Madagascar - Research Paper Example

The major language spoken in Madagascar is Malagasy. However, other languages including French and English are also used, but not as much as Malagasy (Tyson, 2013). This country has various cultures as well as ethnic groups. The capital city of Madagascar is called Antananarivo. The latest GDP(PPP) as well as GDP(nominal) for Madagascar stand at $33.642 billion and $ 11.188 billion respectively relevant to the latest estimates in the year 2014. The culture of Madagascar is greatly influenced by the different ethnicities that are found there.

Some of these ethnicities comprise of the Indonesians, Arabs, Africans as well as the French (Campbell, 2005). However, it is important to note that Madagascar has always been having long lasting cultures as well as traditions. The different forms of cultures and traditions of the country of Madagascar can be seen through three main perspectives. These include the cuisine, language, the culture relevant to daily life and customs, as well as the culture relevant to religion (Tyson, 2013). Relevant to the religious culture, it is widely known that the people of Madagascar always worship as well as venerate the spirits of the dead.

This is one of the traditional religious practices in Madagascar, popularly known as Fomban-razana (ancestor-worship) (Bradt, 2011). However, these traditional religious beliefs are not practiced by all the people of Madagascar. It is always believed that prayers offered to Andriamanitra (the Supreme God) must always pass through the ancestors. This is always a culture in most religions in Madagascar, practiced regularly during ceremonies, events as well as performance of rituals. Other than religion, the cultures of Madagascar can also be viewed in terms of their cuisine.

These cuisines always reflect a collection of interests from various ethnic groups. In Madagascar, it is always a culture that all traditional meals are consumed on the floor