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

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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. President France-Albert RENE who had served since 1977 was re-elected in 2001 but stepped down in 2004. Vice President James MICHEL took over the presidency and in July 2006 was elected to a new five-year term; he was reelected in May 2011.


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Location: archipelago in the Indian Ocean northeast of Madagascar

Geographic coordinates: 4 35 S 55 40 E

Map reference

Area
Rank: 199
Land: 455 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 491 km

Maritime claims
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 highest point: Morne Seychellois 905 m

Natural resources: fish copra cinnamon trees

Land use
Permanent crops: 4.35%
Other: 93.48% (2011)

Irrigated land: 2.6 km² (2003)

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; occasional short droughts

Geography
Note: the constitution of the Republic of Seychelles lists 155 islands: 42 granitic and 113 coralline; by far the largest island is Mahe which is home to about 90% of the population and the site of the capital city of Victoria


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Population: 90,846 (July 2013 est.)
Rank: 198
Growth rate: 0.9% (2013 est.)
Growth rate rank: 125
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Adjective: Seychellois

Ethnic groups: mixed French African Indian Chinese and Arab

Languages: Creole 91.8% English (official) 4.9% other 3.1% unspecified 0.2% (2002 census)

Religions: Roman Catholic 82.3% Protestant 7.5% (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 census)

Demographic profile

Age structure
15-24 years: 14.6% (male 6,932/female 6,293)
25-54 years: 49.3% (male 23,471/female 21,306)
55-64 years: 7.8% (male 3,663/female 3,378)
65 years and over: 7.3% (male 2,520/female 4,067) (2013 est.)

Dependency ratios
Youth dependency ratio: 31.6 %
Elderly dependency ratio: 11 %
Potential support ratio: 9.1 (2013)

Median age
Male: 33 years
Female: 34 years (2013 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.9% (2013 est.)
Rank: 125

Birth rate: 14.85 births/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 135

Death rate: 6.89 deaths/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 136

Net migration rate: 1.01 migrant(s)/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 56

Population distribution

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 1.05% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: VICTORIA (capital) 26,000 (2009)

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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 136
Male: 13.85 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 8.18 deaths/1000 live births (2013 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 116
Male: 69.4 years
Female: 78.76 years (2013 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.89 children born/woman (2013 est.)
Rank: 141

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source: urban: 100% of population (2010 est.)

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 1.51 physicians/1000 population (2004)

Hospital bed density: 3.6 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access:

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

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 23.9% (2008)
Rank: 70

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 4.8% of GDP (2006)
Rank: 80

Literacy
Total population: 91.8%
Male: 91.4%
Female: 92.3% (2011 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Male: 13 years
Female: 14 years (2011)

Youth unemployment


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

Government type: republic

Capital
Geographic coordinates: 4 37 S 55 27 E
Time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 25 administrative districts; Anse aux Pins Anse Boileau Anse Etoile Anse Royale Au Cap Baie Lazare Baie Sainte Anne Beau Vallon Bel Air Bel Ombre Cascade Glacis Grand Anse Mahe Grand Anse Praslin Inner Islands La Riviere Anglaise Les Mamalles Mont Buxton Mont Fleuri Plaisance Pointe Larue Port Glaud Roche Caiman Saint Louis Takamaka

Dependent areas

Independence: 29 June 1976 (from the UK)

National holiday: Constitution Day (National Day) 18 June (1993)

Constitution: previous 1970 1979; latest drafted May 1993 approved by referendum 18 June 1993 effective 23 June 1993; amended many times last in 2011 (2011)

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

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Head of government: President James Alix MICHEL (since 14 April 2004); Vice President Danny FAURE (since 1 July 2010)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for two more terms); election last held on 19-21 May 2011 (next to be held in 2016)
Election results: President James MICHEL elected president; percent of vote - James MICHEL 55.5% Wavel RAMKALAWAN 41.4% Philippe BOULLE 1.7% Ralph VOLCERE 1.5%; note - this was the second election in which President James MICHEL participated; he was originally sworn in as president after former president France Albert RENE stepped down in April 2004

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (34 seats; 25 members elected by popular vote 9 allocated on a proportional basis to parties winning at least 10% of the vote; members to serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held on 29 September - 1 October 2011 (next to be held in 2016); note - the National Assembly was dissolved in July 2011 resulting in early elections
Election results: percent of vote by party - PL 88.6% PDM 10.9% independents 0.6%; seats by party - PL 31 vacant - 3; note - the ruling SPPF changed its name to People's Party (Party Lepep) in June 2009; the SNP and NDP boycotted the 2011 elections

Judicial branch
Judge selection and term of office: all judges appointed by the president of the republic upon the recommendation of the Constitutional Appointments Committee a 3-member body with 1 member appointed by the president of the republic 1 by the opposition leader in the National Assembly and 1 by the other 2 appointees; judges appointed until retirement at age 70
Subordinate courts: Magistrates' Courts of Seychelles; Family Tribunal for issues such as domestic violence and child custody and maintenance

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AOSIS AU C CD COMESA FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO InOC Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITU MIGA NAM OIF OPCW SADC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation
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
In the us consulate general: Los Angeles
From the us: the US does not have an embassy in Seychelles; the US Ambassador to Mauritius currently Ambassador Shari VILLAROSA is accredited to Seychelles

