When did the first human settlers reach Madagascar?

Archaeological investigations conducted during the 20th century indicate that the first human settlers reached Madagascar approximately 700 CE. This suggests the island has been inhabited for a relatively short period of about 1,300 years.123

While the island is geographically proximate to Bantu-speaking Africa, the Malagasy language is classified within the Western Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian language family, pointing to Indonesian origins. The precise route and nature of these initial voyages remain a subject of scholarly debate, as does the historical timeline regarding the integration of African cultural and linguistic elements into the Malagasy population.132