Malagasy

Inhabitant of the island of Madagascar. The Malagasy language is divided into many dialects and has about 9 million speakers; it belongs to the Austronesian family.

Despite Madagascar's proximity to Africa, Malagasy contains only a small number of Bantu and Arabic loan words. It seems likely that the earliest settlers came by sea, some 1,500 years ago, from Indonesia. Primarily rice farmers, the Malagasy make use both of irrigated fields and swidden (temporary plot) methods. Islam spread through the island in the 8th century.

States developed over the centuries, and include those of the Betsileo, Betsimisaraka, and the Merina. In the 18th century these were unified under the Merina. In 1895, after the suppression of resistance, the French made the island into a colony. It became independent in 1960.