Madagascar becomes a source of slaves, not…

Madagascar becomes a source of slaves, not only for the neighboring islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues, but also for more distant points, including the Western Hemisphere.

Madagascar's social and political structure facilitates the slave trade.

Within several small coastal kingdoms, stratified societies of nobles, commoners, and slaves give allegiance to a single king or queen.

For example, the Sakalava ethnic group dominated the western and northern portions of Madagascar in two separate kingdoms.

Menabe, on the barren western grasslands, has its first capital at Toliara; ...