Flag description: five oblique bands of blue (hoist side) yellow red white and green (bottom) radiating from the bottom of the hoist side; the oblique bands are meant to symbolize a dynamic new country moving into the future; blue represents sky and sea yellow the sun giving light and life red the peoples' determination to work for the future in unity and love white social justice and harmony green the land and natural environment

National symbols

National anthem
Lyrics and music: David Francois Marc ANDRE and George Charles Robert PAYET

National heritage


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Economy overview: since independence in 1976 per capita output in this Indian Ocean archipelago has expanded to roughly seven times the pre-independence near-subsistence level moving the island into the upper-middle-income group of countries. 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 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. In July 2008 the government defaulted on a Euro amortizing note worth roughly US$80 million leading to a downgrading of Seychelles credit rating. In an effort to obtain loans to service its debt Seychelles in November 2008 signed a standby arrangement with the IMF that mandated floating the exchange rate removing foreign exchange controls cutting government spending and tightening monetary policy. In response to Seychelles' successful implementation of these policies the IMF upgraded Seychelles to a three-year extended fund facility (EFF) of $31 million in December 2009. In 2008 GDP fell more than 1% due to declining tourism and the initial effects of liberalization but the economy recovered in 2010-11 after the reforms took hold and tourism increased. Growth slowed again in 2012 with flagging tourism from Russia and the United Arab Emirates. Seychelles is attempting to implement further structural reforms including overhauling the tax system reorganizing of state enterprises and deregulating the finance and communications sectors.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 188

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 113

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 60

Gross national saving:
Rank: 123

Gdp composition by end use
Government consumption: 14.7%
Investment in fixed capital: 31.3%
Investment in inventories: 0.6%
Exports of goods and services: 45.7%
Imports of goods and services: -92.6%: (2012 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 18.6%
Services: 79.4% (2012 est.)

Agriculture products: coconuts cinnamon vanilla sweet potatoes cassava (tapioca) copra bananas; poultry; tuna

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

Industrial production growth rate: 4% (2012 est.)
Rank: 73

Labor force: 39,560 (2006)
Rank: 197
By occupation industry: 23%
By occupation services: 74% (2006)

Unemployment rate: 2% (2006 est.)
Rank: 14

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Highest 10: 15.4% (2007)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Expenditures: $415.4 million (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit: 2.2% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 21

Taxes and other revenues: 43.1% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 30

Public debt: 74.3% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 39

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.6% (2011 est.)
Rank: 179

Central bank discount rate: 11.17% (31 December 2010 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 11.19% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 73

Stock of narrow money: $302.3 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 170

Stock of broad money: $598.9 million (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 175

Stock of domestic credit: $422.3 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 169

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance: $-226.3 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 83

Exports: $478 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 173
Commodities: canned tuna frozen fish cinnamon bark copra petroleum products (reexports)
Partners: France 27.7% UK 17.6% Japan 15.2% Italy 10.6% (2012)

Imports: $879.6 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 180
Commodities: machinery and equipment foodstuffs petroleum products chemicals other manufactured goods
Partners: Saudi Arabia 24% Spain 12.1% France 5.9% (2012)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $290.3 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 152

Debt external: $1.779 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 146

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 283 million kWh (2010 est.)
Production rank: 175
Consumption: 263.2 million kWh (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 180
Exports: 0 kWh (2012 est.)
Exports rank: 126
Imports: 0 kWh (2012 est.)
Imports rank: 129
Installed generating capacity: 89,000 kW (2010 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 174
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 32
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 173
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 195
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 120

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 207
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 177
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 117
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2010 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 181

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products production rank: 126
Products consumption: 7,793 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 159
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 127
Products imports: 6,316 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 140

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Production rank: 187
Consumption: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 191
Exports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 176
Imports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 126
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2013 es)
Proven reserves rank: 189

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 1.088 million Mt (2011 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 165

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 28,900 (2012)
Main lines in use rank: 177
Mobile cellular: 138,300 (2012)
Mobile cellular rank: 185

Telephone system
Domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 170 telephones per 100 persons; 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) (2011)

Broadcast media: the government operates the only terrestrial TV station which provides local programming and airs broadcasts from international services; multi-channel cable and satellite TV are available; the government operates 1 AM and 1 FM radio station; transmissions of 2 international broadcasters are accessible in Victoria (2007)

Internet
Country code: .sc
Hosts: 247 (2012)
Hosts rank: 195
Users: 32,000 (2008)
Users rank: 180

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 0.8% of GDP (2011)
Rank: 148

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service (younger with parental consent); no conscription (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 14 (2013)
Rank: 150
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With unpaved runways: 5 (2013)

Heliports: 1 (2013)

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Rank: 194
Paved: 490 km
Unpaved: 18 km (2010)

Waterways

Merchant marine
Rank: 118
By type: cargo 1 carrier 1 chemical tanker 6 petroleum tanker 1
Foreign owned: 3 (Hong Kong 1 Nigeria 1 South Africa 1) (2010)

Ports and terminals: Victoria


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Disputes international: Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Islands (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs