The geography of Madagascar

Madagascar, also known as the Republic of Madagascar, lies some 250 miles (400 km) off the east coast of Africa, south of the equator. It is separated from Africa by the Mozambique Channel and is crossed by the Tropic of Capricorn near the southern town of Toliara. The world's fourth largest island after Greenland, New Guinea, and Borneo, Madagascar is 1,013 miles (1600 km) long by 350 miles (570 km) at its widest point. Madagascar has an area of 226,661 square miles (587 051 km²), 2½ times the size of Great Britain and a little smaller than Texas.