Madagascar-The great Red Island
 Location: Indian Ocean
Language-Malagasay from Merino (Austronesian)
Culture- Indonesian
Climate-Tropical-hot, wet season, cooler dry season
Cyclones, SE trades abd monsoon winds
Crops- vanilla, rice and others
Fauna- a lot of endemic species, 40 species of lemur that are indigenous
Physical geography- 3 parallel longitudinal zones: central plateau, narrow coastal strip to the east and low plateau's and vast plains to the west
Problems- because of the slash and burn farming, many of the country's forested areas along with unique flora and fauna, have disappeared and erosion has become a serious problem
1995- environmental issue--plans by a multi-national company to mine mineral sands for titanium in an ecologically unique coastal area spurred strong opposition from outside the country

Hawai'i
 Location- Pacific Ocean
Climate- influenced by tropical location, surrounded by occean, varied topography
Climactic elements- temperature, precipitation, and wind (NE trades)
Rainfall- 486"-7" not evenly distributed, supply is biggest problem
2 seasons- summer (kau) and winter (ho'oilo)
tropical cyclones-called hurricanes when winds exceed 63 mph
Koppen system for classifying climates, 4 out of the 5 are found in Hawaii, only "D" (snow) not found
Vegetation- high endemism-89% flowering plants, 78% ferns, especialy vulnerable to extinction--native vegetatin has been replaced by introduced species
Cultural/Economic geography- Dualism> culture contact/clash
Muticultural society, high immigration rates, mostly from Asia, eclectic architecture, food and customs or celebrations
Concerns- Hawai'i's uniqueness is disappearing
Changes to physical environment- has the highest percapita auto ownership--but air pollution not a major problem, because of trades. Ag lands being converted to urban, Honolulu becoming hotter