A lengthy struggle between
France and Great Britain for the islands ended in 1814, when they were
ceded to the latter. Independence came in 1976. Socialist rule was brought
to a close with a new constitution and free elections in 1993. President
France-Albert RENE, who had served since 1977, was re-elected in 2001, but
stepped down in 2004. Vice President James MICHEL took over the presidency
and in July 2006 was elected to a new five-year term.
Geography
Seychelles
Location:
archipelago in the Indian
Ocean, northeast of Madagascar
Geographic coordinates:
4 35 S, 55 40 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 455 sq km
land: 455 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
2.5 times the size of
Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
491 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200
nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental
margin
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
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian
Ocean 0 m highest point: Morne Seychellois 905 m
lies outside the cyclone belt,
so severe storms are rare; short droughts possible
Environment - current issues:
water supply depends on
catchments to collect rainwater
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
total: 28.7 years
male: 27.6 years female: 29.8 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.428% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
15.6 births/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Death rate:
6.21 deaths/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-5.11 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03
male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64
years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.46
male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2008
est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 14.36
deaths/1,000 live births male: 18.18 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.6
years male: 67.27 years female: 78.1 years (2008
est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.73 children born/woman (2008
est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Seychellois
(singular and plural) adjective: Seychellois
Ethnic groups:
mixed French, African, Indian,
Chinese, and Arab
Religions:
Roman Catholic 82.3%, Anglican
6.4%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.1%, other Christian 3.4%, Hindu 2.1%, Muslim
1.1%, other non-Christian 1.5%, unspecified 1.5%, none 0.6% (2002 census)
Languages:
Creole 91.8%, English 4.9%
(official), other 3.1%, unspecified 0.2% (2002 census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and
over can read and write total population: 91.8%
male: 91.4% female: 92.3% (2002 census)
Government
Seychelles
Country name:
conventional long form:
Republic of Seychelles conventional short form: Seychelles
local long form: Republic of Seychelles local short
form: Seychelles
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Victoria
geographic coordinates: 4 38 S, 55 27 E time
difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard
Time)
Administrative divisions:
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
Independence:
29 June 1976 (from UK)
National holiday:
Constitution Day (National
Day), 18 June (1993)
Constitution:
18 June 1993
Legal system:
based on English common law,
French civil law, and customary law
Suffrage:
17 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President James Alix MICHEL (since 14 April 2004); note - the president is
both the chief of state and head of government head of
government: President James MICHEL (since 14 April 2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year
term (eligible for two more terms); election last held 28-30 July 2006
(next to be held in 2011) election results: President James
MICHEL elected president; percent of vote - James MICHEL 53.73%, Wavel
RAMKALAWAN 45.71%, Philippe BOULLE 0.56%; note - this was the first
election in which President James MICHEL participated; he was originally
sworn in as president after former president France Albert RENE stepped
down in April 2004
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or
Assemblee Nationale (34 seats; 25 members elected by popular vote, 9
allocated on a proportional basis to parties winning at least 10% of the
vote; to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 10-12 May
2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: percent of
vote by party - SPPF 56.2%, SNP 43.8%; seats by party - SPPF 23, SNP 11
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal; Supreme Court;
judges for both courts are appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party or DP [James
MANCHAM, Paul CHOW]; Seychelles National Party or SNP [Wavel RAMKALAWAN]
(formerly the United Opposition or UO); Seychelles People's Progressive
Front or SPPF [France Albert RENE, James MICHEL] (the governing party)
chief of mission:
Ambassador Jean Ronald JUMEAU chancery: 800 Second Avenue,
Suite 400C, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 972-1785
FAX: [1] (212) 972-1786
Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy
in Seychelles; the ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to Seychelles
Flag description:
five oblique bands of blue
(hoist side), yellow, red, white, and green (bottom) radiating from the
bottom of the hoist side
Economy
Seychelles
Economy - overview:
Since independence in 1976, per
capita output in this Indian Ocean archipelago has expanded to roughly
seven times the pre-independence, near-subsistence level, moving the
island into the upper-middle income group of countries. 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 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. Sharp drops illustrated the
vulnerability of the tourist sector in 1991-92 due largely to the Gulf War
and once again following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the
US. Economic growth slowed in 1998-2002 and fell in 2003-04, due to
sluggish tourist and tuna sectors, but resumed in 2005-07. Real GDP grew
by 5.8% in 2007, driven by tourism and a boom in tourism-related
construction. The Seychelles rupee was allowed to depreciate in 2006 after
being overvalued for years and fell by 10% in the first 9 months of 2007.
UK 25.5%, France 17.5%, Italy
11.9%, Mauritius 8.5%, Japan 8.3%, Spain 8.2%, Netherlands 4.3% (2006)
Imports:
$721 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment,
foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals
Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 17.7%, South
Africa 9.7%, Spain 8.1%, France 7.8%, Singapore 7.2%, Italy 4.8%, UK 4%
(2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
$18.81 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$118 million (31 December 2007
est.)
Debt - external:
$957 million (31 December 2007
est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Currency (code):
Seychelles rupee (SCR)
Currency code:
SCR
Exchange rates:
Seychelles rupees per US dollar
- 6.5 (2007), 5.5 (2006), 5.5 (2005), 5.5 (2004), 5.4007 (2003)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications
Seychelles
Telephones - main lines in use:
20,700 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
70,300 (2006)
Telephone system:
general assessment:
effective system domestic: combined fixed-line and
mobile-cellular teledensity is roughly 110 telephones per 100 persons;
radiotelephone communications between islands in the archipelago
international: country code - 248; direct radiotelephone
communications with adjacent island countries and African coastal
countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 2 (2001)
Radios:
42,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (plus 9 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions:
11,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.sc
Internet hosts:
187 (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
29,000 (2006)
Transportation
Seychelles
Airports:
15 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 9 2,438 to
3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 2
(2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 6 914 to
1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 4 (2007)
Roadways:
total: 458 km
paved: 440 km unpaved: 18 km (2003)
Merchant marine:
total: 6 ships (1000 GRT
or over) 108,348 GRT/165,593 DWT by type: cargo 1, carrier 1,
chemical tanker 4 foreign-owned: 3 (Hong Kong 1, Nigeria 1,
South Africa 1) (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Victoria
Military
Seychelles
Military branches:
Seychelles Defense Force: Army,
Coast Guard (includes Naval Wing, Air Wing), National Guard (2005)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary
military service (younger with parental consent); no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 23,598
females age 16-49: 24,424 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 17,942
females age 16-49: 20,436 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2% (2006 est.)
Transnational Issues
Seychelles
Disputes - international:
together with Mauritius,
Seychelles claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian
Ocean Territory)
