| 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. |
| Location: |
Eastern Africa,
group of islands in the Indian Ocean, northeast of
Madagascar |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
4 35 S, 55 40 E |
| Area: |
total:
455 sq km
land: 455 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
2.5 times the
size of Washington, DC |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous
zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the
continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| 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%
permanent crops: 13%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 11%
other: 74% (1993 est.) |
| 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 agreements: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate 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 |
| Population: |
79,715 (July 2001
est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
28.27% (male 11,367; female 11,167)
15-64 years: 65.47% (male 25,453; female
26,737)
65 years and over: 6.26% (male 1,673; female
3,318) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.49% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
17.66
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
6.65 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-6.15 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 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 (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
17.3 deaths/1,000
live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 70.69 years
male: 65.17 years
female: 76.37 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.83 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA% |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Seychellois (singular and plural)
adjective: Seychelles |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Seychellois
(mixture of Asians, Africans, Europeans) |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic
90%, Anglican 8%, other 2% |
| 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.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: Republic of Seychelles
conventional short form: Seychelles |
| Government
type: |
republic |
| 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,
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
head of government: President France Albert
RENE (since 5 June 1977); 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 20-22 March 1998
(next to be held by NA 2003)
election results: France Albert RENE reelected
president; percent of vote - France Albert RENE (SPPF)
66.7%, Wavel RAMKALAWAN (UO) 19.5%, Sir James MANCHAM (DP)
13.8% |
| 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 ten percent of the vote; members
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 20-22 March 1998 (next to
be held by NA 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 share of each party in 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 leaders: |
Roman Catholic
Church; trade unions |
| International
organization participation: |
ACCT, ACP, AfDB,
C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Intelsat (nonsignatory user),
Interpol, IOC, 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
telephone: [1] (212) 972-1785
FAX: [1] (212) 972-1786 |
| Diplomatic
representation 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 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. Although the industry has rebounded, the
government recognizes the continuing need for upgrading the
sector in the face of stiff international competition. Other
issues facing the government are the curbing of the budget
deficit and further privatization of public enterprises.
Growth slowed in 1998-2000, due to sluggish tourist and tuna
sectors. Tight controls on exchange rates and the scarcity
of foreign exchange have hindered short-term economic
prospects. The black market value of the Seychelles ruppee
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 - $610 million (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
1.5% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $7,700 (2000 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 percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
6% (1999 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
30,900 (1996) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
industry 19%,
services 71%, agriculture 10% (1989) |
| 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
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
148.8 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
coconuts,
cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cassava (tapioca),
bananas; broiler chickens; tuna fish |
| Exports: |
$111 million
(f.o.b., 1999) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
fish, cinnamon
bark, copra, petroleum products (reexports) |
| Exports
- partners: |
France, UK,
Netherlands, Italy, China, