Madagascar

Location	Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique
Geographic coordinates	20 00 S, 47 00 E
Map references	Africa
Area	total: 587,041 sq km land: 581,540 sq km water: 5,501 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly less than twice the size of Arizona
Land boundaries	0 km
Coastline	4,828 km
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or 100 nm from the 2,500-m isobath
Climate	tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south
Terrain	narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Maromokotro 2,876 m
Natural resources	graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, rare earth elements, salt, quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish, hydropower
Land use	arable land: 5.03% permanent crops: 1.02% other: 93.95% (2005)
Irrigated land	10,860 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources	337 cu km (1984)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	total: 14.96 cu km/yr (3%/2%/96%) per capita: 804 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards	periodic cyclones; drought; and locust infestation volcanism: Madagascar's volcanoes have not erupted in historical times
Environment - current issues	soil erosion results from deforestation and overgrazing; desertification; surface water contaminated with raw sewage and other organic wastes; several endangered species of flora and fauna unique to the island
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note	world's fourth-largest island; strategic location along Mozambique Channel