malagasy
geographical name(Mal-a-gasy)
island located in the western Indian Ocean off southeastern Africa and noted for its unique flora and fauna; formerly a French territory; became a republic of the French Community as the Malagasy Republic or French République Malgache in 1958; name changed to Madagascar in 1975; capital Antananarivo area 226,657 square miles (589,308 square kilometers), population 21,842,000