Seychelles

The Republic of Seychelles, a composition of 115 islands, is located in the Indian Ocean, east of African continent, and northeast of the island of Madagascar. The archipelago is surrounded by Zanzibar to the west, Mauritius and Réunion to the south, Comoros and Mayotte to the southwest, and the Suvadives of the Maldives to the northeast. Victoria is the capital of the Seychelles. It is the least populous nation of Africa.

HISTORY:- Before the arrival of the British East India Company in 1609 in Seychelles, the region was completely barren. In 1756, France annexed the island and incorporated the island into the colonial territory of Mauritius. Under the treaty of Paris in 1814, the island came under the British control. Being separated from Mauritius in 1903, Seychelles became a crown colony of Britain. In 1975, the Seychelles gained autonomy. In the next year, the region became a republic within the Commonwealth with James Mancham as the first president of Seychelles. James Mancham was overthrown in a coup in 1977 by his Prime Minister France-Albert René. In 1979 constitution, declaring Seychelles a socialist state, he replaced multiparty system with a one-party system. But he reintroduced multiparty system in 1991. First multi-party elections were held in 1992.

GEOGRAPHY:- The Seychelles is located at 4 35 S, 55 40 E in the Indian Ocean. The archipelago, consists of 115 islands (though according to the Constitution of the Republic of Seychelles the number is 155), occupies total 455 sq km with no major internal water sources. The coastline is 491 km long along with the Indian Ocean. The lowest point is located at Indian Ocean (0 m) while the highest point is the Morne Seychellois (905 m). The Mahe Group of Islands is granitic, rocky, hilly, with narrow coastal strip while other islands are flat, with coral and elevated reefs.

CLIMATE:- The climate of Seychelles is mostly tropical marine and humid. The cooler season is dominated by the southeast monsoon (late May to September) and the warmer season is dominated by the northwest monsoon (March to May).

GOVERNMENT:- Seychelles is a republic. The new constitution was adopted on 18th June 1993. The legal system is modeled on the English common law, the French civil law, and the customary law. The three major branches of the government are:

Executive branch comprises the President (chief of state and head of government), the Vice President, and the Council of Ministers. The president is the head of Defense, Police, Internal Affairs, legal affairs, and Risk and Disaster Management system while the vice president is the head of Transport and Tourism and Public Administration. The president is elected by a popular vote on a 5-year term. The president appoints the council of ministers.

Legislative branch comprises the unicameral National Assembly (34 seats).

Judicial branch comprises the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. The judges of both the courts are appointed by the President.

 Democratic Party (DP), Seychelles National Party (SNP), and Seychelles People's Progressive Front (SPPF) are the principal political parties of the Seychelles. Voting rights are given at the age of 18.

President                  James Michel

Vice President           Joseph Belmont

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS:- Seychelles is composed of 25 regions.

CULTURE:- Seychelles has a matriarchal society. The music of the archipelago ranges from folk music to English contredanse, polka and mazurka; from French folk and pop, to sega. African, Polynesian, Indian and Arcadian influences are also prominent in the various music genres of Seychelles.

ECONOMY:- The economy of the archipelago rests on tourism and fishing. In the recent years, the services sector accounts for 70% of GDP. The government also tries to focus on farming, fishing, small-scale manufacturing and the offshore sector to lessen the dependence on tourism, which faced a drop due to overvalued exchange rate and the Gulf War.

GDP/PPP (2007 est.): $1.378 billion; per capita $16,600.

Real growth rate: 5.3%.

Inflation: 5.7%.

Unemployment: 2% (2006 est.).

Arable land: 2%.

Agriculture: Coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cassava (tapioca), bananas; poultry; tuna.

Labor force: 30,900 (1996); industry 19%, services 71%, agriculture 10% (1989).

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

Natural resources: Fish, copra, cinnamon trees.

Budget:  

Revenues: $372.4 million

Expenditures: $355.2 million (2007 est.)

Public debt: 144.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Debt - external: $1.059 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Exports: $434 million f.o.b. (2007 est.): canned tuna, frozen fish, cinnamon bark, copra, petroleum products (re-exports).

Exports – partners: UK 25.1%, France 19.3%, Mauritius 10.8%, Japan 8.1%, Italy 5.6%, Spain 5% (2006)

Imports: $721 million f.o.b. (2007 est.): machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals.

Imports - partners: Saudi Arabia 16.4%, Germany 10.1%, South Africa 9.2%, France 7.6%, Spain 7.1%, Singapore 5.4% (2006)

Major trading partners: UK, France, Spain, Japan, Italy, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa (2004).

Monetary unit: Seychelles rupee

LANGUAGE:- English, French, and Seychellois Creole are the official languages of Seychelles. Creole is most commonly spoken language (91.8%) in Seychelles while English is spoken by 4.9% of the population. (2002)

CITIES:- The capital city of Victoria is the largest city of Seychelles as well.

POPULATION:- Almost 90% of the population lives in the Mahe Island. The estimated population of the Seychelles is 81,895 with an average growth rate of 0.4%.

Density per sq mi: 465

Literacy rate: 91.8% (2002)

RACE:- Mostly mixed French, African, Indian, Chinese, and Arabs reside in Seychelles.

RELIGION:-

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

HEALTH:-

Birth rate: 15.6 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 6.21 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate: total: 14.36 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.6 years

Total fertility rate: 1.73 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $, 2005): 764

UNICEF:- UNICEF in Seychelles mainly focuses on children health, children and women protection, provision of basic education, and HIV awareness and prevention.

TRANSPORTATION:- Railways: 0 km. Highways: total: 458 km; paved: 440 km; unpaved: 18 km (2003). Ports and harbors: Victoria. Airports: 15 (2007).