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The Malagasy (French: Malgache or Malagasy: Gasy [1]) are a group of Austronesian-speaking ethnic groups indigenous to the island country of Madagascar, formed through generations of interaction between Austronesians originally from southern Borneo and Bantus from Southeast Africa. Traditionally, the population have been divided into sub-ethnic ...
The Association of Religion Data Archives noted that in 2020, 58.1% of the population is Christian, 2.1% is Muslim and 39.2% practices traditional faiths, while 0.6% of the population is non-religious or adheres to other faiths. [13] Madagascar's traditional religions tend to emphasize links between the living and the dead.
The Merina people (also known as the Imerina, Antimerina, Borizany or Ambaniandro [3]) formerly called Amboalambo are the largest ethnic group in Madagascar. [ 4 ] [ 5 ] They are the "highlander" Malagasy ethnic group of the African island and one of the country's eighteen official ethnic groups .
Philibert Tsiranana, from the Tsimihety ethnic group, was the first president of post-colonial era Madagascar. The anarchist system prevailed among the Tsimihety people before the 19th century. However, in 1823, Radama I , the Merina king, brought the entire island under one rule, including the Tsimihety, and abolished the international slave ...
Christianity is the largest religion in Madagascar, with Protestantism and Catholicism being its main denominations. Madagascar is a secular state , and the nation's constitution provides for freedom of religious thought and expression and prohibits religious discrimination.
Distribution of Malagasy ethnic groups: the Betsileo in pink at center. The Betsileo occupy the south of the Madagascar plateau.Their traditional territory extends from the north of the Mania River in the north to the foot of the Andringitra Massif in the south; to the west by the Bongolava chain and the east by the Eastern Forest, occupied by the Tanala tribe.
The Sakalava are an ethnic group of Madagascar. [3] They are found on the western and northwest region of the island, in a band along the coast. The Sakalava constitute about 6.2 percent of the total population, [4] that is about 2,079,000 in 2018. [5] Their name means "people of the long valleys."
Each of the many ethnic sub-groups in Madagascar adhere to their own set of beliefs, practices and ways of life that have historically contributed to their unique identities. However, there are a number of core cultural features that are common throughout the island, creating a strongly unified Malagasy cultural identity.