The Glorieuses or Glorioso Islands ( or officially also Archipel des Glorieuses ) are a group of French islands and rocks totalling, at, in the northern Mozambique channel, about northwest of Madagascar.

North Korea, still officially at war with South Korea, and its allies, Albania, Cuba, Madagascar and Seychelles boycotted the games.

Although the first French claims date from 1638, when François Cauche and Salomon Goubert visited in June 1638, the island was officially claimed by Jacques Pronis of France in 1642, when he deported a dozen French mutineers to the island from Madagascar.

Until the end of conflict, Axis forces used the bases in Italian occupied Ethiopia, the Vichy France territory of Madagascar and some " officially " neutral places like the Portuguese Colonies of Goa in India.

In 1665, France officially claimed Madagascar, under the name of Île Dauphine.

Countries where ASL or a derivative of ASL is the national or a widespread language include Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana ( with BSL ), Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, the Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d ' Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Kenya ( minority use ), Liberia, Madagascar ( minority use ), Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Philippines ( L2 use ), Puerto Rico, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Trinidad and Tobago, Togo, and Zimbabwe ( with ZSL ).

* Sierra Leone, Ghana, Togo, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Seychelles, Madagascar, Somalia

193-Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, People's Republic of China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d ' Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, European Union, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, North Korea, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

parties-( 38 ) Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Colombia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Finland, France, Haiti, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Portugal, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela

Foreign embassies in Mauritius include Australia, the United Kingdom, People's Republic of China, Egypt, France, India, Madagascar, Pakistan, Russia, and the United States.

The UNCCD has 194 country Parties: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, the People's Republic of China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d ' Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, European Union, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, the Republic of Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Mauritania and Madagascar are the only remaining countries that do not use the decimal system ; instead, the Mauritanian ouguiya is divided into 5 khoums, while the Malagasy ariary is divided into 5 iraimbilanja.

The number of Comorians living abroad has been estimated at between 80, 000 and 100, 000 ; during the colonial period, most of them lived in Tanzania, Madagascar, and other parts of East Africa.

# Crozet Islands (), a group in the southern Indian Ocean, south of Madagascar ;

Examples are Madagascar and Socotra off Africa ; New Zealand ; New Caledonia ; the Kerguelen Islands ; and some of the Seychelles.

Consequently, Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot ; over 90 percent of its wildlife is found nowhere else on Earth.

Penguins have been the subject of many books and films such as Happy Feet, Surf's Up and The Penguins of Madagascar, all CGI films ; March of the Penguins, a documentary based on the migration process of the Emperor Penguin ; and a parody titled Farce of the Penguins.

Source localities include: Pakistan ; Italy ; Russia ; China ; Brazil ; Tujetsch, St. Gothard, Switzerland ; Madagascar ; Tyrol, Austria ; Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada ; Sanford, Maine, Gouverneur, Diana, Rossie, Fine, Pitcairn, Brewster, New York and California in the USA.

V. fragrans ), grown on Madagascar, Réunion, and other tropical areas along the Indian Ocean ; V. tahitensis, grown in the South Pacific ; and V. pompona, found in the West Indies, and Central and South America.

Prices dropped 70 % over the next few years, to nearly US $ 20 per kilogram ; prices rose sharply again after tropical cyclone Hudah struck Madagascar in April 2000.

* June 25 – Madagascar accuses the U. S. of being connected to the plot to oust the current government ; the U. S. recalls its ambassador.

However, in 2008, lineage 2, previously only seen in horses in sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar, began to appear in horses in Europe, where the first known outbreak affected 18 animals in Hungary in 2008.

In 1869 Queen Ranavalona II, previously educated by the London Missionary Society, underwent baptism into the Church of England and subsequently made the Anglican faith the official state religion of Madagascar.

Réunion (, ; previously Île Bourbon ) is a French island with a population of about 800, 000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.

Four additional species from Madagascar in the subfamily Galidiinae, which were previously classified in this family, are also referred to as " mongooses " or " mongoose-like ".

