Which island country is the world's fourth-largest island?

Madagascar is the world's fourth-largest island and is also an island country.

Located in the western Indian Ocean, Madagascar covers about 587,000 square kilometres. It separated from the African mainland tens of millions of years ago, helping its plants and animals evolve in distinctive ways.

The island is famous for lemurs, baobab trees, and high levels of endemism: many species found there occur nowhere else. Madagascar's central highlands, eastern rainforests, dry forests, and southern spiny forests create several very different habitats.

Madagascar should not be confused with nearby island groups such as the Comoros or the Mascarene Islands. Its capital is Antananarivo, and Malagasy and French are official languages. The island's unusual wildlife is a major reason it is often described as a biodiversity hotspot.