Starting at the Beginning: The Origins of Madagascar

Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, with only Greenland, Borneo and Papua New Guinea considered to be bigger. The island’s great diversity stems from its history, as approximately 165 million years ago, Madagascar split from the rest of Africa to form the island we recognise today. This separation from the African mainland has meant that all the life that was cast adrift  has been evolving in isolation ever since. This entry will look into the origins of the island of Madagascar, as well as providing a brief introduction to the diversity of its landscapes and its variety of wildlife.

In the beginning, Madagascar was squeezed in between present day Africa and India in the supercontinent known as Gondwana. Gondwana is a vast and ancient landmass that included the large landmasses recognised today as Antarctica, South America, Australasia, India, Madagascar, Africa and Arabia. Approximately 180 million years ago Gondwana began to separate, but as this land mass began to break up Madagascar stayed attached to the ‘hip’ of Africa for an additional 20 million years - which can be identified as the present location of East Africa. Then, roughly 90 million years ago the eastern expanse of the island broke off and drifted to the north to eventually become modern day India. Since this event, the island has remained the same size and in the location we recognise today.

I realise this is difficult to visualise so take a look at this animation which displays the breakup of the Gondwana supercontinent. The part most relevant to Madagascar and the description above appears from about 0:55 onwards.

Along its longest axis, Madagascar is roughly 1600km long and at its widest point, approximately 570km wide. Most of the expanse of the island is located in the tropics despite its position relatively far south of the equator. As you can imagine, a tropical island of this proportion has the coastline to match; 5000km of sweeping sandy beaches envelop the border between land and the sea. Its majastic and popular coastline is  decorated by dazzling coral reefs and offshore atolls in addition to around 250 arresting islands which cling to its sandy tropical shores. Madagascar’s geography is just as impressive inland. A long chain of mountains scar its eastern seaboard, creating a steep escarpment which aids in ensnaring the moisture essential in sustaining its famous ecologically rich rainforests. This beauty extends beyond its ecology as stirring mineral formations can be found in various locations across the island. The northern and western expanses host striking limestone karst formations, which are pointy, sharp eroded rocks which enclose impressive caves, potholes, underground rivers and forested canyons teeming with wildlife, such as lemurs, birds, bats and crocodiles. Locally, karst is known as tsingy, and is protected as part of one of Madagascar’s three world heritage sites Parc National des Tsingy de Bemaraha.

Karst formations or Tsingy

The remarkable diversity of life that exists in Madagascar owes its origins to its 90 million year isolation which has facilitated its habitants to take an unusual evolutionary turn in relation to their pre-isolation ancestors. In addition to its long severance from mainland Africa, the wildlife of Madagascar has been largely undisturbed as human inhabitants only arrived around 2000 years ago. Subsequently, life on the island has somewhat taken its evolutionary course in to its own hands resulting in high levels of biodiversity and endemism. Estimates suggest that 70% of the animals and 90% of plant species found on the island are unique and can only be found in Madagascar. In addition its biological distinctiveness, the sheer abundance and variety of life is overwhelming as 5% of all plant and animal species known to man are represented on the island. It is due to this impressive resume that interest in the environment of Madagascar and certain related environmental concerns has sparked to life, prompting worldwide efforts to protect and conserve its natural riches, encapsulated by its inclusion as a global biodiversity hotspot and a high profile conservation priority in the 21^st century.

For a deeper introduction to Madagascar's wildlife, lets consult the institution that is Sir David Attenborough...these pictures definitely capture the essence of Madagascar's natural wealth. Hope you enjoy them.