Seychelles

Full name of country: Republic of Seychelles

Region: Africa

Official language: Seychellois Creole, English, French

Population: 98,187 (2024 est.)

Nationality: Seychellois (singular and plural) (noun), Seychellois (adjective)

Land area: 455 sq km

Capital: Victoria

National anthem: "Koste Seselwa" (Seychellois Unite), by David François Marc Andre and George Charles Robert Payet

National holiday: Constitution Day, June 18 (1993); Independence Day (National Day), 29 June (1976)

Population growth: 0.56% (2024 est.)

Time zone: UTC +4

Flag: The flag of Seychelles consists of five oblique or slanting bands of (in order starting from the hoist side) blue (the sky and sea), yellow (the sun), red (harmony), white (justice), and green (lush terrain). As the bands move left to right, they increase in breadth, symbolizing the country’s vigor and development. The colors of the flag also have political connotations.

Independence: June 29, 1976 (from the UK)

Government type: presidential republic

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal system: mixed legal system of English common law, French civil law, and customary law

The Republic of Seychelles is a group of 155 small islands in the Indian Ocean off the coast of eastern Africa, northeast of Madagascar. Once home to French privateers, escaped enslaved Africans, and Asian traders, it has a racially mixed population and a rich cultural heritage, with its main languages being Seselwa Creole and English. Its main industry is tourism, due to the islands' beautiful natural setting.

Note: unless otherwise indicated, statistical data in this article is sourced from the CIA World Factbook, as cited in the bibliography.

People and Culture

Population: Ethnically, most Seychellois are of mixed African, Asian (primarily Indian, Chinese, and Arab), and European (primarily French) descent. There are also substantial populations of migrant workers attracted by the tourist and construction industries. Most of these workers come from India or Madagascar.

As of the 2010 census, the majority of Seychellois—76.2 percent—were Roman Catholics. Another 10.5 percent belonged to a Protestant sect, 2.4 percent were Hindu, and 1.6 percent were Muslim. The remainder identified as other Christian (2.4 percent), other non-Christian (1.1 percent), unspecified (4.8 percent), or none (0.9 percent).

Indigenous People: Although British, French, and Portuguese traders and explorers had known about Seychelles for some time, there was no attempt to settle the islands until the eighteenth century.

The French settlers were the first inhabitants of the islands, but they were greatly outnumbered by the enslaved Africans they brought with them. When slavery was abolished in 1834, many of these enslavers left, along with many formerly enslaved people. However, other captured Africans, from slaving ships on the East African coast, were freed by the British navy and then released on Seychelles. Small numbers of Asians also migrated to the islands. Intermarriage among these groups was common, and today few families are of unmixed descent.

The Seychellois Creole language developed from the French dialects spoken by the original settlers. It retains a mostly French vocabulary with a few Malagasy, Bantu, English, and Hindi words, and its grammar is a mixture of Bantu and French. The Kreol Institute has helped the government by developing a dictionary of the language, which was finished in 1981. Seychellois Creole is very similar to Mauritian Creole and Chagossian Creole. According to 2010 estimates it is spoken by 89.1 percent of the population. English (5.1 percent) and French (0.7 percent) are also official languages.

Education: Adult literacy in Seychelles was estimated at 95.9 percent in 2018. The first schools in the country were Catholic and Anglican mission schools that opened in 1851. In 1944 the government took over the administration of education. Lessons are taught in Creole, English, and French. Schooling is free and compulsory for eleven years, through the fifth year of secondary school.

The University of Seychelles opened in 2009. Previously, the nation had no university; postsecondary education was provided primarily by Seychelles Polytechnic (established in 1983), Seychelles Institute of Technology (established in 2006), and the National Institute of Education, which was established in 1999 and became part of the University of Seychelles. In 2014, the Seychelles Institute of Teacher Education opened.

Health Care: Significant government investment in Seychelles' health care system has gone a long way toward reducing the incidence of, and in many cases eradicating, communicable and infectious diseases. The primary causes of death in Seychelles have typically been heart disease, lower respiratory tract infections, stroke, and chronic kidney disease. Modern lifestyle diseases, such as obesity and diabetes, are far more prevalent than the malnutrition that previously plagued the country.

Medical treatment is free for all Seychellois. The largest medical institutions are Seychelles Hospital in Victoria and Anse Royale Hospital, both on the main island of Mahé. Specialized treatment is usually referred overseas and funded largely by the government. Seychelles was ranked 67 (based on 2021 data) out of 193 countries on the 2022 UN Human Development Index, which measures quality-of-life indicators.

Food: With the amount of natural seafood, fruits, and vegetables available, most Seychellois have a nutritious diet. The cuisine reflects the diversity of the local culture, with French, African, Indian, and Asian influences prominent in most dishes.

