Map of Seychelles | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

top of page


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. The most recent presidential elections were held 31 August-2 September 2001. President RENE who has served since 1977 was re-elected. On 14 April 2004 RENE stepped down and Vice President James MICHEL was sworn in as president.


top of page


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

Geographic coordinates: 4 35 S 55 40 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 455 km²
Land: 455 km²
Water: 0 km²
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
Extremes highest point: Morne Seychellois 905 m

Natural resources: fish copra cinnamon trees

Land use
Arable land: 2.22%
Permanent crops: 13.33%
Other: 84.45% (2001)

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: lies outside the cyclone belt so severe storms are rare; short droughts possible

Geography
Note: 40 granitic and about 50 coralline islands


top of page


Population: 80,832 (July 2004 est.)
Growth rate: 0.45% (2004 est.)
Below poverty line: NA

Nationality
Noun: Seychellois (singular and plural)
Adjective: Seychellois

Ethnic groups: mixed French African Indian Chinese and Arab

Languages: English (official) French (official) Creole

Religions: Roman Catholic 86.6% Anglican 6.8% other Christian 2.5% other 4.1%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 26.9% (male 10,987; female 10,717)
15-64 years: 66.9% (male 26,380; female 27,731)
65 years and over: 6.2% (male 1,638; female 3,379) (2004 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 27.3 years
Male: 26.2 years
Female: 28.4 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.45% (2004 est.)

Birth rate: 16.55 births/1000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate: 6.41 deaths/1000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate: -5.69 migrant(s)/1000 population (2004 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: water supply depends on catchments to collect rainwater
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.03 male/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male/female
65 years and over: 0.49 male/female
Total population: 0.93 male/female (2004 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 15.97 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 20.2 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 11.61 deaths/1000 live births (2004 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 71.53 years
Male: 66.1 years
Female: 77.14 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.77 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 58%
Male: 56%
Female: 60% (1971 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


top of page


Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Seychelles
Conventional short form: Seychelles

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

Dependent areas

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President James 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); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
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 re-elected 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; France Albert RENE stepped down 14 April 2004 and Vice President James MICHEL was sworn in as president

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 4-6 December 2002 (next held by 2007)
Election results: percent of vote by party - SPPF 54.3%, SNP 42.6%, DP 3.1%; seats by party - SPPF 23, SNP 11
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 Daniel BELLE]; Mouvement Seychellois pour la Democratie [Jacques HODOUL]; Seychelles National Party or SNP (formerly the United Opposition or UO) [Wavel RAMKALAWAN]; Seychelles People's Progressive Front or SPPF [France Albert RENE James MICHEL] - the governing party

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Claude Sylvestre MOREL
In the us chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400C, New York, NY 10,017
In the us telephone: [1] (212) 972-1785
In the us fax: [1] (212) 972-1786
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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


top of page


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. A sharp drop 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. 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 1998-2002 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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 1.5% (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $7,800 (2002 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2.8%
Industry: 28.7%
Services: 68.9% (2003)

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

Industrial production growth rate: NA

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

Unemployment rate: NA

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA
Highest 10: NA

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $338.7 million
Expenditures: $323.3 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt: 129.3% of GDP (2003)

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.3% (2003 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance: $-73 million (2003)

Exports: $250 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: canned tuna frozen fish cinnamon bark copra petroleum products (reexports)
Partners: UK 38.8% France 31.8% Italy 14.5% Germany 7.5% (2003)

Imports: $383.7 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment foodstuffs petroleum products chemicals
Partners: Saudi Arabia 15.7% South Africa 10.9% Spain 10.4% France 9.7% Italy 9.2% Singapore 7% UK 6.8% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $213 million (2003 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Seychelles rupees per US dollar - 5.4007 (2003) 5.48 (2002) 5.8575 (2001) 5.7138 (2000) 5.3426 (1999)


top of page


Electricity
Production: 160 million kWh (2001)
Consumption: 148.8 million kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 0 kWh (2001)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


top of page


Telephones
Main lines in use: 21,700 (2002)
Mobile cellular: 54,500 (2003)

Telephone system
General assessment: effective system
Domestic: 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)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .sc
Hosts: 264 (2003)
Users: 11,700 (2002)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


top of page


Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $11.6 million (2003)
Percent of gdp: 1.8% (2003)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


top of page


National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 15 (2003 est.)
With paved runways total: 8
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With paved runways under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 7
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 42,223 GRT/63,538 DWT
By type: cargo 4, chemical tanker 3, container 1
Foreign owned: Bulgaria 1, Cyprus 1, Nigeria 1, South Africa 2 (2004 est.)

Ports and terminals


top of page


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

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs