About Madagascar > People and Culture

The roots of the nation can be found in the massive migration of Asians, Bantous, Africans, Arabs and more recently Europeans. These new immigrants have formed communities in which each tribe corresponds to a particular race.

A kaleidoscope of races, the Betsileo (12%), the Merinos settled in the north, the Sakalavas and the Mahafalies in the west, the Antemoros, Antandroys and Baras in the south of Madagascar . Each tribe has its own traditions, its culture and beliefs.

There is a common language shared by all which varies from region to region. Madagascar has a population of 18 million that is a density of 27 people per square kilometer. The Capital city, Antananarivo or "Tana" and its suburbs host 2 million inhabitants of which one million live in the city itself. The rest of the population lives scattered over the island and particularly in Diego, Tamatave and Majunga.