The Early History

Madagascar is a small island located in the Indian Ocean in Southern Africa. It is the world’s fourth largest island. In the 7^th century the Arabs established trading posts on the coast of Madagascar. The first man to rule the island was king Andrianampoinimerina, of the Malagasy tribe. His name means The-King-in-the-Heart-of-the-Imerina, the Imerina stood for the highlands of Madagascar. He ruled from 1787 to 1810. He and his son Ramada unified most of the island until the Europeans discovered it. The Europeans discovered it during the Age of Discovery in the 15^th century. During the Age of Discovery Europeans traveled to different lands in search of trading goods like gold, silver, and spices. The British and the French were competing in against each other in the Scramble for Africa because they both wanted the trade products and the territory.