History of Madagascar
By the 15th century, Europeans had wrested control of the spice trade from the Muslims. They did this by bypassing the Middle East and sending their cargo-ships around the Cape of Good Hope to India. The Portuguese mariner Diogo Dias became the first European to set foot on Madagascar when his ship, bound for India, blew off course in 1500. In the ensuing two-hundred years, the English and French tried (and failed) to establish settlements on the island.
Miss Madagascar
Miss Madagascar was founded in 1960 as part of the festivities of the country's independence from France. Rajaobelina Bedovoahangy became the first woman from Madagascar to participate in Miss World 1960. Ever since its inception, the organization of the national beauty contest has experienced several years of hiatus at different intervals. The winners of Miss Madagascar traditionally competed in Miss World. In 1998, Helen Hodgson, a Madagascar-based British businesswoman, took over the reins of Comite Miss Madagascar and brought the country back to Miss World. Today, Miss Madagascar is organized by Comite Miss Madagascar and TVM under the auspices of the Office of the First Lady of Madagascar.