Common ingredients include fish, vegetables, roots such as manioc and sweet potatoes, rice, and tropical fruits. Vanilla, ginger, and garlic are frequently used in cooking. Some of the more exotic local dishes include caris marsala, pilaos, and chatinis seychellois. Another favorite dish, kari zourit, is a curry made with octopus.

Arts & Entertainment: Very little written Seychellois Creole literature exists. Films are shown and local plays are performed in Creole, French, or English. Much of the entertainment and culture industry is centered in Victoria, which boasts several museums, along with the National Library and the National Archives.

Traditional dances performed in Seychelles include the sega, a hip-swaying dance accompanied by guitars and drums, and the moutia, a traditional African dance accompanied by large drums made from goatskin. Contre is an imported dance from France, and kanmtole is similar to a Scottish reel. Seychellois groups such as the Waves and the Nouvelles Seychelles have recorded popular albums of Seychellois Creole music.

The Festival Kreol is held in Seychelles each year in October or November (International Creole Day). The festival, filled with music, dance, and food, began as a way to increase awareness of Creole languages and cultures.

The annual Seychelles Underwater Festival (Subios) is held in December. Though this festival is meant to attract tourists, especially diving enthusiasts, it also aims to make the locals more aware of the importance of the marine life in Seychelles.

The most popular sport in Seychelles is football (soccer). The national stadium, Stade Popiler, in Victoria, seats seven thousand. It served as one of the host venues for the 2011 Indian Ocean Games.

Holidays: Public holidays observed in Seychelles include New Year's Day (January 1 and 2), Labour Day (May 1), Constitution Day (June 18), and National, or Independence, Day (June 29), as well as numerous Christian holidays, such as Corpus Christi and Assumption Day.

Environment and Geography

Topography: The 155-island archipelago includes 45 granitic and about 110 coralline islands. The Inner Islands, also known as the Granitic Seychelles, consists of granitic islands with narrow coastal strips, characterized by rocky hills and mountains that rise straight up from the sea. These islands are the peaks of the underwater Mascarene Plateau. Mahé is the largest granitic island and the home of the highest point in Seychelles, Morne Seychellois, which rises to 905 meters (2,969 feet).

The Outer Islands are the coralline islands. They are divided into five main groups: the Amirante Islands, the Southern Coral Group, the Alphonse Group, the Farquhar Group, and the Aldabra Group.

Mahé is 25 kilometers (15.53 miles) long and 8 kilometers (4.97 miles) across at its widest point. Victoria, the island's only city and the capital of Seychelles, is an important port. Approximately 99 percent of the population lives on the granitic islands, with the majority living on Mahé.

The coralline islands are strung over a 1,200-kilometer (746-mile) radius from Île aux Vaches in the northeast to the Aldabra Atoll in the southwest. Unlike the granitic islands, the coralline islands are very flat, often only a few feet above sea level.

Natural Resources: Many islands, such as Île aux Vaches, Île Denis, the Amirante Islands, Platte Island, and Coetivy Island, are sand cays with large coconut plantations. Several islands are important breeding grounds for turtles and birds; these were once the sites of extensive guano deposits, now depleted. Tuna and other deep-sea fish are found in the surrounding waters.

Conservation problems include water pollution, caused by extensive import shipping and commercial tuna fishing. On Aldabra Island, goats are destroying much of the island's plant life, which the giant turtle population depends on for food. A third problem is water shortages. Since rainwater collection, or catchment, is the source of most of the freshwater used in Seychelles, variations in rainfall or even short periods of little rain may result in serious water shortages. Small dams have been built on Mahé in an effort to guarantee a reliable water supply.

Conservation is important to the Seychellois. There is a system of national parks and animal preserves covering nearly half of the country's land area, as well as portions of the surrounding water. The country has also passed legislation to protect wildlife and outlaw environmentally dangerous practices.

Plants & Animals: There are more than 1,170 varieties of flowering plants in Seychelles, along with many kinds of birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects. The islands are home to more than one hundred species not found anywhere else in the world.

The waters surrounding the archipelago contain more than nine hundred types of fish, many of which live in the coral reefs. Unique birds found in Seychelles include the black paradise flycatcher, the black parrot, the brush warbler, and the flightless rail. Giant tortoises, as well as green turtles and hawksbill turtles, are found on many of the islands.

Common trees found on the islands include copra, coconut, and cinnamon trees.

In keeping with the country's conservation efforts, the International Council for Bird Preservation has established a bird sanctuary on Cousin Island, and there is a wildlife sanctuary in the Aldabra atoll. Off the east coast of Mahé, the St. Anne, Cerf, Round, Long and Moyenne islands form the Marine National Park.

