Interpedia of Seychelles

The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama discovered the Seychelles Islands (then uninhabited) in 1502, and an English expedition visited the islands in 1609. The name Seychelles derives from the Vicomte des Séchelles, Louis XV's finance minister. The French first claimed the islands in 1756, but colonization did not begin until 1768, when a party of 22 Frenchmen arrived, bringing with them a number of slaves. As competition grew among European nations for the lucrative trade with India and Asia, more and more seamen called at the islands to provision their vessels and to pick up commodities useful for trade.

The French and British battled for control of the islands between 1793 and 1813. French bases were blockaded in 1794 and again in 1804; on each occasion, the French capitulated. Under the Treaty of Paris (1814), the islands, together with Mauritius, were ceded to Britain. Both before and after the cession, the islands were administered from Mauritius as dependent territories. When the British made clear that they would enforce the ban on slavery throughout the Empire, many of the French landowners who had continued to import African slaves, largely from Mauritius and Réunion, departed for Africa and elsewhere, taking their slaves with them. However, with slavery ended, thousands of liberated slaves and others came into the islands. Indian labor was introduced to work on the plantations and some Chinese immigrants became shopkeepers.

In 1872, a Board of Civil Governors was created, increasing the degree of political autonomy; a Legislative Council and an Executive Council were established in 1888. On 31 August 1903, the islands became a crown colony, no longer subordinate to Mauritius. By this date, the cosmopolitan character of Seychelles had been established. Intermarriage between the descendants of the French, African, and Asian populations produced the Seychellois of today.

In 1948, the first elections were held, filling four seats on the Legislative Council. A new constitution written in 1966 and promulgated in 1967. It vested authority in a governor and a Governing Council. General elections, the first based on the principle of universal adult suffrage, were held in December 1967 for the new Legislative Assembly. Further amendments to the constitution in March 1970 gave the Seychellois greater autonomy over affairs of internal government.

Seychelles achieved independence at 12:05 AM on 29 June 1976. Upon independence, the UK government recommended the transfer from the British Indian Ocean Territory to Seychelles of the island groups of Aldabra and Farquhar and the island of Desroches. These islands, which had been detached from Seychelles in 1965, were duly returned to the new republic.

James Richard Marie Mancham, then leader of the conservative Seychelles Democratic Party, became president on independence, heading a coalition government that included Seychelles People's United Party (SPUP) leader France Albert René as Prime Minister. Mancham was overthrown by a coup on 5 June 1977 and went into exile; René became president. He suspended the constitution, dismissed the legislature, and ruled by decree.

In 1978, a new political party, the Seychelles People's Progressive Front (SPPF), absorbed the SPUP. The constitution of March 1979, adopted by referendum, established a one-party state as the country drifted toward a Marxist political system. In November 1981, about 50 mercenaries recruited in South Africa landed in Mahé, briefly seized the airport, and apparently planned to return Mancham to power; however, Seychellois troops forced them to flee. Tanzanian troops, airlifted to Seychelles following this incident, also played a part in restoring order after an abortive army mutiny of 17–18 August 1982 took at least nine lives. All Tanzanian troops had left the country by the end of 1984. A number of other plots have been alleged since then.

René was reelected president without opposition in June 1984. Since then, the Seychelles made progress economically and socially. Under rising pressure to democratize, in December 1991, René agreed to reform the electoral system. Multiparty elections were held in July 1992 (the first since 1974), and the prospect of reconciliation between René and Mancham supporters was raised. Many dissidents, including Mancham, returned from exile. In June 1993, 73% of the voters approved a new constitution providing for multi-party government.

Since the introduction of multiparty competition, the monopoly on power exercised by René and the SPPF has weakened. Presidential and National Assembly elections were held 23 July 1993, with René winning the presidency and the SPPF capturing all but one of the directly elected legislative seats. In the 1998 contest, René obtained 66.7% of the presidential vote and his party captured 30 of 34 seats. In August 2001 elections, René again defeated his opponents, this time by only 54.19%, and in National Assembly elections in December 2002—the first to be held separately from presidential elections—the SPPF captured 23 seats to 11 for the SNP.

Until the opening of the international airport on Mahé in 1971, the Seychelles Islands were entirely dependent on the sea for their links with the rest of the world. Until 1970, passenger and cargo service by ship was irregular; in the early 1970s, however, new deepwater facilities were dredged at Victoria Harbor. Private ferries connect Mahé to Praslin and La Digue.

The road network totaled an estimated 280 km (174 mi) in 2002, of which 176 km (109 mi) were paved. One road encircles the island, and another runs across the island by way of the central mountain ridge. There were 5,100 automobiles, and 2,000 commercial vehicles in 1995.