This war was significant in that it starkly demonstrated the reality that a Western colonial power could be defeated by an indigenous revolutionary force ; the French previously pacified a similar uprising in the Madagascar colony in March, 1947.

Orange owns majority shares in France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Romania, Denmark, Slovakia, Ivory Coast, Dominican Republic, Cameroon, Botswana, Madagascar, Moldova ( see Orange Moldova ) and Spain ( previously Amena ).

Molecular studies have shown that the genus Portulacaria ( previously in Portulacaceae ) is part of this family, thus extending its distribution beyond the island of Madagascar.

They are derived from the Madagascar periwinkle, Catharanthus roseus ( formerly known as Vinca rosea ).

It is the only known breeding site outside Aldabra and Madagascar for Malagasy Pond Herons.

Lemuridae is a family of prosimian primates native to Madagascar, and one of five families commonly known as lemurs.

The traveler's palm, known locally as ravinala and endemic to the eastern rain forests, is highly iconic of Madagascar and is featured in the national emblem as well as the Air Madagascar logo.

The ring-tailed lemur is one of over 100 known species and subspecies of lemur found only in Madagascar.

The island is home to two-thirds of the world's chameleon species, including the smallest one known to date, and researchers have proposed that Madagascar may represent the origin of all chameleon species.

Although invertebrate species remain poorly studied on Madagascar relative to other wildlife, researchers have found high rates of endemism among the known species.

The written history of Madagascar began with the Arabs, who established trading posts along the northwest coast by at least the 10th century and introduced Islam, the Arabic script ( used to transcribe the Malagasy language in a form of writing known as sorabe ), Arab astrology and other cultural elements.

Primarily on the basis that the Lambert Charter had not been respected, France invaded Madagascar in 1883 in what became known as the first Franco-Hova War.

Rare minerals from Scandinavia and Madagascar such as thortveitite, euxenite, and gadolinite are the only known concentrated sources of this element.

The majority of the world's vanilla is the V. planifolia variety, more commonly known as Bourbon vanilla ( after the former name of Réunion, Île Bourbon ) or Madagascar vanilla, which is produced in Madagascar and neighboring islands in the southwestern Indian Ocean, and in Indonesia.

* August 10 – Diogo Dias discovers an island which he names St Lawrence ( after the saint's day on which it was first sighted ), later to be known as Madagascar

Before that, the earliest known proto-frog was Triadobatrachus massinoti, from the 250 million year old early Triassic of Madagascar.

* 1500 — Diogo Dias discovered an island they named after St Lawrence after the saint on whose feast day they had first sighted the island later known as Madagascar

The written history of Madagascar begins in the 7th century when Omani Arabs and Shirazi Persians established trading posts along the northwest coast and introduced Islam, the Arabic script ( used to transcribe the Malagasy language in a form of writing known as sorabe ), Arab astrology and other cultural elements.

Thus, starting from 1817, the central Merina kingdoms, Betsileo, Bezanozano, and Sihanaka, unified by Radama I was known to the outside world as the Kingdom of Madagascar.

The wealth created in Madagascar through trade created a state system ruled by powerful regional monarchs known as the Maroserana.

Angry at the cancellation of the Lambert Charter and seeking to restore property stolen from French citizens, France invaded Madagascar in 1883 in what became known as the first Franco-Hova War ( Hova as a name referring to the Merina aristocrats ).

Before 2010, the earliest known fossil prawns come from rocks in Madagascar of Permo-Triassic age,.

The pottery wheel scene is very well known and often parodied, most notably in Saturday Night Live, Family Guy (" The Story on Page One "), All's Well, Ends Well, Naked Gun 2½, Loaded Weapon 1, The Penguins of Madagascar, Futurama (" Bendless Love " and " Bender's Game "), Community (" Beginner Pottery "), Victorious (" Survival of the Hottest "), Wallace & Gromit (" A Matter of Loaf and Death "), 6teen (" Unhappy Anniversary ") and Ellen (" Alone Again ...