Mad·a·gas·car (m d  -gs kr) Formerly Mal·a·gas·y Republic (ml-gs ) An island country in the Indian Ocean off the southeast coast of Africa comprising the island of Madagascar and several small islands. It was originally peopled by Indonesian and African groups around the end of the first century b.c. The French first established settlements on the island in 1642 and made it a colony in 1896. The country gained full independence as the Malagasy Republic in 1960 and was renamed Madagascar in 1975. Antananarivo is the capital and the largest city. Population: 19,400,000. Mad a·gascan adj. & n. |   |
Madagascar [ˌmædəˈgæskə]
n
(Placename) an island republic in the Indian Ocean, off the E coast of Africa: made a French protectorate in 1895; became autonomous in 1958 and fully independent in 1960; contains unique flora and fauna. Languages: Malagasy and French. Religions: animist and Christian. Currency: franc. Capital: Antananarivo. Pop.: 15 983 000 (2001 est.). Area: 587 041 sq. km (266 657 sq. miles) Official name (since 1975) Democratic Republic of Madagascar Former name (1958-75) Malagasy Republic
Madagascan n & adj
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  Madagascar - a republic on the island of Madagascar; achieved independence from France in 1960Madagascar - an island in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa; the 4th largest island in the world Antananarivo, capital of Madagascar - the capital and largest city of Madagascar Africa - the second largest continent; located to the south of Europe and bordered to the west by the South Atlantic and to the east by the Indian Ocean Madagascan - a native or inhabitant of Madagascar |
| 2. | Madagascar - an island in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa; the 4th largest island in the world Madagascar, Malagasy Republic, Republic of Madagascar - a republic on the island of Madagascar; achieved independence from France in 1960 Indian Ocean - the 3rd largest ocean; bounded by Africa on the west, Asia on the north, Australia on the east and merging with the Antarctic Ocean to the south |
Translations
Madagascar
n → Madagaskar nt
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