23 administrative districts; Anse aux Pins, Anse Boileau, Anse Etoile, Anse Louis, Anse Royale, Baie Lazare, Baie Sainte Anne, Beau Vallon, Bel Air, Bel Ombre, Cascade, Glacis, Grand' Anse (on Mahe), Grand' Anse (on Praslin), La Digue, La Riviere Anglaise, Mont Buxton, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance, Pointe La Rue, Port Glaud, Saint Louis, Takamaka
The population of the Seychelles (2001 estimate) is 79,715. The capital, principal city, and leading port is Victoria (population, 1990 estimate, greater city 35,000), on Mahé Island. About 90 percent of the country's population lives on Mahé. Most people are of mixed French and African descent; Indian and Chinese minorities are also present. The official languages are Creole (a patois based on French), English, and French. Some 98 percent of the population is Christian, most of them Roman Catholics.
The original French colonists on the previously uninhabited islands, and their black slaves, were joined in the 19th century by deportees from France. Asians from China, India, and Malaya arrived later in smaller numbers. Widespread intermarriage has resulted in a population of mixed descent. Nearly 90 percent of the people live on Mahé, a great number of them in the capital city, Victoria. Emigration has kept the annual population growth rate to a minimum. More than one-third of the population is less than 15 years old, and about nine-tenths is Roman Catholic. As of July 1981, Creole, also called Seselwa, the mother tongue of most Seychellois, replaced English and French as the prescribed national language, but all three are considered official languages.
The first recorded landing on the uninhabited Seychelles was made in 1609 by an expedition of the British East India Company. The archipelago was explored by the Frenchman Lazare Picault in 1742 and 1744 and was formally annexed to France in 1756. The archipelago was named Séchelles, later changed by the British to Seychelles. War between France and Britain led to the surrender of the archipelago to the British in 1810, and it was formally ceded to Great Britain by the Treaty of Paris in 1814. The abolition of slavery in the 1830s deprived the islands' European colonists of their labour force and compelled them to switch from raising cotton and grains to less labour-intensive crops such as coconut, vanilla, and cinnamon. In 1903 the Seychelles became a British crown colony. A Legislative Council with elected members was introduced in 1948. In 1970 the Seychelles obtained a new constitution, universal adult suffrage, and a governing council with an elected majority; self-government was granted in 1975 and independence in 1976 (within the Commonwealth of Nations). In 1975 a coalition government, with James R. Mancham as president and France-Albert René as prime minister, was formed. In 1977 René became president in a coup d'état. In 1979 René revised the constitution and created a one-party socialist state in the Seychelles. The FPPS began moving toward more democratic rule in the early 1990s, however.
Possibly known to the Arabs as early as the 9th century ad, the Seychelles were visited by the Portuguese in 1502. In 1756 France claimed the islands, which were then uninhabited, and French planters and their slaves settled on them, beginning in 1768. In 1794 Great Britain annexed the Seychelles. The islands were administered from Mauritius during most of the 1800s, and in 1903 they were made a separate British dependency. Political parties, chief of which were the Democratic Party led by James Mancham and the SPPF headed by Albert René, began to form in the 1960s. Their agitation resulted in a new constitution in 1967, and three years later a ministerial form of government was established. By 1974 both major parties were united in calling for independence, although otherwise bitterly antagonistic. When independence was achieved, on June 29, 1976, a coalition republican government was formed, with Mancham as president and René as prime minister.
The country consists of two distinct island groups: the Mahé group in the north and the low-lying coral islands stretching to the south. The 32 islands of the Mahé group are formed of granitic rocks and have hilly interiors rising to elevations greater than 900 m (greater than 2,950 ft). All the country's principal islands belong to this group; they include Mahé Island (the largest), Praslin, Silhouette, and La Digue. The 83 coral islands are largely without water resources, and most are uninhabited.
Seychelles is composed of two main island groups: the Mahé group of 40 central, mountainous granitic islands, and a second group of over 70 outer, flat, coralline islands. The islands of the Mahé group are rocky and typically have a narrow coastal strip and a central range of hills. The overall aspect of these islands, with their lush tropical vegetation, is that of high hanging gardens overlooking silver-white beaches and clear lagoons. The coralline islands, rising only a few feet above sea level, are flat with elevated coral reefs at different stages of formation. These islands are largely waterless, and very few have a resident population.
Tourism, agriculture, and fishing are the principal sectors of the economy. Receipts from tourism were $30 million in 1997, when 125,000 tourists visited the country. Trade is dominated by the importation and reexport of petroleum; other exports include fish, copra, and cinnamon bark. Various fruits are grown for domestic consumption, however, the staple food, rice, must be imported. Since the completion of the international airport at Victoria in 1971, tourism has expanded rapidly. Guano is the only mineral product.
Agriculture accounts for less than one-tenth of the gross domestic product (GDP) and employs about one-tenth of the workforce. Arable land is limited and the soil is generally poor, but coconuts, cinnamon bark, vanilla, and essential oils are produced for export. The Seychelles has a modern fishing industry that supplies both domestic and foreign markets. The extraction of guano for export has also become an established economic activity. The nation's relatively small manufacturing sector is composed largely of food-processing plants. Services account for the largest share of the GDP and employ the largest proportion of the workforce. Since the opening of Mahé international airport in 1971, the tourism industry has grown rapidly, currently providing almost three-fourths of all foreign exchange. The Seychelles' main imports are petroleum products, machinery, and foodstuffs. Canned tuna, copra, frozen fish, and cinnamon are the most important exports, together with the reexport of petroleum products.
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. 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. The vulnerability of the tourist sector was illustrated by the sharp drop in 1991-92 due largely to the Gulf war. Although the industry has rebounded, the government recognizes the continuing need for upgrading the sector in the face of stiff international competition. Other issues facing the government are the curbing of the budget deficit and further privatization of public enterprises. Growth slowed in 1998-2000, due to sluggish tourist and tuna sectors. Tight controls on exchange rates and the scarcity of foreign exchange have hindered short-term economic prospects. The black market value of the Seychelles ruppee is half the official exchange rate; without a devaluation of the currency the tourist sector should remain sluggish as vacationers seek cheaper destinations such as Comoros, Mauritius, and Madagascar.
effective system
domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands in the archipelago
international: direct radiotelephone communications with adjacent island countries and African coastal countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat.
Democratic Party or DP [James MANCHAM]; Seychelles National Party or SNP (formerly the United Opposition or UO) [Wavel RAMKALAWAN]; Seychelles People's Progressive Front or SPPF [France Albert RENE] - the governing party
Under the 1993 constitution, executive power is held by a president, who is popularly elected to a five-year term. The president appoints a council of ministers to act as an advisory body. Legislative power is vested in the National Assembly, which has 25 popularly elected members and 9 members selected on a proportional basis. The Seychelles People's Progressive Front (SPPF) is the leading political group; opposition parties were legalized in 1991.
International organization Member
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Military branches: Army, Navy, Security Police
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 34,205 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 18,043 (2001 est.)
claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory)
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