Madagascar operates on East Africa Time (EAT), which is 3 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC+3). The country does not observe daylight saving time, so the offset remains constant throughout the year.
All of Madagascar follows the same timezone. Major cities including Antananarivo, Toamasina, Antsirabe, and Mahajanga all observe EAT. Antananarivo, the capital and largest city, is located in the central highlands and serves as the country's political and economic center.
Madagascar is the world's fourth largest island and is home to around 5% of all known animal and plant species, with over 90% of its wildlife found nowhere else on Earth. The island is famous for its lemurs, baobab trees, and unique biodiversity. Madagascar separated from Africa about 160 million years ago and from India around 88 million years ago.