Madagascar

Following in the format of Sasol Birds of Southern Africa, this guide presents all the birds of Madagascar and the other Indian Ocean islands (Seychelles, Reunion, Mauritius and Mascarenes), a great many species of which are endemic to these islands. In field guide form, this text presents concise descriptions of each species, highlighting diagnostic features for ease of identification. Differences between sexes and plumages are discussed as well as the status of the bird, its habitat and call. Distribution maps accompany each entry. The birds are illustrated in full color and where necessary are depicted in all plumages relevant to identification (male, female and immature). In-flight illustrations present the bird from above and below, providing comprehensive coverage of the birds in the field.

This seventh edition of Hilary Bradt's award-winning guide reflects the changes in tourist infrastructure that have made Madagascar increasingly accessible. Hugely authoritative and brimming with character, it is the ideal companion both for independent visitors and those on organized tours. Look inside for: itineraries for all budgets and interests; detailed natural history; national parks and reserves; fully revised information on hotels, restaurants and transport; 47 updated maps and town plans; numerous contributions from experts. (5 1/4 x 8 1/2, 432 pages, color photos, illustrations, maps, charts)

If you are planning a trip to Madagascar and in need of some preparation beforehand on what to expect, buy this book. Not the typical travel guide book but it will enlighten you nonetheless. It tells the true story of a Polish traveller who made his way to Madagascar in the late 1930’s when travelling was still very much a luxury, and who lived amongst the tribes people, engaging in their customs and cultures with hilarious consequences. Told in several short chapters and supported with beautiful pictures of his adventure, it will definitely inspire you to visit this country and experience his adventure for yourself.

"A newcomer from Europe arriving in Madagascar usually lands at Majunga, on the northwest coast of the island. There are many odd sights in this tropical port to enthrall the keen eyes and young heart of the visitor. He admires the shadowy mango-trees, the baobabs as old as the world, a most glorious sky, bungalows peeping through clusters of purple bougainvilleas. But most exciting of all are the people. Of course, he has heard much about them, he is prepared for them, yet all the same he cannot help being delighted by the medley of costumes, of types and races which greet him.
Majunga being a gay port, the newcomer soon catches the infectious mood of gaiety and unreserve.
“This lovely girl is Chinese, surely!” he cries to a friend long settled in Madagascar, who has called for him at the port.
“No, she is not Chinese, but a Malagasy of the Hova tribe from the interior of the island. The Hovas are supposed to have come from Java, and some of them, as you can see for yourself, have preserved the Javanese type till now.”
The young Hova girl carries her eastern beauty with an incomparable charm. Looking at her, the European is reminded of delicate paintings on porcelain. She is attractive, has a slender, perfectly formed figure, a pleasant face and a strangely light complexion. She looks almost like a sunburnt European girl—a European of exotic beauty.
She passes the two white men proudly, deigning them only a fleeting glance and a shy smile.
The European is nonplussed, unable to understand her enigmatic smile: is it a rebuke or an invitation, is it contempt or coquetry? He cannot make up his mind.
“Proud creature!” he decides.
His friend brushes this remark aside:
“It is always the same with us white men,” he says, “and it always will be. If we can't understand something straightaway, then we are puzzled ... But perhaps you're right in calling this girl proud. She has good enough reason to be: the Hovas were until recently the rulers of Madagascar and gave the island a number of famous queens...”

Shipwrecks of Madagascar recounts the stories of about a hundred notable shipwrecks off the coast of Madagascar from ancient to modern times and the fate and adventures of survivors. It covers ships of the mighty Portuguese, Dutch, British, and French East India Companies, of numerous pirates who visited or settled there, of the British and French Navies, of the sailing vessels and steamers of the 19th century, and of more recent times. Shipwrecks are unknown relics for most people. This captivating book provides an interesting history into the many that occurred and helped shape Madagascar into the country it is today. ABOUT THE AUTHOR- Pierre van den Boogaerde was born and raised in Ghent, a provincial town in Belgium. He studied law and economics both in Belgium and the U.S. He spent most of his career working for an international financial organization based in Washington, D.C. but was posted in Madagascar about three years ago. Pierre has also been an avid wreck diver for about 30 years.

This photographic guide depicts a selection of the most commonly encountered and striking bird species of Madagascar, the Seychelles, the Comoros, and the Mascarenes - a region boasting high levels of endemism. The species accounts cover the birds' appearance, basic behaviour, preferred habitats, and geographical distribution. Each species account enjoys a full page which features a color photograph, distribution map, and text in English and French.

The authors outline and describe 39 key bird routes and more than 330 birding sites (and their associated birds) across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Madagascar and the little-documented but increasingly popular areas of Angola, Mozambique, Zambia and Malawi. All sites are ranked into one of three categories of priority: essential (the region s best), excellent (top sites but expendable to a time-limited visitor) and local interest (ideal for those looking for new areas to explore). Sites include practical details of access, best times to visit, habitat diversity and the birds that occur there and general natural history; the more important sites feature a detailed map. A guide to finding the region's top 150 birds and an annotated checklist conclude the book.

One of the world's leading photographers of wildlife and the natural environment reveals not only the astonishing beauty of this unique and diverse land, but also strikingly uncovers the wrenching conflicts between changing cultures and fragile eco-systems.

Between 1880 and 1914, tens of thousands of men and women left France for distant religious missions, driven by the desire to spread the word of Jesus Christ, combat Satan, and convert the world's pagans to Catholicism. But they were not the only ones with eyes fixed on foreign shores. Just as the Catholic missionary movement reached its apex, the young, staunchly secular Third Republic launched the most aggressive campaign of colonial expansion in French history. Missionaries and republicans abroad knew they had much to gain from working together, but their starkly different motivations regularly led them to view one another with resentment, distrust, and even fear.

In An Empire Divided, J.P. Daughton tells the story of how troubled relations between Catholic missionaries and a host of republican critics shaped colonial policies, Catholic perspectives, and domestic French politics in the tumultuous decades before the First World War. With case studies on Indochina, Polynesia, and Madagascar, An Empire Divided--the first book to examine the role of religious missionaries in shaping French colonialism--challenges the long-held view that French colonizing and "civilizing" goals were shaped by a distinctly secular republican ideology built on Enlightenment ideals. By exploring the experiences of Catholic missionaries, one of the largest groups of French men and women working abroad, Daughton argues that colonial policies were regularly wrought in the fires of religious discord--discord that indigenous communities exploited in responding to colonial rule.

After decades of conflict, Catholics and republicans in the empire ultimately buried many of their disagreements by embracing a notion of French civilization that awkwardly melded both Catholic and republican ideals. But their entente came at a price, with both sides compromising long-held and much-cherished traditions for the benefit of establishing and maintaining authority. Focusing on the much-neglected intersection of politics, religion, and imperialism, Daughton offers a new understanding of both the nature of French culture and politics at the fin de siecle, as well as the power of the colonial experience to reshape European's most profound beliefs.