General information: The long struggle between France and Great Britain for possession of the islands ended in 1814 in favor of the latter. The islands achieved independence in 1976. Socialist rule ended in 1993 with a new constitution and free elections.
Geography
Location: East Africa, a group of islands in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar.
Geographic coordinates: 4° 35’S latitude, 55° 40′ E
Reference map: Africa.
Area: total: 455 sq. km.; land surface area: 455 km2; water surface area: 0 km2
Comparative area: 2.5 times the area of Washington, DC.
Land borders: 0 km.
Coastline: 491 km.
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200 nautical miles or to the outer limits of the continent; exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles; territorial waters: 12 nautical miles.
Climate: tropical marine; wet; cooler season with southeast monsoons (late May to September); warmer season when northwest monsoons blow (March to May).
Terrain: The islands of Mahe consist of granite, have a narrow coastal strip, are rocky and hilly; other islands are flat, elevated coral reefs.
Maximum and minimum heights: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m; highest point: Morne Seychellois 905 m.
Natural resources: fish, copra, cinnamon trees.
Land use: arable land: 2%; cultivated land: 13%; pasture: 0%; forests and plantations: 11%; others: 74% (1993 est.).
Irrigated land: no data.
Natural Hazards: Severe storms, which occur quite rarely due to the location of the islands outside the cyclone belt; short droughts.
Current environmental issues: lack of potable water supplies, replenished by rainwater harvesting.
International environmental treaties: party to: Biodiversity, Climate change, Desertification, Endangered species, Hazardous wastes, Law of the sea, Marine pollution, Nuclear test ban, Ozone layer protection, Pollution from ships; signed but not ratified: Kyoto Protocol.
Note to the section “Geography”: 40 granite and about 50 coral islands.
Population
Population: 79,715 (July 2001 est.).
Age structure: under 14: 28.27% (men 11,367; women 11,167); 15 to 64 years old: 65.47% (male 25,453; female 26,737); over 65: 6.26% (male 1,673; female 3,318) (2001 est.).
Population growth: 0.49% (2001 est.).
Birth rate: 17.66 newborns / 1000 people. (2001 est.).
Mortality: 6.65 deaths / 1000 people. (2001 est.).
Migration: -6.15 people / 1000 people (2001 est.).
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male/female; up to 15 years: 1.02 male/female; 15 to 64 years old: 0.95 male/female; over 65: 0.5 male/female; for the general population: 0.93 male/female (2001 est.);
Child mortality: 17.3 deaths/1000 births (2001 est.).
Life expectancy: for the general population: 70.69 years; men: 65.17 years; women: 76.37 years (2001 est.).
General birth rate: 1.83 children/wives. (2001 est.).
Proportion of the adult population infected with HIV: no data available.
Number of people infected with HIV: no data.
Mortality due to AIDS: no data available.
Nationality: noun: Seychellois; adjective: Seychellois.
Ethnic groups: Seychelles (descendants of Asians, Africans and Europeans).
Believers: Roman Catholic 90%, Anglicans 8%, other 2%.
Language(s): English (official), French (official), Creole.
Literacy: definition: persons aged 15 and over who can read and write; for the general population: 58%; men: 56%; women: 60% (1971 est.).
Politics
conventional long form: Republic of Seychelles;
Common short form: Seychelles.
State structure: republic. See politicsezine.com to know more about Seychelles Political System.
Capital: Victoria.
Administrative division: 23 administrative districts: Anse Boileau, Anet Louis, Anse aux Pins, Anse Royale, Anse Etoile, Bel Ombre, Bel Air, Beau Vallon, Baie Lazare, Baie Saint Anne, Look, Grand Anais (on the island of Mahe), Grand Anais (on the island of Praslin), Cascade, La Digue, La Rivière Anglaise, Mont Buxton, Mont Fleury, Plaisance, Port Glo, Pointe la Rue, Saint-Louis, Takamaka.
Independence: from June 29, 1976 (until 1976 – a colony of Great Britain).
National holiday: Constitution Day, 18 June (since 1993).
Constitution: adopted June 18, 1993
Legal system: based on English common law, French civil law and customary law.
Suffrage: from 17 years old; universal.
chief of state: President France Albert RENE (since 5 June 1977) note – the president is both head of state and head of government;
head of government: President Frans Albert RENE (since 5 June 1977) note – the president is both head of state and head of government;
government: a council of ministers appointed by the president; elections: the president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term; elections last held 20-22 March 1998 (next to be held in 2003); election results: Frans Albert RENE re-elected president; percentage of the vote – Frans Albert RENE (SPPF) 66.7%, Wavel RAMKALAWAN (UO) 19.5%, Sir James MANCHAM (DP) 13.8%.
Legislature: unicameral National Assembly (34 seats, 25 members are elected by popular vote, 9 seats are distributed proportionally among the parties with at least 10% of the vote; term of office – 5 years); elections: last held 20-22 March 1998 (next to be held in 2003); election results: distribution of votes by party -SPPF 61.7%, UO 26.1%, DP 12.1%; distribution of seats by parties – SPPF 30, UO 3, DP1; note: 9 seats are distributed according to the share of each party in the general vote.
Judiciary: Court of Appeal; Supreme Court; judges are appointed by the president.
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party (DP) (James MANCHAM [James MANCHAM]); Seychelles National Party (SNP) (formerly United Opposition [UO]) (Wavel RAMKALAWAN); Seychelles People’s Progressive Front (SPPF) (France Albert RENE) is the ruling party.
Political influence groups and their leaders: the Roman Catholic Church; trade union organizations.
Participation in international organizations: 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 (observer).
Diplomatic representation in the USA: Head of Mission: Ambassador Claude Sylvestre MOREL; office: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400C, New York, New York 10017; phone: [1] (212) 972-1785; fax: [1] (212) 972-1786.
US Diplomatic Mission: The US does not have an embassy in the Seychelles; the US Ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to the Seychelles.
Description of the flag: five slanted beams of blue (along the hoist), yellow, red, white and green (along the lower edge) colors emanating from the bottom corner of the hoist.
