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Seychelles


 
Picture-perfect beach in Seychelles
The picture-perfect beaches of Seychelles all look pretty much the same; only the visitors are changing.
Photo: flowcomm

 
Location map of the Seychelles. Where in Africa are the Seychelles?
Location map of Seychelles


Flag of Seychelles
Flag of Seychelles

Seychelles in brief

Destination Seychelles, a Nations Online country profile of the remote island nation in the Indian Ocean.

The archipelago extends over a vast area at a crossroads between Asia and Africa. The main islands are located 500 km south of the equator and about 1,700 km (1,000 mi) east of the African coast.

Seychelles is certainly one of the most beautiful tropical island destinations in the world. The group of islands is located northeast of Madagascar in the western Indian Ocean and consists of some 115 islands spread over an area of more than 1 million km².

With a total land area of 444 km², the entire nation is just about the size of Andorra, or 2.5 times as big as Washington, DC.



Map of Seychelles Bank submarine plateau
The submarine plateau known as the Seychelles Bank is the underlying bedrock of the inner islands (Mahé Group) of the Seychelles.
Image: NOAA Bathymetric Data Viewer
 
Seychelles Inner Islands
The main islands, the Mahé group, are located about 1,000 km northeast of the northern tip of Madagascar and 1,800 km east of Mombasa (Kenya). They consists of 45 islands, which are the peaks of a granitic rock submarine plateau known as the Seychelles Bank, part of the Seychelles microcontinent.

The inner islands are surrounded by coral reefs, they have narrow coastal strips, towards the interior rise hills that can reach 900 meters.
Morne Seychellois, at 905 m (2,969 ft), is the highest mountain of the archipelago.



Seychelles Outer Islands
The Seychelles Outer Islands are a chain of coral atolls, such as the Amirante and Alphonse Islands, many uninhabited. In 2008, the Islands Development Company (IDC) prepared a program called 1 hotel 1 island. Each island in the group should be leased to a hotel, which will, in turn, build residential homes and facilities on those islands.

The island nation has a population of just 98,000 (in 2021), making it the smallest population of any sovereign African country.
The capital and largest city is Victoria on Mahé, the largest island. Spoken languages are Seychellois Creole 90%, English and French (all official).


What is Seychelles famous for?

The beach on Praslin island, Seychelles.
A wall of Seychelles' typical granite boulders on the beach of Praslin Island, Seychelles.
Photo: Alessandro Russo

In their colorful brochures and websites, tour operators and local guides scramble for the best and sometimes even absurd flowery adjectives to describe the beauty of the Seychelles. Of course, the archipelago has all the classic tropical island ingredients - sprawling palm-fringed bays, hammocks swaying in a cooling breeze, colorful cocktails in coconuts, glorious sunsets and smoothly running catering services to keep tourists happy.

The water is warm, crystal clear, and yet deep blue or sparkling turquoise; sometimes, the waters are startlingly clear blue-green, and white-crowned waves caress the shore.

The scenery is of unbeatable beauty, exotic and tropical, and the beaches are the best in the world, with immaculate soft white-sand, unspoiled, picture-perfect and impressive; the fringes of the islands are covered with spectacular white, gold or silver-tinged sand. Most beaches are gorgeous, adorned with palm trees, sun-drenched, pristine, impeccable, secluded and isolated, and really stunning.

The archipelago has some of the most beautiful landscapes; the interior of the islands offers dramatic mountains and verdant rolling hills covered with leafy tropical jungles and sapphire green rainforests alternate with lush mountainous cloud forests.

The country's underwater world is teeming with life, color and a dramatic topography. Explore thriving coral reefs and meet large reef manta rays, sea turtles, clown, butterfly, parrot and trumpet fish, or find lost pirate treasure.


What is Seychelles known for?

Underwater world of Seychelles. Fish meets tourist.
The underwater world of Seychelles. Tourist meets fish.
Photo: Alf Altendorf

In the Early Jurassic breakup of Gondwana, the vast continent in the southern hemisphere, the Seychelles microcontinent was part of the future Indian subcontinent and located just north of Madagascar. Between 84–95 million years ago, continental rifting separated Seychelles/India from Madagascar. Some million years later, new rifting severed the Seychelles from India, forming the Carlsberg Ridge.

