: African Union (AU), Southern AfricanDevelopment Community (SADC), Organisation Internationale de laFrancophonie.Landmass: Area: 587 041km².Coastline: 6 000km.Resources: Ilmenite (titanium ore), bauxite, graphite, copper, cobalt, chromite,coal, rare-earth elements, salt, quartz, tar sands, semi-precious stones (sapphires),mica, hydropower. Vanilla, cloves, ylang-ylang, coffee, lychees, fish, shrimp.Main economic sectors: Agriculture, mining.Other sectors: Fishing, forestry.New sectors for investment: Mining (ilmenite, zircon, nickel), oil, gas, ecotourism.Key projects: A five-year World Bank project aims to improve job opportunitiesthrough transformative action, make growth more inclusive by addressingweaknesses and inequities in public service delivery and create resilience toshocks that can reverse improvements in growth or worsen socioeconomicinequalities. Support for ecotourism and agriculture, paired with greaterinvestments in education, health and private enterprise, are key elements of thestrategy. The Antananarivo-Toamasina toll highway will connect the capital tothe largest seaport.Chief exports: Vanilla, cloves, nickel, garments, cobalt.Top export destinations: US, France, China, Japan, Germany.Top import sources: China, India, France, Oman, South Africa.Main imports: Refined petroleum, rice, fabric, palm oil, cotton fabric.Infrastructure: Most roads are unpaved with paved roads totalling 7 617km in2010. Railways 854km, navigable waterways 432km. Main port at Toamasina andother ports at Antsiranana in the north and Taolagnaro in the south. The port ofEhoala will revert to the state once Rio Tinto has completed its mining project.Ivato International Airport is the main hub for Madagascar Airlines and is locatednear the capital.ICT Development Index: 26.4 (2023) ITU.Mobile subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 70 (2022) World Bank.Internet percentage of population: 21 (2022) World Bank.Climate: Three distinct regions have different characteristics: tropical along thecoast, temperate inland and arid in the south. The country is subject to tropicalcyclones. Because of its isolation, Madagascar is home to many unique speciesof wildlife. There are a number of smaller islands other than the main landmass,including Iles aux Nattes to the south, pictured.Religion: Mostly Christian, including Catholic (34%), also traditional faiths andsmall Muslim following.Modern history: Madagascar was one of the last places to be settled byhumans. Arab traders used it as a hub before French and Portuguese tradingposts were established. With British missionaries present on the island, QueenRanavalona I responded by banning Christianity and banishing foreigners.France invaded in 1883 and gained northern parts of the island. In 1895French forces compelled Queen Ranavalona III to surrender and the royalfamily went into exile. During World War II, Madagascar was ruled by VichyFrance, sympathetic to Germany. As a result, the UK captured the island todeny its use by Japanese ships. The 1947-49 Malagasy Uprising was violentlysuppressed by the French, who had resumed control. Independence wasachieved in 1960. A military council took over in 1972 and from 1975, DidierRatsiraka ruled as president of the Supreme Revolutionary Council. In 1992,a democratic constitution was introduced. A coup in 2009 was followed byan election that ended with the legislature and the executive at loggerheads.Andry Rajoelina won the 2018 presidential election and started his third termin 2023, having won a disputed election that was boycotted by most politicalparties. Malagasy and French are the official languages.40PHOTO: iAko Randrianarivelo on Unsplash | MAP: Wikipedia
COUNTRY PROFILEREPUBLIC OF MOZAMBIQUELarge offshore gas fields could transform the economy.Capital: Maputo.Other towns/cities: Matolo, Nampula, Beira.Population: 34.7-million.GDP: .6-billion.GDP per capita: 8.Currency: Metical.Regional Economic Community: Commonwealth of Nations, Organisationof Islamic Cooperation, Community of Portuguese Language Countries,Non-Aligned Movement, Southern African Development Community, andis an observer at La Francophonie.Landmass: 801 537km².Coastline: 2 700km.Resources: Coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower, tantalum, graphite.Main economic sectors: Fishing, agriculture (72% of employment), food andbeverages, aluminium, oil and gas, chemical manufacturing.Other sectors: Tourism, services.New sectors for investment: liquefied natural gas (LNG) production at the CoralSouth offshore facility, which has led to investment in sophisticated equipment,pictured. Vast offshore reserves of natural gas found in the Rovuma Basin off thenorthern coast. More than 1 000 mostly small state-owned enterprises have beenprivatised and there are plans to privatise more.Key projects: The Mozambique Country Climate and Development Report ofthe World Bank emphasises the importance of mainstreaming climate actioninto Mozambique’s planning, given the country’s vulnerability to the effects ofclimate change.Chief exports: Coal, aluminium, coke, natural gas, gold.Top export destinations: India, South Africa, South Korea, Italy, China.Top import sources: South Africa, South Korea, China, India, DemocraticRepublic of the Congo.Main imports: Ships, refined petroleum, iron alloys, chromium ore, refined copper.Infrastructure: Most of the 30 000km road network is unpaved and driving ison the left, in line with the former British colonies (and fellow members of theCommonwealth) that surround the country. Maputo International Airport receivesflights from 10 airlines and is the hub for national Mozambican airline, LAMMozambique. There are a further 21 paved airports and more than 100 airstrips.There are 3 750km of navigable inland waterways. The three deapsea ports haverail links to inland and neighbouring countries. The Port of Maputo has links withSouth Africa and Zimbabwe while the ports of Beira and Ncala connect to Malawi,Zimbabwe and Zambia.Mobile subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 42 (2022) World Bank.Internet percentage of population: 21 (2022) World Bank.ICT Development Index: 25.8 2023 (ITU).Climate: Tropical and subtropical. October to March is the wet season with heavyrain along the coast and less rain in the interior. Cyclones are also common in thewet season and several have caused great damage in recent years.Religion: Roman Catholic and Muslim have the two largest groups of adherentswith Zionist Christians and Evangelical/Pentecostal both accounting for a further15% each.Modern history: The defining feature of modern Mozambican history is the legacyof the 16-year civil war that ended in 1992. Having achieved independence fromPortugal in 1975 two groups, Frelimo and Renamo, engaged in fierce fighting.Frelimo won elections held in 1994 but violence flared up again in 2013. Peace wasbrokered in 2019 but by then an Islamist insurgency had flared up in the northernprovince of Cabo Delgado which has put investment by international oil and gascompanies at risk. A presidential election, held in October 2024, was hotly disputedafter Frelimo’s candidate, Daniel Chapo, claimed a strong victory. Supporters ofVenâncio Mondlane, the candidate who was reported to have received 20% of thevote, did not accept the result and months of protest resulted. Mondlane returnedto the country after a brief exile to further protests and strong police reaction. It ishoped the some form of mediation can occur in 2025.PHOTO: Eni | MAP: Wikipedia41
