Madagascar

Madagascar is a island nation located southeast of Africa, separated from the coast by the wide Mozambique Channel. It is the fourth largest island in the world. Its tropical forests are home to a dazzling amount of biodiversity, with an estimated 200,000 species of plants and animals found nowhere else on the planet. Today, this remarkable world is threatened by the growing pressures of a large and poverty-stricken society.

The population of Madagascar currently stands at 18.6 million, growing at 3 percent annually. This growth is the result of natural increase: the birth rate is 41.41 per 1,000 people, and the death rate 11.11 per 1,000 people. Only 26 percent of the people live in urban areas, and the population density is 32 people per square kilometers.

Madagascar's economy has long relied on agricultural exports, including coffee, vanilla, cloves, and prawns, employing 80 percent of the workforce. Per capita income is $300 a year, and 61 percent of all Malagasys live on $1 a day or less.

Environmental problems have tremendous impact on the health of Malagasys. The island is subject to cyclones and has suffered from recurrent droughts and locust swarms in recent years. Ninety percent of the forests are gone, and each year 25 to 30 percent of the land burns as farmers clear their fields for the planting season. Only 5.03 percent percent of the land is arable; soil erosion has become a serious problem in many areas.

In 2006, many of the country's staple crops—in-cluding sweet potatoes, manioc, and rice—failed or returned poor yields, leading to food insecurity in the southern part of the island. At least 70 percent of the population is malnourished.

Life expectancy at birth is 54.93 years for males and 59.82 years for females, with healthy life expectancy at 47.3 years for men and 49.9 years for women. Infant mortality is 75.21 deaths per 1,000 live births; 123 of every 1,000 children die before their fifth birthday. Maternal mortality is also high, with 550 deaths for every 100,000 live births.

Only 80 percent of women receive prenatal care, and only 51 percent of deliveries are monitored by a trained attendant. Less than 30 percent of women use birth control, and the average woman will give birth to six children in her lifetime.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) calculates that 160 Malagasy children die each day from preventable diseases including malaria and diarrhea. Immunization programs receive no government funding, and despite the efforts of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), only about 60 percent of children are vaccinated against polio, measles, and hepatitis B; around 70 percent are protected from diphtheria, [Page 1049]pertussis, tetanus, or tuberculosis. A fifth of all Malagasy children work, often in dangerous industries such as mining or stonecutting. Rates of sexual and physical abuse are high.