Schlagwort-Archiv: trees Madagascar

Black smoke clouds the national route 2, the off-roader brakes and continues at snail’s pace. The driver hurries to close his window. “What’s that?”, asks a traveler in the back seats. “The forest is on fire,” mumbles the driver. “We call it tavy.” This or something similar happens every day in Madagascar. But why is the rainforest burning next to …

The Ravenala, better known as the tree of travelers, belongs to the strelitzia family, despite resembling a palm tree. Although it is now common all over the world and is even cultivated as an ornamental plant in some homes, it originated in Madagascar and only occurs naturally there. Ravenalas grow from six to thirty meters and are particularly known for …

Mahajanga (formerly French Majunga) is the capital of the province of the same name in northwestern Madagascar and with more than 250,000 inhabitants one of the largest cities in Madagascar. It is located directly at the entrance of Bombetoka Bay. The oldest Baobab in Madagascar stands directly on the coast, just a few meters from the water. Legend has it …

Not only Madagascar’s fauna is unique, but animal life is also at home in a fantastic flora. It is estimated that Madagascar is home to around 14,000 different plant species. Over three-quarters of them are found nowhere else in the world. Unfortunately, more and more non-native plants are spreading all over Madagascar. Introduced pines and eucalyptus grow wherever the original …