MADAGASCAR

Located 450 km off the east coast of Mozambique is the 4th largest island in the world - Madagascar. From an archaeological view point it is a new island since inhabitants can only be traced to the time of Christ. They were colonized by France/England with France gaining control in the late 1800 as a result of various peace settlements in other wars.

The capital and largest city is Antananarivo. Malagasy is the national language according to the Constitution. French is considered a de facto official language. Madagascar has a Republic form of government. The president is Marc Ravalomanana and the Prime Minister Jacques Sylla. Madagascar gained its independence from France on 26 June 1960.

The total area of the country is 587,041 km² or 226,597 sq mi. In 2005 Madagascar's population was estimated to be 18,606,000 with a density of 32/km².

The currency is Malagasy ariary (MGA) with an approximate conversion rate of 2000 per $1.00. The time zone London plus 3 hours or sometimes called East African Time (EAT). The international calling code is +261.

We returned from our last trip to Madagascar on 30 Jan 2007. They have requested that we present AELT at least twice a year. At this time, the 2nd trip has not been scheduled.

This itinerary can be modified as necessary with the team meeting together in Paris at the Charles De Gaulle (CDG) airport for the flight to Antananarivo.

The scheduled used in previous years have two 60 minute classes in the morning separated by a 30 min break and two 60 minute classes after lunch. The students are usually either military members or somehow associated with the military as a family member or civilian employees.

Conversational English is a desired skill from both a military and a business perspective. The students are eager to learn and participate in the various exercises.

Please check with your local health officials for any required shots or medicine.

The cost of the trip is estimated to be $2500. This includes all travel, food and lodging.

If you have any additional questions or need more information, please don't hesitate to send email to AELT@accts.org or telephone the office at (303)985-8808.
Graduation day. Approximately 100 students and their families show up on a Saturday morning.
A class picture taken after the ceremonies outside of a church building that we used for some of our classes.
Picture taken from our rooms overlooking Antananarivo. Typical of a tropical climate, afternoon thunderstorms and showers should be expected. Temperatures should range around 60 at night to 80 during the day. Don't forget that it is in the southern hemisphere where it will be "summer" during our "winter."