COUNTRY AND PEOPLE

The Malagasy people are very nice and friendly. However, differences can be noticed depending on the region.While the residents around the capital Tana are rather quiet and reserved, the closer you get to the coast you sense the defining nature and temperament of the people.
These two significant differences are also why these groups do not necessarily get along well with each other.
There are 18 different dialects spoken in the Malagasy language. But almost everyone understands the official Malagasy. A local can immediately tell which region someone comes from based on their language and appearance.Essentially, two large, different cultures shape the island. We therefore also speak of the residents in the center and those on the coast. The visual difference is clearly noticeable and can be explained by the ancestry.
The people from the middle come from the Indonesian region and also have much lighter skin color and mostly straight hair.

In keeping with their East African origins, the Cotiers (coastal dwellers) are much darker and have shaggy, wavy hair.

Around 90% of the Malagasy population is poor or at risk of poverty. The rest are good middle class and an even smaller percentage are rich. Caused by vanilla, cocoa, cattle breeding.
While many people have to live in wooden or mud huts, there are more and more villas in the cities and beautiful mansions on the beach regions.