Seychelles

The main part of the island group is situated between 4 and 5 degrees south of the equator at a longitude between 55 and 56 degrees east. The main island of Mah?lies some 1800 kilometers east of the east African coast of Kenya and to the northeast of Madagascar. There are over 100 named islands forming the Seychelles group. Most are coral and are spread over a large area towards the south and southeast. Some 40 of these islands, however, are granite and are found within a radius of 50 kilometers from the main granite island of Mah?

Mah?and Surrounds
Mah?is 27 kilometers long and 12 kilometers wide with a total land area of 154 square kilometers. This compares with a land area of 291 square kilometers for all the outer islands. Mah?is mountainous with a highest peak of 905 meters.

The vegetation remains green all year round, but suffers a little during the dry season. The most common Seychelles soil has a grayish brown color and contains only 1% of organic matter; the red colored soil has even less organic matter. Fertilizers must be added to the soil to assist in the growing of high yield crops. The soil has a low retention capacity for water and is constantly washed down to the sea leaving sand granules or exposing bare granite rocks.

Seychelles has a mean maximum temperature of 29°C and 12 hours of daylight. Rainfall recorded during the two monsoons, the southeast from May to October (the dry season) and the northwest from November to April, has averaged 2013mm annually over the last 6 years. The heaviest rainfall is usually during mid-December to mid-January. Seychelles archipelago lies outside the cyclone belt and enjoys stable weather year round.

In Seychelles, there are many species of birds, fish and other marine life, together with a rich, unique flora. Two of the outstanding species of birds found only in Seychelles are the black parrot and the paradise flycatcher.

History
Although there is much speculation about early Persian and Arab seafarers visiting the islands hundreds of years before Christ was born, no documentary evidence exists. However in the ninth century, the Seychelles appear for the first time on Arab charts and are referred to as the "Tall Islands" following an expedition to the Maldives. A few hundred years later the Seychelles appear on more Arabic maps and are referred to as "Zarin" ("the Sisters").

Several historical books record that Vasco da Gama discovered the Seychelles. However that is not strictly true as he only discovered part of them, the group of islands known as the Amirantes islands in 1502. A fellow countryman, Joao de Nova, discovered the Farquhar group the year before but rarely makes it into the history books. By 1903, Seychelles had become a crown colony. The British Governor, Mr. Sweet-Escott, commemorated the event by erecting a clock tower in the center of Victoria, which was modeled on the clock standing outside Victoria railway station in London.

In 1975 the Seychelles Democratic Party (SDP) and the Seychelles People United Front (SPUF) formed a coalition government. In 1976 on June 29th the Seychelles became an independent republic. James Mancham became the first President whilst Albert Ren?was elected as Prime Minister.

On the 5th June 1977 whilst James Mancham was at a Commonwealth Conference in London, Prime Minister Albert Ren?overthrew the government with a bloodless political coup and was installed as the new President. The SPUP was later renamed the Seychelles People’s Progressive Front (SPPF). Many of James Mancham’s supporters went into exile where they remained for many years.

Under a stable government the tourism industry flourished and the economy boomed whilst the crime rate became negligible. The new government also declared 46% of total land area as Nature Reserve or Parks in an effort to conserve the very reason for people visiting the islands?its natural beauty.

Location: Eastern Africa, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar

Area-comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Coastline: 491 km

Climate: tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon (late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon (March to May)

Terrain: Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky, hilly; others are coral, flat, elevated reefs

Natural resources: fish, copra, cinnamon trees

Geography—note: 40 granitic and about 50 coralline islands

Population: 79,164 (July 1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Seychellois (singular and plural)
adjective: Seychelles

Ethnic groups: Seychellois (mixture of Asians, Africans, Europeans)

Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Anglican 8%, other 2%

Languages: English (official), French (official), Creole

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Seychelles
conventional short form: Seychelles

Government type: republic

Capital: Victoria

Flag description: five oblique bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, red, white, and green (bottom) radiating from the bottom of the hoist side

Economy—overview: Since independence in 1976, per capita output in this Indian Ocean archipelago has expanded to roughly seven times the old near-subsistence level. Growth has been led by the tourist sector, which employs about 30% of the labor force and provides more than 70% of hard currency earnings, and by tuna fishing, which accounted for 70% of GDP in 1996-97. In recent years the government has encouraged foreign investment in order to upgrade hotels and other services. At the same time, the government has moved to reduce the dependence on tourism by promoting the development of farming, fishing, and small-scale manufacturing. Although the industry has rebounded, the government recognizes the continuing need for upgrading the sector in the face of stiff international competition.

Industries: fishing; tourism; processing of coconuts and vanilla, coir (coconut fiber) rope, boat building, printing, furniture; beverages

Agriculture—products: coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cassava (tapioca), bananas; broiler chickens; tuna fish

Exports—commodities: fish, cinnamon bark, copra, petroleum products (reexports)

Exports—partners: France, UK, China, Germany, Japan (1993)

Imports—commodities: manufactured goods, food, petroleum products, tobacco, beverages, machinery and transportation equipment

Currency: 1 Seychelles rupee (SRe) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Seychelles rupees (SRe) per US$1?.4540 (January 1999), 5.2622 (1998), 5.0263 (1997), 4.9700 (1996), 4.7620 (1995), 5.0559 (1994)

Telephone system:
domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands in the archipelago
international: direct radiotelephone communications with adjacent island countries and African coastal countries; satellite earth station? Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Railways:
total: 0 km

Highways:
total: 280 km
paved: 176 km
unpaved: 104 km (1996 est.)

Ports and harbors: Victoria

Airports: 14 (1998 est.)

Military branches: Army, Coast Guard, Marines, air wing, National Guard, Presidential Protection Unit, Police Force