Be
Madagascar is an island lying about 1,000 miles south of
Socotra. The people are Saracens who worship Mahomet.
They have four sheikhs-that is to say, four elders-who
exercise authority over the whole island. ... It is said to
measure about 4,000 miles in circumference. The people
live by trade and industry.
-"The Middle East,"
Marco Polo
what’s the authors purpose of writing this passage?