65 years ago today, June 26, 1960 (June 3, 1960 in the lunar calendar), Madagascar declared its independence. The Democratic Republic of Madagascar is located on the island of Madagascar, the world's fourth largest island in the southeast of the African continent. An area of 627,000 square kilometers (including islands). The population is 11.238 million, of which more than 98% are Malagasy and consists of 18 tribes. The national language is Malay Malagasy, and French is the official language. The capital, Antananarivo. National history The Merina people established the Kingdom of Imerina in the middle of the island at the end of the 16th century. At the beginning of the 19th century, the entire island was unified to form the "Kingdom of Madagascar". It became a French colony in 1896. On October 14, 1958, the establishment of an autonomous republic within the "French Community" was announced. Independence was declared on June 26, 1960 and the Republic of Madagascar was established. The name was changed to the current name on December 21, 1975. June 26 is National Day. On November 6, 1972, diplomatic relations were established with China.