Which African country occupies most of the island of Madagascar?

Madagascar is the African country that occupies most of the island of Madagascar.

Madagascar is both a country and a large island in the Indian Ocean, separated from mainland Africa by the Mozambique Channel. It is the world’s fourth-largest island, after Greenland, New Guinea, and Borneo. The country includes the main island and several smaller outlying islands.

Madagascar separated from the Indian subcontinent roughly 88 million years ago, helping its wildlife evolve in unusual isolation. Lemurs, many chameleons, and the distinctive baobab trees are strongly associated with the island, and a large share of its species are endemic, meaning they occur nowhere else naturally.

The island was formerly ruled by the Merina Kingdom in the central highlands and later became a French colony. It gained independence in 1960. Madagascar is sometimes confused with nearby island states such as Mauritius, Comoros, and Seychelles, which are separate countries.