  madagascar is an island in the indian ocean off the eastern coast of southern africa, east of mozambique. it is the fourth largest island in the world. the highest point is maromokotro, in the tsaratanana massif region in the north of the island, at . the capital antananarivo is in the hauts plateaux near the centre of the island. it has a total area of  with  of land and  of water. madagascar originated as part of the gondwana supercontinent. its west coast was formed when africa broke off from gondwana around 165 million years ago. madagascar eventually broke off from india about 88 million years ago. ==geographical regions== madagascar can be divided into five general geographical regions: the east coast, the tsaratanana massif, the central highlands, the west coast, and the southwest. the highest elevations parallel the east coast. thumb|200px|left|land coverage (left) and topographical (right) maps of madagascar. ===east coast=== the east coast consists of a narrow band of lowlands about one kilometer wide, formed from the sedimentation of alluvial soils, and an intermediate zone composed of steep bluffs alternating with ravines bordering an escarpment of about  in high elevation, which gives access to the central highlands. the coastal region extends roughly from north of baie d'antongil, the most prominent feature on the masoala peninsula, to the far north of the island. the
Continental_fragments Geography_of_Madagascar