Madagascar, Vol. 1: An Historical and Descriptive Account of the Island and Its Former Dependencies (Classic Reprint) - Hardcover

Samuel Pasfield Oliver

9780428486921: Madagascar, Vol. 1: An Historical and Descriptive Account of the Island and Its Former Dependencies (Classic Reprint)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0428486924 ISBN 13: 9780428486921

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

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Explore Madagascar’s western and southern frontier through an early explorer’s lens.

This historical and descriptive account surveys coastlines, plateaus, rivers, and the people who inhabit them, marrying topography with ethnographic detail. Readers will encounter vivid landscapes, from barren dune seas to wind-sculpted coastlines, and gain insight into how communities adapt to dryness, fevers, and long stretches without fresh water.

This edition gathers notes from 19th‑century travelers and local informants, tracing provinces such as Mahafaly and Fiarenana, the courses of the Onilahy and Fiherenana rivers, and the patterns of Sakalava life under independent chieftains. It presents sketches of plant life, such as tamarind groves and hardy desert flora, and points to the region’s sparse resources and the people who sustain themselves with beans, maize, and tubers in a challenging climate. The volume also highlights place names, local geography, and the connections between coast, river, and inland culture.

Vivid coastal and desert landscapes, with notes on climate and water scarcity.
Profiles of the Sakalava and other groups, their territories, and chiefs.
Descriptions of flora, trees, and the role of the land in daily life and food.
Historical geography that ties rivers, provinces, and trade routes to social power.

Ideal for readers of historical geography, regional Madagascar history, and travelers seeking a window into early descriptive accounts of the island and its dependencies. This edition of Madagascar, Vol. 1 offers a grounded, atlas‑like view of place and people without speculation beyond the documented landscape.

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