Connor: Madagascar

       Madagascar is an island off the coast of Africa.  The first settlers of the island were most likely from the country of Borneo.  The animals at this time included the giant fossa, which was bigger than a modern fossa.  It was also home to the Madagascan Hippopotamus, which was almost exactly the same as a regular hippo. Unfortunately these animals were probably hunted and, in the case of the giant lemur, went extinct.
      Eventually Portuguese sailors had landed on the island.  The French had some trading posts on the island as well.  The island off the coast of Madagascar is thought to have been a pirate utopia.  Although anywhere that pirates have complete control would be a distopia.  Many sailors had been shipwrecked on the Madagascan coast.  Then came the kingdom of Madagascar, which existed until 1897. At that point the french took over the entire island, after starting their invasion in 1883.
      The island was the sole property of France until 1960.  Until that point it was treated as a colony, kind of like how the British treated America.  Malagasy troops fought for the French in world war one.  In world war two the Nazi's thought of sending the prisoners to Madagascar, where they would have been tortured no doubt.  There was also an important, but lesser known battle of world war two fought in Madagascar.