What is the national language of Madagascar?

Malagasy is the national language of Madagascar.

Malagasy is an Austronesian language spoken throughout Madagascar, an island off the southeastern coast of Africa. Its closest linguistic connections are with languages of the Barito area of southern Borneo, reflecting the deep history of Austronesian settlement in Madagascar.

Madagascar has two official languages, Malagasy and French. Malagasy is the national language and includes several regional varieties, sometimes grouped into dialects associated with different parts of the island. The Merina variety, spoken in the central highlands, has strongly influenced the standardized form used in education and government.

Malagasy is generally written with the Latin alphabet today. Historical writing traditions also used the Sorabe script, an adaptation of Arabic writing used especially for religious and scholarly texts in parts of Madagascar.