Madagascar
What is the Malagasy ariary (MGA)?
Have additions or corrections to this material? Email us at corrections@gocurrency.com
The Malagasy ariary is the official currency of Madagascar. The ISO code for the Malagasy ariary is MGA. The ariary is only one of two circulating currencies in the world with division units not based on a power of ten, but instead each ariary consists of five iraimbilanja. On January 1, 2005 the ariary replaced the previous currency, the Malagasy franc. One Malagasy franc was valued at 0.2 ariarys (one iraimbilanja). The banknotes show how many francs they are worth, however it has not been done for the coins.
Sovereign Ratings for Madagascar
Madagascar is not rated.What does it look like?
Political Structure
The republic of Madagascar is divided into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The executive branch consists of a president, prime minister, and a cabinet called the Council of Ministers. The president serves a five-year term and is elected by popular vote. The president appoints the prime minister and the Council of Ministers. The legislative branch is composed of a bicameral National Assembly with 160 seats. The members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms. There is also a Senate with 100 seats. Two-thirds of the seats are members of regional assemblies who are elected by popular vote while the other one- third of the seats is appointed by the president. All of the 100 members serve a four-year term. The judicial branch is comprised of a Supreme Court and a High Constitutional Court.
Prominent Figures
Chief of State President Andry RAJOELINA (since 18 March 2009) Head of Government Prime Minister Albert Camille VITAL (since 18 December 2009) Cabinet Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister Elections president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 3 December 2006 (next to be held in October 2010); prime minister appointed by the president Election Results percent of vote - Marc RAVALOMANANA 54.8%, Jean LAHINIRIKO 11.7%, Roland RATSIRAKA 10.1%, Herizo RAZAFIMAHALEO 9.1%, Norbert RATSIRAHONANA 4.2%, Ny Hasina ANDRIAMANJATO 4.2%, Elia RAVELOMANANTSOA 2.6%, Pety RAKOTONIAINA 1.7%, other 1.6%; note - RAVALOMANANA stepped down on 17 March 2009 note:: on 17 March 2009, democratically elected President Marc RAVALOMANANA stepped down handing the government over to the military, which in turn conferred the presidency on opposition leader and Antananarivo mayor Andry RAJOELINA, who will head the High Transition Authority; a power-sharing agreement reached in August 2009 established a 15-month transition period, concluding in general elections in 2010; as of December 2009 the agreement had not been fully implementedKey Economic Factors
Although formerly a socialist economy, Madagascar has been following a World Bank and IMF led policy of privatization and liberalization since the mid-1990s. Since then, the country's economy has been following a slow and steady growth path from an extremely low level. Agriculture, including fishing and forestry, is a mainstay of the economy, accounting for more than one-fourth of GDP and employing four-fifths of the population. Exports of apparel have boomed in recent years primarily due to duty-free access to the United States. Deforestation and erosion, aggravated by the use of firewood as the primary source of fuel are serious concerns. President Ravalomanana has worked aggressively to revive the economy following the 2002 political crisis, which triggered a 12% drop in GDP that year. Poverty reduction and combating corruption will be the centerpieces of economic policy for the next few years.
Make your Money Go Further
Our monthly reports tell you what countries and currencies offer the best deals. Travel and buy smart!
Subscribe and enjoy!
Fast Facts
- Other Currencies Accepted: Euro, United States Dollar
- Currency Peg:No
- Black Market for Currency:Probable
- Currency Volatility:unknown
- Estimated GDP Per Capita:.5 billion (2009 est.) .42 billion (2008 est.) .08 billion (2007 est.) note: data are in 2009 US dollars
- Languages Spoken:English (official), French (official), Malagasy (official)
