There are three important aspects concerning the study of the red giant and
in particular of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in the Magellanic
Clouds. These are: the surface distribution, the luminosity function and the
variability. The spatial distribution of AGB stars is an efficient tool to
study the structure of the galaxies and their metalicity by analysing the ratio
between carbon- and oxygen-rich AGB stars. The shape of the luminosity function
carries informations about the star formation rate in the Clouds and it can be
mathematically related to their history. Most AGB stars vary their magnitude in
a few to several hundred years time; the one epoch DENIS magnitudes for both
Large and Small Magellanic Cloud AGB stars outline the same relations as a
function of period.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, invited talk, to be published in: Mass-Losing
Pulsating Stars and their Circumstellar Matter, Y. Nakada & M. Honma (eds)
Kluwer ASSL serie
