Editing Geography of Madagascar (section)

===Soils===

Madagascar has been called the "Great Red Island" because of the prominence of red [[Laterite|lateritic]] soils. The red soils predominate the Central Highlands, although there are much richer soils in the regions of former volcanic activity, [[Itasy Region|Itasy]] and [[Ankaratra]], and [[Tsaratanana]] to the north. A narrow band of [[alluvial]] soils is found all along the east coast and at the mouths of the major rivers on the west coast; clay, sand, and [[limestone]] mixtures are found in the west; and shallow or skeletal laterite and limestone are located in the south. [[Deforestation]] and grazing cause aggressive [[erosion]] in many locations.<ref name=LC/>