Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Madagascar's human story is unique — an Austronesian island in Africa.
| Period | Key Events |
|---|---|
| ~1st c. AD | Austronesian seafarers (Borneo → Madagascar) — outrigger canoes, rice, bananas |
| ~9th c. | Bantu migrants (E. Africa) — cattle, iron, new genes |
| 1500 | Diogo Dias (Portuguese) sights island |
| 16th–18th c. | Sakalava, Merina, Betsileo kingdoms rise. Slave trade (Arab, European) |
| 1817–1896 | Merina Kingdom unifies most of island (Radama I, Ranavalona I, II, III) |
| 1896 | French colonize (depose Ranavalona III) |
| 1947 | Malagasy Uprising — brutally suppressed (30–100K dead) |
| 1960 | Independence (Philibert Tsiranana, First Republic) |
| 1975 | Didier Ratsiraka coup → Socialist "Second Republic" (isolation, decline) |
| 1991–93 | Protests → Third Republic (democratic constitution) |
| 2001–02 | Ravalomanana vs. Ratsiraka — 6-mo standoff, US mediation |
| 2009 | Andry Rajoelina ousts Ravalomanana (military-backed) |
| 2013 | Hery Rajaonarimampianina elected (restored constitutional order) |
| 2018–present | Rajoelina returns (2019, 2023). Poverty, corruption, deforestation persist. |
75% poverty, 50% child stunting, 90% forest loss, cyclones, political instability. But: biodiversity hotspot, sapphire/vanilla/rare earths, youthful population.