Summer Series 1 - Week 4
Salama ary tongasoa eto madagasikara, or hello and welcome to Madagascar!
Madagascar is an island country off of the Eastern coast of Africa with a population of over 25 million people. Don’t be fooled by the term island, Madagascar is very large, in fact it is the fourth largest island on the planet. In addition to people, it’s particularly known for its wildlife, having many animals that are native and unique to the Madagascar area, like lemurs. It is estimated that over 90% of the wildlife on this island are not natively found in any other country in the world.
In Madagascar there are two main languages spoken: Malagasy and French. Throughout the island there are many mountain ranges such as Ankaratra, Tsaratanana, and the Andringitra mountains. There are also many rivers as noted by the white lines on the map above. There are four main rivers running through the island including the Sofia, Onilahy, Mangoky, and the Betsiboka river.
The Pixar films about Madagascar (all five movies were produced between the years of 2005-2013) are a great way to learn about the different species of animals and wildlife found in Madagascar. Whether or not they wear emperor crowns is still to be determined, but what we do know is that these animals live in a variety of habitats, typically all of which are warm. Some live in the rainforest, some live in the desert, and others live in the ocean.
Below are two educational videos to watch together to learn more about the wildlife in Madagascar!
Another well known wildlife species that Madagascar has is known for are its trees which are called the baobabs or "reninalas" by the locals. These trees are unlike any other in the world, even some of our red forest trees. This is because they are extremely large in diameter of their trunk, since this part of the tree is responsible for storing water for the tree to continue growing and to survive some of the hottest temperatures. Some Baobabs are said to be over 800 years old and are some of the most unique species on the planet for their size, height, and ability to store water and sustain life long term in extreme weather conditions.
