Madagascar
Practical guide
Madagascar is in Eastern Africa. It has 32,740,678 inhabitants across 587,041 km². It is an island territory with no land borders. Its capital is Antananarivo. People speak French, Malagasy and the currency is the Malagasy Ariary (MGA). Ezplora has pages for 5 of its cities, with month-by-month climate and the distances between them.
- Capital
- Antananarivo
- Population
- 32,740,678
- Area
- 587,041 km²
- Currency
- Malagasy Ariary · MGA
- Languages
- French, Malagasy
- Time zone
- Indian/Antananarivo
- Dialling code
- +261
- Domain
- .mg
When to go to Madagascar
The best months to visit Antananarivo are May, June and September. In Antananarivo, daytime highs go from 21° in July to 26° in January. Temperatures change little through the year. The wettest month is January (291 mm) and the driest is June (9 mm). The rainy season runs from November to March.
Weather in Antananarivo month by month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| high | 26° | 26° | 26° | 25° | 24° | 22° | 21° | 21° | 23° | 25° | 26° | 26° |
| low | 17° | 17° | 16° | 15° | 12° | 10° | 9° | 10° | 11° | 13° | 15° | 16° |
| rain | 291 mm | 259 mm | 186 mm | 43 mm | 15 mm | 9 mm | 10 mm | 10 mm | 13 mm | 46 mm | 126 mm | 247 mm |
1970–2000 normals (WorldClim 2.1). Monthly rainfall total.
Cities in Madagascar
Distances in Madagascar
- Antananarivo → Toamasina518 km 1 h 1 min · 10 h 48 min
- Antananarivo → Antsirabe166 km 54 min · 2 h 40 min
- Antananarivo → Mahajanga572 km 1 h 13 min · 8 h 58 min
- Antananarivo → Fianarantsoa409 km 1 h 6 min · 6 h 25 min
1 h 1 min · 
10 h 48 minFrequently asked questions
What is the capital of Madagascar?
The capital of Madagascar is Antananarivo.
What currency is used in Madagascar?
Madagascar uses the Malagasy Ariary (MGA).
What language is spoken in Madagascar?
In Madagascar, people speak French, Malagasy.
When is the best time to visit Madagascar?
The best months to visit Antananarivo are May, June and September. In Antananarivo, daytime highs go from 21° in July to 26° in January. Temperatures change little through the year. The wettest month is January (291 mm) and the driest is June (9 mm). The rainy season runs from November to March.
Data from Banco Mundial, GeoNames and WorldClim. Photo from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).