Almost half of Malagasy (inhabitants of Madagascar) follow
Christianity and they are sub-divided into Roman Catholic and
Protestants. In 1818 the London Missionary Society sent the first
Christian missionaries to the island, where they built churches,
translated the Bible into the Malagasy language and began to gain
converts.
Islam and Hinduism are also practiced in Madagascar. Islam was
first brought to the island in the Middle Ages by Arab and Somali
Muslim traders, who established several Islamic schools along the
eastern coast. Muslims are largely concentrated in the northwestern
provinces of Mahajanga and Antsiranana. More recently, Hinduism was
introduced to Madagascar through Gujarati people immigrating from
the Saurashtra region of India in the late 19th century. Most
Hindus in Madagascar speak Gujarati or Hindi at home.