Isolated for 75 million years, Seychelles is home to a distinctive flora and fauna, comparable only in uniqueness to the Galapagos Islands or Madagascar.

Tropical fruits and plants, Coco de Mer palm trees, giant turtles, frogs like the Gardiner's frog, one of the smallest frogs in the world, birds, such as the Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher, sharks like the Blacktip, Silvertip and Grey Reef Sharks.

The culture of Seychelles is deep-rooted in its colonial history. Today, the archipelago is mainly known for its large hotel compounds and luxury beach resorts.


FunFacts
Seychelles is not a low-budget destination, but with bags of money, the Mahé archipelago offers all the water sports activities you might expect, such as banana boat rides, parasailing, windsurfing, jet and water skiing, beach parties, night safaris, round the island boat races and sunset cruises.

Seychelles was once home to Olivier Levasseur, nicknamed La Buse ("The Buzzard"), a feared pirate of the Indian Ocean who allegedly hid one of the greatest treasures in pirate history. Standing under the gallows, he left a cryptogram with clues to the whereabouts of the treasure.
Today, the former pirate hideout is firmly in the hands of Hilton, Kempinski, Four Seasons, Banyan Tree, Raffles and Club Med.

In 1958 Ian Fleming, creator of the James Bond books, came to the Seychelles for a vacation. His next James Bond adventure, For Your Eyes Only, was set in the Seychelles.

Seychelles | Republic of Seychelles | Repiblik Sesel



Background:
The islands of the Seychelles were probably sighted by the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama in 1503; however, recorded landings did not occur until 100 years later, in 1609, when an expedition of the British East India Company made landfall.

In 1756 France made a formal claim to the rocky islands. The islands were named after Jean Moreau de Séchelles, the Minister of Finance under Louis XV, King of France.

Settlement began in 1778 under a French military administration but barely survived its first decade.

A protracted power struggle between France and Britain over the archipelago ended in 1814 when the Seychelles and Mauritius were handed over to England by the Treaty of Paris in 1814.

In the 19th century, small numbers of Chinese and Indian traders settled in the Seychelles along with former slaves. They founded their own colony, which was separated from the Crown in 1903.

Seychelles became independent and a member of the Commonwealth in 1976
Socialist rule was brought to a close by a new constitution and free elections in 1993.

related countries: Réunion (France), Madagascar, Mauritius, United Kingdom
 
 

 


Country Profile

Official Name:
Seychelles
Creole: Repiblik Sesel
English: Republic of Seychelles
French: République des Seychelles

ISO Country Code: sc, SYC
IATA code: SEZ

Actual Time: Mon-Mar-18  06:35
Time Zone: SCT - Seychelles Times
Local Time = UTC +4h

Country Calling Code: +248

Capital City: Victoria (pop. 27,500)

...show more



 


Official Sites of Seychelles


Building of the National Assembly of Seychelles
Building of the National Assembly of Seychelles.
Image: The National Assembly of Seychelles


Political system of Seychelles

Under the 1993 constitution, Seychelles is a republic with a multiparty system. The head of state and government is the President of Seychelles. The president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. Executive power is exercised by the government.
The legislature is the National Assembly, which has 34 members elected for a five-year term.


Government

Note: External links will open in a new browser window.


State House
Office of the President, Government of Seychelles.

Government of Seychelles
Official website of the Government of Seychelles

Seychelles National Assembly
Official website of the National Assembly of Seychelles.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Seychelles
Official site of the ministry.


Diplomatic Missions
Diplomatic Missions of the Republic of Seychelles
List of Diplomatic Missions of Seychelles.
Foreign Diplomatic Missions in Mahé, Seychelles
List of Diplomatic Missions accredited to Seychelles.


Statistics
National Statistics Bureau
Seychelles National Bureau of Statistics.


Weather
Seychelles Meteorological Authority
Weather and Climate information about Seychelles.


