Introduction
Madagascar is a country consisting of 18,040,341 people. Unfortunately, seventy six percent of these people live underneath the poverty line. About fifty seven percent of the people are considered extremely poor. Maternal mortality is alarmingly high, with thousands of unnecessary maternal deaths each year occurring as result of pregnancy related causes (“Child Survival”). Out of one thousand children, seventy two of them will not live to the age of five. Only thirty percent of people live in town and cities, while seventy percent live in rural areas (“Child Survival”). These communities are often distant and remote. The road system is not very organized …show more content…
The capital city is named Antananarivo. It is the fourth largest island in the world with an area of 587,040 kilometers, approximately the size of Texas. The people who inhabit the island of Madagascar are known as Malagasy. Scientists believe that the land mass broke off from the African continent around 160 million years ago (Butler 1). In the real Madagascar, there are no lions, giraffes, zebras, or hippos. Because it has been isolated for so long, many new species have become known there. About eighty percent of the animals found in Madagascar do not exist anywhere else on this planet (Butler 1). Some types of species that do inhabit the island are chameleons, tortoises, fossas, lemurs, and thousands of medicinal and flowering plants. An example of a medicinal plant would be the rose periwinkle. It is the source of two anticancer drugs (“Republic of Madagascar”). Madagascar can be divided into five geographical regions: the east coast, the Tsaratanana Massif in the north, the central highlands, the west coast, and the southwest (Butler 2). In behalf of the geography, the climate is highly unstable. Practically, Madagascar has two seasons: a hot, rainy season from …show more content…
Cousins are all “brothers” and “sisters,” aunts and uncles are “mothers” and “fathers.” Children belong to the whole family, or clan, not more to the parents than to anyone else. Everyone is related, in the very real sense that all the members in this extended family are truly in intimate relationship with one another. A child is precious to all, and grows up with a constant and profound sense of being accepted. Malagasy “families” are stable for various reasons. (Pelletier)
In the sense of a rural immediate family, there are about six children born per woman. The average age for a first birth is nineteen. To men, fathering a lot of children is a sign of power and respect. So a lot of the time an immediate family will consist of a single mother and a couple of children. But since they all live closely together, the elders will be called “mother” and “father” even though they may not be (“World Factbook”).
Rural