In 2001 there were an estimated 14 airports, 7 of which had paved runways. Seychelles International Airport is at Pointe Larue on Mahé. Flights to London, Zurich, Frankfurt, and Rome are in service via Air Seychelles, the national carrier. Air France's scheduled flights connect Seychelles with Europe. In 2001, 420,000 passengers were carried on scheduled domestic and international flights. Ligne Aérienne Seychelles (LAS), a private line, ran charter flights to Australia, Singapore, Botswana, and Malawi.

The population of Seychelles in 2003 was estimated by the United Nations at 80,000, which placed it as number 181 in population among the 193 nations of the world. In that year approximately 8% of the population was over 65 years of age, with another 29% of the population under 15 years of age. There were 93 males for every 100 females in the country in 2003. According to the UN, the annual population growth rate for 2000–2005 is0.88%, with the projected population for the year 2015 at 88,000. The population density in 2002 was 189 per sq km (489 per sq mi). Eighty percent of the population lives on the island of Mahé.

It was estimated by the Population Reference Bureau that 64% of the population lived in urban areas in 2001. The capital city, Victoria, had a population of 28,000 in that year. According to the United Nations, the urban population growth rate for 2000–2005 was 1.9%.

Seychelles does not have the resources to maintain a comprehensive program of environmental regulation. The monitoring of the environment is complicated by the fact that the nation consists of 15 islands distributed over a 1.3 million sq km area. Seychelles has no natural fresh water resources. In addition, the nation has a water pollution problem due to industrial byproducts and sewage. Fires, landslides, and oil leakage also affect the environment in Seychelles. The government Environmental Management Plan of Seychelles 1990–2000 proposed 12 areas of environmental regulation. The Ministry of Planning and External Relations and the Ministry of National Development hold principal environmental responsibility. The Aldabra atoll is a native preserve. The olive ridley, hawksbill, and green sea turtles and the Seychelles black parrot, Seychelles magpie robin, and Seychelles warbler are threatened or endangered species. The Aldabra brush warbler and the Seychelles parakeet (or parrot) have become extinct.

Only on Praslin and Curieuse islands, northeast of Mahé, can any of the primary forest be seen. On both islands the native forests of coco-de-mer have been protected in small reserves; its fruit, a huge coconut weighing up to 18 kg (40 lb), is the largest seed in the world. Virtually all the broadleaf evergreen rain forest has been cut down. In its place are the coconut plantations, with occasional patches of vanilla. Other existing trees are native to the islands and have adapted to the local conditions. Underplanting is quite usual and includes avocado, breadfruit, banana, cinnamon, mango, papaya, patchouli, and pineapple.

Sharks abound in the surrounding oceans, but on land there are no reptiles or mammals that present a threat to human life. The most noteworthy animal is the giant tortoise; once very plentiful, the species is now sorely depleted. There is a great variety of bird life including dozens of the world's rarest species, but very few insects.

Although the Seychelles Islands lie close to the equator, their maritime situation results in coastal temperatures that are fairly constant at about 27° C (81° F ) throughout the year. At higher altitudes, temperatures are lower, especially at night. Mean annual rainfall at sea level on Mahé is 236 cm (93 in); in the mountains there may be as much as 356 cm (140 in) a year. On the southwestern coral islands, rainfall is much lower, averaging about 50 cm (20 in) a year on Aldabra. May to October is the relatively dry sunny season; in this period, the southeast monsoon winds bring brief showers every two or three days. The northwest monsoon arrives in December and continues until March, bringing frequent and heavy rain. Humidity is high, especially in the coastal areas.

The Seychelles Islands are the highest points of the Mascarene Ridge, an Indian Ocean ridge running in a generally north-south direction. The granitic islands rise above the sea surface to form a peak or ridge which, in the case of Mahé, attains an elevation of 912 m (2,992 ft) at Morne Seychellois, the highest point. Rugged crests, towering cliffs, boulders, and domes contribute to the islands' great natural beauty. Here and there, in the hollows in the rock relief, are pockets of lateritic soil, often very thin and easily eroded. Mahé possesses white, sandy beaches behind which are flats of coral and shell known locally as plateaus. Small streams descending the mountain slopes deposit alluvial material, creating the most fertile soils on the island.

The coralline Seychelles are, in contrast, low lying, rising only a few feet above the surface of the sea. Many have the typical Indian Ocean lagoon. Soils tend to be thin, with poor moisture retention. These islands are suited only to the coconut palm and a few other species.