Malagasy people
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the Malagasy ethnic group. For their language, see Malagasy language. For the residents or citizens of Madagascar, see Demographics of Madagascar.
| Malagasy | |
|---|---|
| Total population | 16 million |
| Regions with significant populations | Madagascar, Mayotte, Réunion |
| Language | Malagasy, French |
| Religion | Animism, Protestantism, Catholicism, Islam (including syncretist forms) |
| Related ethnic groups | Malays, Bantus, Filipinos, |
The Malagasy (in French also les Malgaches) ethnic group forms the vast majority of the population of Madagascar. They are divided in to two racially and socio-economically distinct subgroups, the Merina and Betsileo of the central plateaux around Antananarivo and Fianarantsoa, and the côtiers ("coastal dwellers") elsewhere in the country. These are in turn are divided into several tribes as follows:
