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: contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 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
highest point: Morne Seychellois 905
m
Natural resources: fish, copra, cinnamon trees
Land use: arable land: 2.22%
permanent crops: 13.33%
other: 84.44% (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 party to: Biodiversity, Climate
agreements: Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol
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: total population: 70.97 years
female: 76.63 years (2002 est.)
male: 65.48 years
Total fertility rate: 1.81 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ NA
AIDS:
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: 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
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: last held 20-22 March
1998 (next to be held by 2003)
election results: 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 Roman Catholic Church; trade unions
leaders:
International organization ACCT, ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO,
participation: 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 Avenue, Suite
400C, New York, NY 10017
FAX: [1] (212) 972-1786
telephone: [1] (212) 972-1785
Diplomatic representation from the the US does not have an embassy in
US: 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 lowest 10%: NA%
percentage share: 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 males age 15-49: 11,554 (2002 est.)
service:
Military expenditures - dollar $11 million (FY01)
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of 1.8% (FY01)
GDP:
Transnational Issues Seychelles
-------------------------------
Disputes - international: claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-
administered British Indian Ocean
Territory)
