Colors and the Meaning of the Madagascar Flag
The Madagascar flag consists of two equal horizontal and one vertical strip. The vertical stripe is white and is located on the left side of the flag, and the horizontal stripes consist of red stripes at the top and green stripes at the bottom.
According to one theory, flag colors symbolize the history of the country, the desire for independence, and the traditional classes. Red and white were the colors of the Merina Kingdom that went to France in 1896. Their colors, Queen Ranavalona III, were used on the flag of the last Merina ruler. It also represents the ethnic origin of the Malagasy people in Southeast Asia and is shared by the Indonesian flag.
The green color represents the public class Hova, which plays an important role in the independence movement. Looking at the current meanings, the red color symbolizes the sovereignty, white color represents purity and green hope.
History of the Madagascar Flag
It is said that red and white symbolize the former Kingdom of Merina, whose flags are completely red and white, with the addition of green for the old peasant class Hova. All sources agree on red and white, but there is a contradiction about the origin of green.
The history of Madagascar is very complex. The flag of Madagascar began to be used on October 21, 1958, when the African country of Madagascar was a region of France before it had gained its independence. With the country being independent on 26 June 1960, it became the official flag of the state.
Historically, the red and white colors represent the kingdom of Madagascar, which was founded in the past on the territory of the republic today. These colors are thought to be inspired by Southeast Asia for that period. The flag used by Madagascar in history is the same as Indonesia. In addition to these colors, nowadays, the people living in the coastal part of the country are added in green color.
Neighboring Countries of Madagascar
Since Madagascar, which is located in the southern hemisphere, is an island country, there is no neighbor and the nearest mainland country is Mozambique in the west of the island. The neighboring island countries are the islands of the Comoros and France overseas, Mayotte in the northwest, and Mauritius in the east, and the Réunion islands.
Main Characteristics of Madagascar
Madagascar, known as the big red island due to the Red Lands, is the fourth largest island in the world. The name of the country comes from the name of the people of the island and the native language of Malagasy. The capital, Antananarivo, is the largest city in the country. It is also known as Tana. There are two official languages, Malagasy and French. Ariary is used as currency.
The climate varies according to the height. The climate is hot and humid in the coasts and mild in the mountainous areas. There are two seasons, hot and cold. Daily rain and storm period between November and April is the hot season. During the cold season between April and November, the east coast and northwest are rainy and high plateaus are humid.
The main nutrients are rice. It is served with meat and seafood. The popular food is Ravitoto, made with coconut milk. Banana varieties and rice cakes are also known flavors.
| Country | Madagascar |
| Code | MG (MDG) |
| Calling Code | 261 |
| Capital City | Antananarivo |
| Currency | malagasy ariary (MGA) |
| Emoji Symbol | 🇲🇬 |
| Highest Point | Maromokotro (2,876 m) |
| Internet TLD | .mg |
| Population(2017) | 25,570,895 |
| Total Area | 587,041 km2 |