Beautiful Madagascar 马达加斯加独立日纪念
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It's Independence Day for Madagascar today, let's celebrate by sharing its beauty!
Mbola tsara Manahoana, Manakory, Akory.
Well, that's not a song or lyrics to a song. It is a standard greeting in Madagascar. And in case you were wondering what does it mean, it means "Hello, good morning."
High-quality sapphires
Many of the world's most high-quality sapphires have been found in Madagascar. The discovery of high-quality sapphires in Corridor Ankeniheny-Zahamena in 2017 triggered the Madagascar's "Sapphire rush." In 1995, large deposits of corundum (sapphire) were found in LLakaka including the worlds 2nd largest sapphire "Millennium Sapphire."
Millennium Sapphire
Madagascar is well-known for some of the finest pinks sapphires in the world and has also found large deposits on fine blue sapphires in what is known as the sapphire belt. Madagascar is estimated to carry some of the world's largest deposits of fine sapphires.
Rare wildlife and Biodiversity
Adorable lemur and Fossa are some of the rarest wildlife in the world. About 95 percent of Madagascar's reptiles, 89 percent of its plant life, and 92 percent of its mammals are endemic. To put this into perspective, from 1999 to 2010, scientists discovered 615 new species in the country, including 41 mammals and 61 reptiles.
Madagascar is a paradise for chameleons --half of the world's chameleons are found in this country. These reptiles are so lazy that they evolved a way to look backwards without having to turn their heads. They don’t even care to run away from a predator, and can simply change their body color and merge with the surroundings.
Nop!
But, unlike the film Madagascar, however, you won’t see any tigers, lions, giraffes or hippo.
Madagascar is not only known for its high degree of endemism but also for its high biodiversity. The island nation has developed its own distinct ecosystems and extraordinary wildlife since it split from the African continent about 160 million years ago.
World Heritage Sites
World heritage sites in Madagascar are:
The Royal Hill of Ambohimanga, a 500-year-old burial site.
The rainforests of the Atsinanana, which are home to many rare species of primate and lemur.
The Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve, a labyrinth of limestone that covers a sizeable chunk of the island’s western half. It is utterly impassable, a maze of crooked canyons, caves, tunnels and spires, and relatively unexplored.
Official Languages
There are two official languages in Madagascar, i.e. Malagasy and French. Madagascar obtained its independence from France in June 26, 1960. That being said, today is Madagascar's independence day celebration.
Fourth largest Island in the World
Madagascar is the 4th largest island in the world, taking up an area that is four times smaller than Greenland but only slightly smaller than New Guinea and Borneo.
Martial Arts
The traditional martial art of the island is called Moraingy and it uses absolutely no weapons but rather is a bare-fisted striking style.
Lemurs are celebrities
Lemurs, mentioned previously as an animal only found in Madagascar, often have main roles in Malagasy taboo-related folk tales. Lemurs are considered to be protectors and sometimes thought of as relatives to humans, to some they carry the souls of their ancestors.
Malagasy are great poets
One of Madagascar’s main forms of art is oratory. The Malagasy are known for writing and reciting epic poems. The art is broken down into three categories: hainteny (poetry) but it is loosely translated as "knowledge of words", kabary (public discourse) and ohabolana (proverbs).
Baobab Trees
A special species of Baobab, known as the Mother of the forest, Adansonia grandidieri, is only found in Madagascar. The striking landscape of The Avenue of the Baobabs has become a cultural identity of not only Madagascar but also of Africa.
Music
Music is a sacred part of the Malagasy daily life and is believed to be the connection to an ancestor’s soul.
Well, this is just an itty bitty of Madagascar, if you would like to know more, don't hesitate to check the links below. Don't forget to like, share, leave a comment and subsribe to our official account.
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