Madagascar

 The island of Madagascar is situated 400 km off the east coast of Africa, separated from the mainland by the Mozambique Channel. It is a large island, stretching 1,580 km from north to south and 600 km from east to west, with a coastline of about 5,000 km. The topography is varied; hilly in the north and in the central part of the island (high plateaus with altitude between 1,200 and 1,500 metres) and plains in the east, west and south.