When you hear the name of the country “Madagascar”, can you imagine the different sceneries and their features in your mind? Whether you can or not, it is a beautiful country that is full of nature. If you want to find out more about this familiar yet puzzling nation, keep reading this article to explore the amazing island of Madagascar.

Madagascar can be defined as a destination for outdoors enthusiasts.  It is located on the southeast coast of Africa. It is a large island in the Indian Ocean, off the eastern coast of southern Africa, east of Mozambique. Madagascar has the climates of hot, rainy seasons and a cooler dry season, resulting in a big temperature variation throughout the year.  These seasons, however, play an important role in the environment and its wildlife, which will be mentioned later.

The baobab tree, which is the national tree of Madagascar, is one of the representations of the country. Baobab trees provide shelter, food, and water for animals and humans, which results in many communities to live near them. It has a peculiar shape, as its branches appear to be spreading up into the air as if they were planted upside down. Also, the wide trunk that measures up to 30 feet in diameter, is pinkish grey and shiny. The trunk is filled with water, and in fact, the biggest baobabs can hold 30,000 gallons of water or more, which not only helps the wildlife but also the people, in terms of survival. Therefore, it is called “Madagascar’s tree of life”, allowing the baobab to entitle the nation.

In Madagascar, October and November are called the “purple months”. Town streets, along roadsides, and all parts of the country during these months will be carried by a type of flowering plant called the jacaranda. It is native to tropical and subtropical regions like Madagascar, influencing the jacaranda to be one of the portrayals of the country. It is like cherry blossoms in Japan, except they are purely purplish blue, forming colorful carpets on the streets and on the lake surface during its best seasons. People who’ve actually seen the jacaranda say, “when visiting Madagascar in the right season, one cannot resist stopping at the lake to see the flowers reflect in the water, producing a unique effect”.

Not only the nature of Madagascar is astonishing, but the wildlife there too. One of the examples is the Ring-tailed Lemur, which is a native animal of Madagascar. They spend the majority of their time on high trees as Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world. They have great adaptations like the ability to stretch out their arms when moving on the ground, and flat nails just like us, humans, while using their short nails to attack predators. As you can tell, Lemurs is a perfect and fascinating animal for the country, influencing it to be native to Madagascar.  

After reading this article, do you feel that you want to visit the country and experience all of these astounding and extraordinary aspects of Madagascar all for yourself? I recommend you do, in order to find out about the people there as well as the nature of the nation.