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Madagascar: World
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In 2000, Madagascar embarked on the preparation of a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. The boards of the IMF and World Bank agreed in December 2000 that the country had reached the decision point for debt relief under the HIPC Initiative and defined a set of conditions for Madagascar to reach the completion point. In October 2004, the boards of the IMF and the World Bank determined that Madagascar had reached the completion point under the enhanced HIPC Initiative.
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There are two other theories that gets these small, swift-like iguanids to Madagascar without having to cling to a piece of flotsam or wait for the next intrepid explorer going their way. Both theories center around the break up of Gondwanaland. One holds that the modern day Malagasy Iguania are descended from Preiguania that were already extant on that land that eventually became Madagascar. Fossil remains of a turtle and a boa, both New World reptiles, have been found in Northern Africa, so it is possible that fossil iguanids have not been found yet. Perhaps there were Iguania or Preiguania in what became Africa but, not being as successful as the agamids, failed to survive other than on insular Madagascar. Just when Gondwanaland broke up, how fast it moved, and just where Madagascar started out and what other large land masses it might have come into contact with as it drifted to its present position off the southeast coast of Africa, remains under discussion by paleobiologists and others.
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Madagascar's long isolation from the neighboring continents has resulted in a unique mix of plants and animals, many found nowhere else in the world; some ecologists refer to Madagascar as the "eighth continent"[13]. Of the 10,000 plants native to Madagascar, 90% are found nowhere else in the world.[14]
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The Guardian reports on the World Bank's attempts to ensure money from sapphire mining in Madagascar benefits the local community. Sapphires mined locally are exported after being cut, with their value once they reach shops in Europe or North America having increased several times. Madagascar ... will see nothing of this latter profit. The World Bank project is encouraging some Madagasan's to take six month courses in gemology, to develop local expertise in the industry and give them more ownership of what their country is able to produce. http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1963117,00.html
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Madagascar, the red island, is a diverse mix of landscapes and cultures. Blessed with biodiversity and beauty, rich in endemic flora, fauna and natural resources, it is one of the world’s poorest countries.
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Visit Madagacar is the one site you'll need to plan your trip to the wild, captivating and beautiful island nation of Madagascar. A visit to Madagascar will bring you face to face with the world's most unique biodiversity including more than 200,000 species of plants and animals, many found nowhere else on Earth. But before you pack your bags, learn about the country, its people and the natural wonders you won't want to miss on what will undoubtedly be, a trip of a lifetime.
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