272 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
272 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
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MADAGASCAR
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 587,040 km2; land area: 581,540 km2
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Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Arizona
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Land boundaries: none
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Coastline: 4,828 km
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Maritime claims:
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Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Disputes: claims Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands,
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Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island (all administered by France)
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Climate: tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south
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Terrain: narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center
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Natural resources: graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, salt,
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quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish
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Land use: arable land 4%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures
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58%; forest and woodland 26%; other 11%; includes irrigated 2%
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Environment: subject to periodic cyclones; deforestation;
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overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
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Note: world's fourth-largest island; strategic location
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along Mozambique Channel
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PEOPLE
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Population: 12,185,318 (July 1991), growth rate 3.2% (1991)
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Birth rate: 47 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 95 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 51 years male, 54 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 6.9 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Malagasy (sing. and pl.); adjective--Malagasy
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Ethnic divisions: basic split between highlanders of predominantly
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Malayo-Indonesian origin (Merina 1,643,000 and related Betsileo 760,000)
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on the one hand and coastal tribes, collectively termed the Cotiers,
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with mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry (Betsimisaraka
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941,000, Tsimihety 442,000, Antaisaka 415,000, Sakalava 375,000), on the
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other; there are also 11,000 European French, 5,000 Indians of French
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nationality, and 5,000 Creoles
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Religion: indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian about 41%, Muslim 7%
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Language: French and Malagasy (official)
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Literacy: 80% (male 88%, female 73%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1990 est.)
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Labor force: 4,900,000; 90% nonsalaried family workers engaged in
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subsistence agriculture; 175,000 wage earners--agriculture 26%, domestic
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service 17%, industry 15%, commerce 14%, construction 11%, services 9%,
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transportation 6%, other 2%; 51% of population of working age (1985)
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Organized labor: 4% of labor force
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Democratic Republic of Madagascar
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Type: republic
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Capital: Antananarivo
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Administrative divisions: 6 provinces (plural--NA,
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singular--faritanin); Antananarivo, Antsiranana, Fianarantsoa,
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Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliara
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Independence: 26 June 1960 (from France; formerly Malagasy
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Republic)
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Constitution: 21 December 1975
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Legal system: based on French civil law system and traditional
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Malagasy law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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National holiday: Independence Day, 26 June (1960)
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Executive branch: president, Supreme Council of the Revolution,
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prime minister, Council of Ministers
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Legislative branch: unicameral Popular National Assembly
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(Assemblee Nationale Populaire)
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme), High
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Constitutional Court (Haute Cour Constitutionnelle)
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--President Adm. Didier RATSIRAKA (since 15 June
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1975);
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Head of Government--Prime Minister Guy RASANAMAZY (since
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8 August 1991)
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Political parties and leaders: a presidential decree issued early
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last year, legalized the existence of political parties outside of the
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Ruling Front; some thirty political parties now exist in Madagascar, the
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most important of which are the
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Advance Guard of the Malagasy Revolution (AREMA), Didier RATSIRAKA;
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Congress Party for Malagasy Independence (AKFM), RAKOTOVAO-ANDRIATIANA;
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Congress Party for Malagasy Independence-Revival (AKFM-R), Pastor Richard
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ANDRIAMANJATO;
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Movement for National Unity (VONJY), Dr. Marojama RAZANABAHINY;
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Malagasy Christian Democratic Union (UDECMA), Norbert ANDRIAMORASATA;
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Militants for the Establishment of a Proletarian Regime (MFM), Manandafy
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RAKOTONIRINA;
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National Movement for the Independence of Madagascar (MONIMA), Monja
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JAONA;
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Socialist Organization Monima (VSM, an offshoot of MONIMA), Tsihozony
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MAHARANGA
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Suffrage: universal at age 18
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Elections:
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President--last held on 12 March 1989 (next to be held March 1996);
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results--Didier RATSIRAKA (AREMA) 62%, Manandafy RAKOTONIRINA (MFM/MFT)
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20%, Dr. Jerome Marojama RAZANABAHINY (VONJY) 15%, Monja JAONA
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(MONIMA) 3%;
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Popular National Assembly--last held on 28 May 1989 (next to
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be held May 1994);
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results--AREMA 88.2%, MFM 5.1%, AKFM 3.7%, VONJY 2.2%, other 0.8%;
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seats--(137 total) AREMA 120, MFM 7, AKFM 5, VONJY 4, MONIMA 1
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Communists: Communist party of virtually no importance; small and
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vocal group of Communists has gained strong position in leadership of
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AKFM, the rank and file of which is non-Communist
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Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD,
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ICAO, ICC, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU,
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LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL,
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WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Pierrot Jocelyn
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RAJAONARIVELO; Chancery at 2374 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC
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20008; telephone (202) 265-5525 or 5526; there is a Malagasy Consulate
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General in New York;
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US--Ambassador Howard K. WALKER; Embassy at 14 and 16 Rue
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Rainitovo, Antsahavola, Antananarivo (mailing address is B. P. 620,
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Antananarivo); telephone 212-57, 209-56, 200-89, 207-18
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Flag: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a
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vertical white band of the same width on hoist side
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world.
