Repoblikan'i Madagasikara République de Madagascar Republic of Madagascar
Flag Coat of arms Motto: Tanindrazana, Fahafahana, Fandrosoana  (Malagasy) Patrie, liberté, progrès  (French) "Fatherland, Liberty, Progress" Anthem: Ry Tanindrazanay malala ô! Oh, Our Beloved Ancestral-land	Location of Madagascar
Capital (and largest city) Antananarivo 18°55′S, 47°31′E Official languages Malagasy, French, English1 Demonym Malagasy[1] Government Republic  -  President Marc Ravalomanana  -  Prime Minister Charles Rabemananjara Independence from France    -  Date 26 June 1960  Area  -  Total 587,041 km² (45th) 226,597 sq mi   -  Water (%) 0.13%	Population  -  July 2007 estimate 19,448,815 [2] (55th)  -  1993 census 12,238,914   -  Density 33/km² (171st) 86/sq mi GDP (PPP) 2006 estimate  -  Total $5 billion (123rd)  -  Per capita $290 (169th) Gini (2001) 47.5 (high)  HDI (2007) ▲ 0.533 (medium) (143rd) Currency Malagasy ariary (MGA) Time zone EAT (UTC+3)  -  Summer (DST) not observed (UTC+3) Internet TLD .mg Calling code +261 1Official languages since 27 April 2007

Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar (older name Malagasy Republic), is an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. The main island, also called Madagascar, is the fourth-largest island in the world, and is home to 5% of the world's plant and animal species, of which more than 80% are endemic to Madagascar.[citation needed] They include the lemur infraorder of primates, the carnivorous fossa, three bird families and six baobab species.