Climate: Seychelles has a tropical marine climate. The weather is generally quite humid, with cool ocean breezes. The average annual temperature is between 25.2 and 30.4 degrees Celsius (77.9 and 86.7 degrees Fahrenheit).

Seychelles is affected by monsoons. The weather is cooler during the southeast monsoon season, from late May to September, and warmer during the northwest monsoon season, between March and May.

Annual rainfall averages about 2,880 millimeters (113 inches) at sea level in Mahé and less on other islands.

By the 2020s, experts had noted that ongoing climate change meant that Seychelles had seen greater coastal erosion, flooding, and increased temperatures.

Economy

The economy of Seychelles has grown dramatically since independence in 1976. While this has made it one of the most successful economies in Africa, it has also contributed to substantial income inequality. Most Seychellois depend on tourism and tuna fishing to make their living. In 2023, the gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at US$3.53 billion, or US$29,500 per capita.

Industry: Industry, including manufacturing, accounts for a large percentage of the country's GDP. Manufacturing activity includes food processing and the production of beverages.

Export products include fish and refined petroleum products.

Agriculture: Seychellois farmers grow coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cassava, and bananas. Several state-owned farms have been leased, in small sections, to individuals. The agricultural section of the government administers these farms. Commercial agricultural companies produce mainly coconuts, cinnamon, and tea.

Many households cultivate gardens and raise livestock for their own consumption. Seychelles imports most of the food consumed by its population.

Tourism: Tourism has been the leading economic sector in Seychelles since 1975. The service sector accounted for 83.7 percent of the GDP in 2017, mainly due to tourism. In 2018, tourism-related businesses employed 66.7 percent of Seychelles' work force, and tourism was responsible for 67.1 percent of GDP. Most tourists visit from Western Europe and the United Arab Emirates. The Seychelles received 428,000 tourists in 2020. This number dropped to 124,500 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020. However, the industry rebounded over the subsequent years, and the nation's Tourism Department reported over 324,000 visitor arrivals in 2022.

In addition to the country's natural beauty, tourists are drawn to Seychelles' warm climate, unspoiled beaches, and stunning coral reefs. Popular attractions in Victoria include the La Digue plantation houses and the botanical gardens.

Government

France took control of Seychelles in 1756. Prior to this time, the islands were visited primarily by traders and pirates. Great Britain contested France's ownership of the islands during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, until France ceded Seychelles to Britain in the 1814 Treaty of Paris.

The islands were administered for Britain by Mauritius until 1903, when Seychelles became a separate colony. Seychelles finally obtained independence from Britain on June 29, 1976.

Between 1979 and 1993, Seychelles was governed under a single-party socialist system. Multiparty elections were first held in July 1993, after the approval of a new constitution a year earlier. The constitution was amended several times thereafter, including in 2017.

The republic is governed by a president who is both the chief of state and head of government. The president of Seychelles is elected by popular vote to a five-year term. The president appoints a Council of Ministers as the executive cabinet.

The legislative branch of government consists of the unicameral Assemblée Nationale, or National Assembly, whose members serve five-year terms. The islands are divided into twenty-seven administrative districts.

The judicial branch includes the Seychelles Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court of Seychelles, and the Constitutional Court. All judges are appointed by the president. The legal system is based on English common law, French civil law, and customary law.

Interesting Facts

• There are no railroads in Seychelles and just over three hundred miles of roads.
• Seychelles is named after Jean Moreau de Séchelles, minister of finance under French king Louis XV.
• Most of the islands of Seychelles lie outside the Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the islands' only recorded cyclone struck Mahé in 1862.
• The remote Aldabra Atoll, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to more giant tortoises than anywhere else and is a breeding ground for the greater flamingo.
• Seychelles created its first marine conservation area in 2018 as part of a sovereign debt-for-nature swap to restore endangered coral reefs, improve traditional fishing, and fund climate-related projects.
• The 2020 presidential election marked the first time since independence that an opposition candidate won the office.

Bibliography

Human Development Report 2021/2022. United Nations Development Programme, 13 Mar. 2024, hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2021-22pdf‗1.pdf. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.

"Seychelles." The World Bank, 2024, data.worldbank.org/country/seychelles. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.

"Seychelles." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 28 Jan. 2025, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/seychelles/. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.

Seychelles: 2019 Annual Research—Key Highlights. World Travel and Tourism Council, 2018, www.wttc.org/-/media/files/reports/economic-impact-research/countries-2019/seychelles2019.pdf. Accessed 28 Jun. 2022.

Seychelles Visitor Arrivals Snapshot Week 51 of 2022. Tourism Department, 29 Dec. 2022, tourism.gov.sc/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Weekly-Statistics-Week-51-of-2022-Ending-25-December.pdf. Accessed 7 Nov. 2023.