 

 


 


Maps from Seychelles



Seychelles Inner Islands Map
Map of Seychelles (click map to enlarge)
Image: © nationsonline.org


Maps


Map of Seychelles
Map of the Inner Islands of Seychelles.
Google Earth Google Earth Seychelles
Searchable map and satellite view of Seychelles.
Google Earth Google Earth Victoria
Searchable map and satellite view of Seychelles' capital.

Political Map of Africa
The 54 countries of Africa.
Map of Africa
A Relief Map of Africa.

 

 


News of Seychelles



Seychelles newspaper cover

Online News from Seychelles


Although media pluralism and funding are limited by the size and population of this small archipelago, the media, especially the private media, have developed in recent years. The self-censorship reflexes inherited from decades of one-party communist rule and tight control of the media are gradually dissipating, giving way to a broader spectrum of opinion and more editorial freedom. [1]


Seychelles News Agency
The government-funded Seychelles News Agency provides news about events in Seychelles and the Indian Ocean in English and French.

Seychelles Nation
The national newspaper of Seychelles, published on weekdays.

Today in Seychelles
Subscribers only; Seychelles daily.


International News sources
Seychelles - BBC News
Seychelles-related news by the BBC.
 

 


Arts & Culture of Seychelles


Rocky beach on La Digue, Seychelles
Rocks and waves on the border between the water and the land; La Digue, Seychelles.
Image: AJ


Arts & Culture

Festival Kreol Seychelles
The Creole Festival is a cultural event and one of the most important festivals in the Seychelles calendar.

Seychelles Heritage Foundation
The Foundation presents and promotes various aspects of Seychelles' cultural heritage.
 

 


 


Business & Economy of Seychelles


Terminal Ramp of Seychelles International Airport
Terminal Ramp of Seychelles International Airport with an Air Seychelles airplane and the terminal building.
Image: flowcomm


Economy of Seychelles

The economy of Seychelles is mainly based on tourism, the hospitality industry, a booming offshore financial services industry and fishing.
The tourism sector employs about 26% of the workforce and contributes directly and indirectly to more than 55% of the country's GDP.

Foreign visitor arrivals are mainly from Europe (107,112). Most visitors were from Germany (29,747), France (19,299) and the UK (10,519) in 2019. [2]

In recent years, the government has been trying to reduce the country's dependence on tourism by promoting the development of an offshore financial services industry, information and communication services, and boosting the renewable energy sector.

Seychelles has the highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in Africa, at $12.3 billion (2020).


Central Bank of Seychelles
The Central Bank of Seychelles was founded in December 1978. The bank took over the functions of the Seychelles Monetary Authority on 1 December 1983.

Seychelles Investment Board
Seychelles Investment Board's (SIB) role is to promote and facilitate local and foreign investments.

Financial Services Authority Seychelles
The Seychelles Financial Services Authority is the autonomous regulatory body responsible for non-banking financial services in Seychelles.


BitMEX
Cryptocurrency exchange.

Cable & Wireless
Seychelles communication services provider.


Transportation
Air Seychelles
Flying the Creole Spirit. - The Mahé based national airline - connects Mahé with the UAE, Israel, South Africa, India and Mauritius.

Zil Air Seychelles
Zil Air is the island's premium luxury helicopter airport pick up & drop off service.

Ports
Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA)
The Seychelles Ports Authority manages Port Victoria, a multifunctional port and the principal international gateway to Seychelles' economy.


The industrial part of Port Victoria, Seychelles
The cargo terminal in the industrial part of Port Victoria, also known as Port of Mahé, the main port in Seychelles.
Image: SIB
 

 


 


Tourism in Seychelles



View from Morne Seychelles National Park
View from Sans Soucis Road near the Tea Factory, overlooking the coast of West Mahé. Sans Soucis Road winds through Morne Seychelles National Park, a protected area of mangroves and lush tropical jungle surrounding Morne Seychellois, the highest mountain in the archipelago.
Image: Jean Boris HAMON


Destination Seychelles - Travel and Tour Guides



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Discover the archipelago: Mahe, Praslin and La Digue, Assomption, Astove, St. Pierre Island, Cousin and Cousine Islands.


Seychelles Travel
Official tourism website of Seychelles.

Seychelles Tourism Board (STB)
Seychelles Tourism Board corporate website.

Experience Seychelles
Advice from the Seychelles Tourism Board for visitors planning a vacation in Seychelles.

Islands Development Company
IDC provides information about many of the Seychelles' Outer Islands.


Luxury spa resorts

Anantara Maia Seychelles Villas
Luxury property on the beach of Mahe island with spa and outdoor pool.

Bird Island
Holiday on a self-catering private island, the northernmost island in the Seychelles archipelago, is known for its birdlife.

Fregate Island
Private island for rent.

Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort & Spa
Peaceful villas overlooking the Indian Ocean.

Kempinski Seychelles Resort
5-star beachfront resort near Mahé's Baie Lazare Beach.

North Island (Ile du Nord)
Marriott run, all-inclusive, all-villa, luxury private island resort.

Savoy Seychelles Resort & Spa
The luxury spa resort on Mahé island offers the finest holiday experience in an island paradise setting.

Story Seychelles
The flagship resort of the UAE-based hospitality company on Beau Vallon Beach, one of the most luxurious neighborhoods of Mahé.


Wikivoyage Logo Wikivoyage - Seychelles
The free worldwide travel guide to Seychelles.


Early morning in Victoria, the capital of Seychelles.
View of Victoria at sunrise. The capital of Seychelles is located on Mahé, the main island of the archipelago.
Image: Andrew Moore
 
 

 


 


UNESCO World Heritage Sites


Coral mushroom on Grande Terre Island of Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles
A coral mushroom on Grande Terre Island of the Aldabra Atoll, part of the Seychelles archipelago.
Image: Verde Speranza
 

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Seychelles
There are two natural UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Seychelles. Additionally, two properties are listed in UNESCO's Tentative List, an inventory of those properties which each state party intends to consider for nomination. (see the List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Seychelles).

The following links lead to a detailed description of the respective World Heritage Site at UNESCO.


World Heritage Site Aldabra Atoll

The Aldabra Atoll is part of the Outer Islands of Seychelles. It is located in the Indian Ocean, 1140 km (710 mi) southwest of Mahé and 420 km (260 mi) from the northern tip of Madagascar.
Aldabra Atoll consists of four large coral islands that enclose a shallow lagoon. A coral reef surrounds the island group. It is an excellent example of an elevated coral atoll and is one of the largest atolls in the world. The atoll contains one of the most important natural habitats for research on evolutionary and ecological processes.
Due to its inaccessibility and isolated location, the atoll is protected from human influence. For this reason, it is home to the largest giant tortoise population in the world; over 152,000 live on Aldabra.



Female Coco de Mer seed, Seychelles
Female Coco de Mer seed, a palm tree endemic to Praslin and Curieuse in Seychelles.
Image: Yercaud-elango

World Heritage Site Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve

In the center of the small island of Praslin lies the Vallée de Mai nature reserve. The reserve contains the remains of a natural palm forest preserved almost in its original state.

The famous Coco de Mer - the fruit of a palm tree said to have grown in the depths of the sea - contains the largest seed in the plant kingdom. The fruit is 40 to 50 cm long, weighs up to 25 kg and takes six years to ripen; it usually contains one seed, but occasionally two to four.

Five other native palm species grow in the nature reserve.

Vallée de Mai has an attractive landscape with distinctive natural beauty. The area includes a palm forest that has remained largely unchanged since prehistoric times.


World Heritage Site Venn's Town Mission Ruins

Not much left of Venn's Town, but the story is interesting. The remains of Venn's Town are located at the top of Sans Souci, on Morne Seychellois, southwest of the Morne Seychellois National Park on the island of Mahé.
The ruins bear witness to an important period in the history of Seychelles. The site was established as a school by the Church Missionary Society in 1876 to accommodate children of freed slaves.
The large number of liberated Africans, brought to the island by the British, had a great impact on the population of Seychelles and in the formation of the identity of the islands' society. Seychellois Creole is the predominant ethnic group.
Venn's Town covered about 50 acres, a large part of which was used for the cultivation of vanilla and cocoa. The main buildings consisted of two dormitories, one for the boys and one for the girls. A series of houses, washrooms, kitchens, huts for workers, a workshop and a storeroom, as well as a mission cottage for the schoolmaster and his family, made up the settlement.


