Seychelles Online Business Education. Administration. Economy. Politics. Culture. Religion. Media

Seychelles
Online Business Education. Economy. Politics. Culture. Religion. Media

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Seychelles

Country Profile

Capital City: Victoria (pop. 24 500)

Local Time: UTC +4h

Geography:
Location: Eastern Africa, group of about 115 islands scattered over 1.3 million square kilometers of the western Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar.
Total land area: 444 sq. km.
Major Islands: Mahe, Praslin and La Digue.
Terrain: About half of the islands are granitic in origin, with narrow coastal strips and central ranges of hills rising to 905 m.
The other half are coral atolls, many uninhabitable.

Climate: Tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon (late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon (March to May) .

Government:
Type: Multiple-party republic.
Independence: June 29, 1976 (from UK).

People:
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Seychellois.
Population (2002 est.) 80,098.
Ethnic groups: Creole (European, Asian, and African).
Religions: Catholic 86.6%, Anglican Church 6.8%, other Christians 2.5%, other 4.1%.
Languages: Official languages are Seychelles Creole (kreol seselwa), English, and French.
Literacy: between 60-80%.

Business

Currency: Seychelles Rupee (SCR)

Natural resources: Fish, copra, cinnamon trees.

Agriculture products: Coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cassava (tapioca), bananas; broiler chickens; tuna fish.

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

Exports partners: UK 38.8%, France 31.8%, Italy 14.5%, Germany 7.5% (2003)

Imports partners: Saudi Arabia 15.7%, South Africa 10.9%, Spain 10.4%, France 9.7%, Italy 9.2%, Singapore 7%, UK 6.8% (2003)

Internet Links

Official Sites of Seychelles

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Seychelles

Statistics
Seychelles In Figures

Weather
Meteo Seychelles

Maps
Map of Seychelles

Introduction

Seychelles

Background: 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.

Geography Seychelles

Location: Eastern Africa, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, northeast
of Madagascar

Geographic coordinates: 4 35 S, 55 40 E

Map references: Africa

Area: total: 455 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 455 sq km

Area - comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 491 km

Maritime claims:   12 NM exclusive economic zone: 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

Natural resources: fish, copra, cinnamon trees

Land use: arable land: 2% permanent crops: 13% other: 85% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: 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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution signed, but not ratified: Geography - note: 40 granitic and
about 50 coralline islands

People Seychelles

Population: 80,098 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 27.8% (male 11,238; female 11,002) 15-64
years: 66% (male 25,763; female 27,086) 65 years and over: 6.2% (male
1,667; female 3,342) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.47% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 17.27 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 6.57 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: -5.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.5 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 16.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:   76.63 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 1.81 children born/woman (2002 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 86.6%, Anglican 6.8%, other Christian 2.5%,
other 4.1%

Languages: English (official), French (official), Creole

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total
population: 58% male: 56% female: 60% (1971 est.)

Government Seychelles

Country name:   Republic of Seychelles conventional short form: Government
type: republic

Capital: Victoria

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 France Albert RENE (since 5
June 1977); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year
term; election last held 31 August-2 September 2001 (next to be held NA
2006) election results: France Albert RENE reelected president; percent
of vote - France Albert RENE (SPPF) 54.19%, Wavel RAMKALAWAN (UO) 44.95%,
Philippe BOULLE 0.86%; note - the first time that presidential elections
have been held separately from legislative elections cabinet: Council
of Ministers appointed by the president head of government: President
France Albert RENE (since 5 June 1977); note - the president is both
the chief of state and head of government

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale
(34 seats - 25 elected by popular vote, 9 allocated on a proportional
basis to parties winning at least 10 % of the vote; members serve
five-year terms) elections: percent of vote by party - SPPF 61.7%,
UO 26.1%, DP 12.1%; seats by party - SPPF 30, UO 3, DP 1 note: the 9
awarded seats are apportioned according to the percentage that each
party won of the total vote

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];
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

Political pressure groups and leaders: Roman Catholic Church; trade
unions

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA,
FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
InOC, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SADC,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Claude
Sylvestre MOREL chancery: 800 Second
[1] (212) 972-1786 telephone:
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy
in Seychelles; the ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to the 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 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 and once again following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on
the US. Other issues facing the government are the curbing of the budget
deficit, including the containment of social welfare costs, and further
privatization of public enterprises. Growth slowed in 1998-2001, due
to sluggish tourist and tuna sectors. Also, tight controls on exchange
rates and the scarcity of foreign exchange have impaired short-term
economic prospects. The black market value of the Seychelles rupee 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.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $605 million (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 1.5% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $7,600 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.1% industry: 26.3% services:
70.6% (1999)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.1% (2001 est.)

Labor force: 30,900 (1996)

Labor force - by occupation: industry 19%, services 71%, agriculture 10%
(1989)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues: $249 million expenditures: $262 million, including
capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.)

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

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - production: 160 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0%
(2000) nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption: 148.8 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes,
cassava (tapioca), bananas; broiler chickens; tuna fish

Exports: $182.6 million (f.o.b., 2001)

Exports - commodities: canned tuna, cinnamon bark, copra, petroleum
products (reexports)

Exports - partners: UK 48.1%, Italy 23.1%, France 14.8%, Netherlands 2.7%
(1999)

Imports: $360.2 million (f.o.b., 2001)

Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum
products, chemicals

Imports - partners: Italy 13.3%, South Africa 10.7%, France 9.9%,
UK 8.0%, Singapore 7.7% (1999)

Debt - external: $240 million (1999 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: $16.4 million (1995)

Currency: Seychelles rupee (SCR)

Currency code: SCR

Exchange rates: Seychelles rupees per US dollar - 5.7458 (January 2002),
5.8575 (2001), 5.7138 (2000), 5.3426 (1999), 5.2622 (1998), 5.0263 (1997)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications Seychelles

Telephones - main lines in use: 19,635 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 16,316 (1999)

Telephone system: general assessment: 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 (Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios: 42,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 2 (plus 9 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions: 11,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .sc

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)

Internet users: 6,000 (2001)

Transportation Seychelles

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 280 km paved: 176 km unpaved: 104 km (1997)

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: Victoria

Merchant marine: total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,086
GRT/10,192 DWT ships by type: cargo 2 note: includes some foreign-owned
ships registered here as a flag of convenience: South Africa 2 (2002 est.)

Airports: 14 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to
1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2001)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m:
4 (2001)

Military Seychelles

Military branches: Army, Coast Guard (includes Air Wing), Presidential
Protection Unit (includes Presidential Guard), Police Force (includes
Police Mobile Unit, a special weapons and tactics unit capable of
assisting the Army in maintaining internal stability)

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 23,210 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 11,554
(2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $11 million (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.8% (FY01)

Transnational Issues Seychelles

Disputes - international: claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered
British Indian Ocean Territory)

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002

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