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.

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: 2.17%
Permanent crops: 13.04%
Other: 84.79% (2005)

Irrigated land: NA

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

Geography
Note: 41 granitic and about 75 coralline islands

Population: 81,895 (July 2007 est.)
Growth rate: 0.432% (2007 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

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

Ethnic groups: mixed French African Indian Chinese and Arab

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

Religions: Roman Catholic 82.3% 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)

Age structure
0-14 years: 25.4% (male 10,504/female 10,272)
15-64 years: 68.5% (male 27,405/female 28,706)
65 years and over: 6.1% (male 1,590/female 3,418) (2007 est.)

Median age
Total: 28.4 years
Male: 27.3 years
Female: 29.4 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.432% (2007 est.)

Birth rate: 15.83 births/1000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate: 6.25 deaths/1000 population (2007 est.)

Net migration rate: -5.25 migrant(s)/1000 population (2007 est.)

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, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.023 male/female
15-64 years: 0.955 male/female
65 years and over: 0.465 male/female
Total population: 0.932 male/female (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 14.75 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 18.67 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 10.71 deaths/1000 live births (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 72.34 years
Male: 66.98 years
Female: 77.86 years (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.74 children born/woman (2007 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 91.8%
Male: 91.4%
Female: 92.3% (2002 census)

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

Government type: republic

Capital
Name: Victoria
Geographic coordinates: 4 38 S, 55 27 E
Time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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 James Alix 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)
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 28-30 July 2006 (next to be held in 2011)
Election results: President James MICHEL elected president; percent of vote - James MICHEL 53.73%, Wavel RAMKALAWAN 45.71%, Philippe BOULLE 0.56%; note - this was the first 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
Elections: last held 10-12 May 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
Election results: percent of vote by party - SPPF 56.2%, SNP 43.8%; seats by party - SPPF 23, SNP 11

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 Paul CHOW]; Seychelles National Party or SNP [Wavel RAMKALAWAN] (formerly the United Opposition or UO); Seychelles People's Progressive Front or SPPF [France Albert RENE James MICHEL] (the governing party)

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Jean Ronald JUMEAU
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 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 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 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. Sharp drops 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. Growth slowed in 1998-2002 and fell in 2003 due to sluggish tourist and tuna sectors but resumed in 2004. Growth turned negative again in 2005-06. 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 may remain sluggish as vacationers seek cheaper destinations such as Comoros Mauritius and Madagascar.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $626 million (2002 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: -1% (2006 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $7,800 (2002 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2.5%
Industry: 26.3%
Services: 71.2% (2006 est.)

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

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%

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Budget
Revenues: $439.7 million
Expenditures: $408.5 million (2006 est.)

Public debt: 134.4% of GDP (2006 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: -0.4% (2006 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Current account balance: $-167 million (2006 est.)

Exports: $423 million f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Commodities: canned tuna frozen fish cinnamon bark copra petroleum products (reexports)
Partners: UK 25.5% France 17.5% Italy 11.9% Mauritius 8.5% Japan 8.3% Spain 8.1% Netherlands 4.3% (2006)

Imports: $706 million f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment foodstuffs petroleum products chemicals
Partners: Saudi Arabia 17.7% South Africa 9.7% Spain 8.1% France 7.6% Singapore 7.2% Italy 4.8% UK 4% (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $112.9 million (2006 est.)

Debt external: $847 million (2006 est.)

Exchange rates: Seychelles rupees per US dollar - 5.5 (2006) 5.5 (2005) 5.5 (2004) 5.4007 (2003) 5.48 (2002)

Electricity
Production: 208 million kWh (2005)
Consumption: 193.4 million kWh (2005)
Exports: 0 kWh (2005)
Imports: 0 kWh (2005)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2005 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2005 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 20,700 (2006)
Mobile cellular: 70,300 (2006)

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)

Internet
Country code: .sc
Hosts: 187 (2007)
Users: 29,000 (2006)

Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 2% (2006 est.)

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)

Airports: 15 (2007)
With paved runways total: 9
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 6
With paved runways under 914 m: 2 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 6
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Roadways
Total: 458 km
Paved: 440 km
Unpaved: 18 km (2003)

Merchant marine
Total: 6 ships (1000 GRT or over) 108,348 GRT/165,593 DWT
By type: cargo 1, carrier 1, chemical tanker 4
Foreign owned: 3 (Hong Kong 1, Nigeria 1, South Africa 1) (2007)

Ports and terminals: Victoria

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