Blacktip reef sharks in the lagoon  of the Aldabra Atoll (Seychelles)
Blacktip reef sharks are the most abundant species in the lagoon of the Aldabra Atoll in the Indian Ocean. Aldabra is the world's second-largest coral atoll.
Image: Ron Van Oers
 

 


Education in Seychelles



Main building of the University of Seychelles in Anse Royale, Mahé, Seychelles
The main building of the University of Seychelles in Anse Royale, Mahé.
Image: Anna A.


Ministry of Education Seychelles
The ministry is responsible for the planning, development and implementation of government education policies.

University of Seychelles
UniSey welcomed its first students in September 2009, followed by its official inauguration in November 2010. The university runs campuses at Anse Royale and Mont Fleuri on Mahé.

Seychelles National Library
The Carnegie Library, the predecessor to the Seychelles National Library, was opened by British Governor Walter Davidson on 22nd January 1910.
 
 

 


Environment & Nature



Beach of Grand Anse on the island of La Digue, Seychelles
The beach of Grand Anse on the island of La Digue, Seychelles.
Photo: Tobias Alt

Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment
The official website of the ministry.

Seychelles National Parks Authority
The SNPA is responsible for all the marine and terrestrial national parks of Seychelles, such as the Morne Seychellois National Park, the Veuve Special Reserve and the Praslin National Park.

Ste Anne National Marine Park
The picturesque Marine Park comprises six islands just off the coast of Mahé.

Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF)
Seychelles Islands Foundation manages and protects the World Heritage Sites of Aldabra and Vallee de Mai.

Nature Seychelles
Nature Seychelles is the largest and oldest environment NGO in Seychelles, dedicated to environmental conservation.


Giant tortoise, Seychelles
Giant tortoise on Alphonse Island, Seychelles.
Photo: Dan Maisey
 

 


Seychelles History



The clock tower in front of the post office, Victoria, Seychelles in the 1900s.
The clock tower in front of the post office, Victoria, Seychelles in the 1900s.
Postcard image: Unknown author


It is believed that the uninhabited islands of the Seychelles were used by Arab traders long before the "discovery" by Europeans in the 16th century. It took another 250 years after the discovery to be permanently settled by the French in 1770.
Seychelles is a comparatively young nation that can trace its first settlement back to the time when the islands were first settled by the French planters, Indians and African slaves. The islands remained in French hands until Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo and developed from humble beginnings to a population of 3,500 when the Seychelles were ceded to Great Britain by the Treaty of Paris in 1814.


History Seychelles
A short version of Seychelles' history by Seychelles Tourism Board.

250th Anniversary of Seychelles
Seychelles Nation article about the history of Seychelles.

BBC-logo BBC Seychelles profile - Timeline
Historical timeline of the Seychelles from the BBC.

Wikipedia W History of Seychelles
Wikipedia article about the history of Seychelles.

Wikipedia W The Seychelles case
Wikipedia article about the 1981 Seychelles coup d'état attempt, a failed South African–orchestrated coup, to bring down the Seychelles government of President France-Albert René and to re-install the former President James Mancham.
 
 

 


Additional Information


Selected country profiles of Seychelles published by international organizations.



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Country profiles

BBC Country Profile: Seychelles
Country profiles by the British public service broadcaster.

Wikipedia: Seychelles
Wikipedia's Seychelles page in many languages.

The CIA World Factbook -- Seychelles
CIA World Factbook Seychelles Page.


Human rights & Freedom of the press

Freedom House: Seychelles
The U.S. government-funded non-profit organization whose goal is to promote liberal democracies worldwide.

Reporters Without Borders: Seychelles
RSF (Reporters sans frontières) is an international NGO that defends and promotes media freedom.


Business & economy

FAO: Seychelles
Fishery and Aquaculture Country Profile.

GlobalEDGE: Seychelles
Seychelles ranking by the Global business knowledge portal.

The Heritage Foundation: Seychelles
Index of Economic Freedom by The Heritage Foundation, an American conservative think tank.

OEC: Seychelles
The Observatory of Economic Complexity provides the latest international trade data.

World Bank Data: Seychelles
World Development Indicators database.
 

 



 
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