Africa and Asia in a nutshell

Madagascar measures 587,040 square kilometres (1.580 km of north to the south and 580 km east to west). The coastline measures 4.828 km. The diversity of the climate is mirrored in that of the landscape : Amazonian in the Betsiboka delta, Saharan in the west, Swiss in the high plateau's of the centre and west-American in the south. From mid-September through October, the jacaranda trees are in bloom, baby lemurs are being born, and the heavy downpours that make overland travel tough have not yet started.

Geographical regions

The island can be divided into five geographical regions: the east coast, the Tsaratanana Massif, the central highlands, the west coast, and the southwest. A central mountainous plateau with a temperate climate dominates the island of Madagascar. Partly volcanic in origin, the uplands rise to 2876 m (9436 ft) atop Maromokotro. The highest elevations parallel the east coast, whereas the land slopes more gradually to the west coast.