Facts that prove Madagascar is a separate universe

135 million years ago the supercontinent Gondwana split into several parts, which are known today as Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica, the Indian subcontinent and the Arabian Peninsula. Later Madagascar separated from India and was uninhabited for a long time. Its plants and animals were isolated from the rest of the world.

Due to its isolation, Madagascar has unique flora and fauna. More than 80% of its species can't be found anywhere else including non-marine molluscs, cat-like fossas and the smallest chameleons. That's one of the main reasons why ecologists call Madagascar a separate continent.

Between 200 BC and 500 AD people from the Sunda Islands started inhabiting the territory of Madagascar. Ethnic groups that are native to the island and country are called the Malagasy. Arab immigrants introduced Islam, writing and their traditions. A lot of good traders moved to the island. Indian traders brought rice, which is the main ingredient of the Malagasy diet. Bantu-speaking migrants from Africa introduced Zebu, known as humped cattle.

You can meet here amazing red owls, lemurs, iguanas and chameleons. But there are no elephants, lions or giraffes. Here you won't meet zebras or monkeys. And again the reason is the island's geographical isolation. There were hippos, however, they died out many years ago.

They use a special kind of white and yellow paint and make beautiful ornaments on their faces. This paint is made from a special type of wood. It protects their skin from insects and sun rays.

This deep lake of volcanic origin is one of the main attractions here. Locals can tell you a lot of legends connected with the sacred place. There are no aquatic animals that are capable to live in Tritriva and this fact is scientifically explained - the waters of the lake contain a huge amount of sulfur.

Twins were killed or abandoned. If their mother refused to leave the children, she was thrusted out of the tribe. Today this custom is forbidden, even though some communities still practice it.

Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world. On average, a person earns 1 dollar a day. About 70% of the population suffer from hunger. It strikes that Malagasy people venerate their ancestors so high that they prefer to spend more money on tombs, not on their own houses.

Rice cultivation was organized by the king Andriamanelo. Later special storages for rice were built. In the 16th century, Madagascar started to export its rice. Today almost 30% of the gross domestic product is generated by rice cultivation. Practically 50% of Malagasy people work on rice fields. On average, each person on Madagascar eats 120 kg of rice per year.

Since 1998 adventurers come to Ilakaka trying to find sapphires. For some people, it is the only source of income. The work of gem digger is hard and dangerous as there's a poisonous gas in the sapphire pits.