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During the period 1980-85 it had a population growth of 3% a year and
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a - 0.4% GDP growth rate. Agriculture, including fishing and forestry, is
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the mainstay of the economy, accounting for over 40% of GDP, employing
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about 80% of the labor force, and contributing to more than 70% of total
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export earnings. Industry is largely confined to the processing of
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agricultural products and textile manufacturing; in 1990 it accounted for
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only 16% of GDP and employed 3% of the labor force. In 1986 the
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government introduced a five-year development plan that stresses
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self-sufficiency in food (mainly rice) by 1990, increased production for
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exports, and reduced energy imports.
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GDP: $2.4 billion, per capita $200; real growth rate 3.8% (1990
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est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 12% (1990)
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Unemployment rate: NA%
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Budget: revenues $390 million; expenditures $525 million, including
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capital expenditures of $240 million (1990 est.)
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Exports: $290 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
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commodities--coffee 45%, vanilla 15%, cloves 11%, sugar, petroleum
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products;
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partners--France, Japan, Italy, FRG, US
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Imports: $436 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
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commodities--intermediate manufactures 30%, capital goods 28%,
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petroleum 15%, consumer goods 14%, food 13%;
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partners--France, FRG, UK, other EC, US
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External debt: $3.6 billion (1989)
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Industrial production: growth rate 5.2% (1990 est.); accounts
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for 16% of GDP
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Electricity: 119,000 kW capacity; 430 million kWh produced,
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40 kWh per capita (1989)
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Industries: agricultural processing (meat canneries, soap
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factories, breweries, tanneries, sugar refining plants), light consumer
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goods industries (textiles, glassware), cement, automobile assembly
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plant, paper, petroleum
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Agriculture: accounts for 40% of GDP; cash crops--coffee, vanilla,
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sugarcane, cloves, cocoa; food crops--rice, cassava, beans, bananas,
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peanuts; cattle raising widespread; almost self-sufficient in rice
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Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis (cultivated and wild
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varieties) used mostly for domestic consumption
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $136
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million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-88), $2.9 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $491 million
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Currency: Malagasy franc (plural--francs);
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1 Malagasy franc (FMG) = 100 centimes
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Exchange rates: Malagasy francs (FMG) per US$1--1,454.6 (December
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1990), 1,494.1 (1990), 1,603.4 (1989), 1,407.1 (1988), 1,069.2 (1987),
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676.3 (1986), 662.5 (1985)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 1,020 km 1.000-meter gauge
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Highways: 40,000 km total; 4,694 km paved, 811 km crushed stone,
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gravel, or stabilized soil, 34,495 km improved and unimproved
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earth (est.)
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Inland waterways: of local importance only; isolated streams and
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small portions of Canal des Pangalanes
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Ports: Toamasina, Antsiranana, Mahajanga, Toliara
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Merchant marine: 14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 59,416
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GRT/82,869 DWT; includes 9 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 petroleum,
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oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas
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Civil air: 5 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 148 total, 115 usable; 30 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 42 with
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runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: above average system includes open-wire lines,
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coaxial cables, radio relay, and troposcatter links; submarine cable to
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Bahrain; satellite earth stations--1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Atlantic
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Ocean INTELSAT; over 38,200 telephones; stations--14 AM, 1 FM, 7 (30
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repeaters) TV
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Popular Armed Forces (includes Intervention Forces,
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Development Forces, Aeronaval Forces--includes Navy and Air Force),
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Gendarmerie, Presidential Security Regiment
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 2,637,866; 1,570,393 fit for
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military service; 119,882 reach military age (20) annually
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Defense expenditures: $37 million, 2.2% of GDP (1989 est.)
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