▁by ▁the ▁enc ro achment ▁of ▁the ▁rapidly ▁growing ▁human ▁population ▁and ▁other ▁environmental ▁thre ats . ▁ ▁The ▁arch ae ological ▁evidence ▁of ▁the ▁earliest ▁human ▁for aging ▁on ▁Mad agas car ▁may ▁date ▁up ▁to ▁ 1 0 , 0 0 0 ▁years ▁ago . ▁Human ▁settlement ▁of ▁Mad agas car ▁occurred ▁between ▁ 3 5 0   BC ▁and ▁ 5 5 0 ▁AD ▁by ▁Indian ized ▁Aust ron esian ▁pe op les , ▁arriv ing ▁on ▁out r igger ▁can o es ▁from ▁Indones ia . ▁The ▁social ▁and ▁religious ▁situation ▁of ▁Indones ia ▁during ▁those ▁times ▁were ▁that ▁of ▁H indu ism ▁and ▁Buddh ism , ▁along ▁with ▁native ▁Indones ian ▁culture . ▁These ▁were ▁joined ▁around ▁the ▁ 9 th ▁century ▁AD ▁by ▁B ant u ▁migr ants ▁crossing ▁the ▁Moz amb ique ▁Channel ▁from ▁East ▁Africa . ▁Other ▁groups ▁continued ▁to ▁sett le ▁on ▁Mad agas car ▁over ▁time , ▁each ▁one ▁making ▁last ing ▁contributions ▁to ▁Mal ag asy ▁cultural ▁life . ▁The ▁Mal ag asy ▁eth nic ▁group ▁is ▁often ▁divided ▁into ▁ 1 8 ▁or ▁more ▁sub groups , ▁of ▁which ▁the ▁largest ▁are ▁the ▁Mer ina ▁of ▁the ▁central ▁high lands . ▁ ▁Until ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 8 th ▁century , ▁the ▁island ▁of ▁Mad agas car ▁was ▁ruled ▁by ▁a ▁fragment ed ▁ass ort ment ▁of ▁sh ifting ▁soci opol it ical ▁al li ances . ▁Begin ning ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 th ▁century , ▁most ▁of ▁the