_#_Imports: $436 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);

commodities--intermediate manufactures 30%, capital goods 28%,
petroleum 15%, consumer goods 14%, food 13%;

partners--France, FRG, UK, other EC, US

_#_External debt: $3.6 billion (1989)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate 5.2% (1990 est.); accounts
for 16% of GDP

_#_Electricity: 119,000 kW capacity; 430 million kWh produced,
40 kWh per capita (1989)

_#_Industries: agricultural processing (meat canneries, soap
factories, breweries, tanneries, sugar refining plants), light consumer
goods industries (textiles, glassware), cement, automobile assembly
plant, paper, petroleum

_#_Agriculture: accounts for 40% of GDP; cash crops--coffee, vanilla,
sugarcane, cloves, cocoa; food crops--rice, cassava, beans, bananas,
peanuts; cattle raising widespread; almost self-sufficient in rice

_#_Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis (cultivated and wild
varieties) used mostly for domestic consumption

_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $136
million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-88), $2.9 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $491 million

_#_Currency: Malagasy franc (plural--francs);
1 Malagasy franc (FMG) = 100 centimes

_#_Exchange rates: Malagasy francs (FMG) per US$1--1,454.6 (December
1990), 1,494.1 (1990), 1,603.4 (1989), 1,407.1 (1988), 1,069.2 (1987),
676.3 (1986), 662.5 (1985)

_#_Fiscal year: calendar year

_*_Communications
_#_Railroads: 1,020 km 1.000-meter gauge

_#_Highways: 40,000 km total; 4,694 km paved, 811 km crushed stone,
gravel, or stabilized soil, 34,495 km improved and unimproved
earth (est.)

_#_Inland waterways: of local importance only; isolated streams and
small portions of Canal des Pangalanes

_#_Ports: Toamasina, Antsiranana, Mahajanga, Toliara

_#_Merchant marine: 14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 59,416
GRT/82,869 DWT; includes 9 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 petroleum,
oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas

_#_Civil air: 5 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 148 total, 115 usable; 30 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 42 with
runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: above average system includes open-wire lines,
coaxial cables, radio relay, and troposcatter links; submarine cable to
Bahrain; satellite earth stati