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Why You Should Visit Madagascar

The country of Madagascar is 1,609 km (1,000 miles) long. Even after separating from Africa about 165 million years ago, the animals and plants inhabiting the country never stopped evolving. There have been special plants and animals that now only grow on the island.

Madagascar has a lot of biological diversity, which has led some people to refer to it as a massive natural laboratory. In the west of Madagascar is the Tsingy National Reserve of Bemaraha. People say there is hardly enough flat land in the area because of the sharp edges of limestone reaching heights of 30 meters into the air over an area of 155 square kilometers. This landscape helps protect some of Madagascar's plants and animals.

South of Tsingy in Morondava, rain falls for only four months of the year. The trees in Madagascar are adapted to the island's climate. Also, in southern Madagascar is the small Berenty Reserve, where some of the biggest fruit bats in the world live in the giant tamarind trees. On the northern tip of Madagascar lies Montagne d’Ambre. It’s where many of the island’s 1,000 unique species of orchids grow.

Animals like apes, gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, humans, gibbons, siamangs, and monkeys are known as Madagascar’s primates, a biologically similar animal group. Another example of Madagascar's primates is the aye-aye, a small, dark brown animal that only comes out of its nest of leaves to feed at night.

Madagascar has many animals, plants, and beautiful landscapes that are different from other countries, which makes the island special.

[Source: 100 Great Wonders of the World]

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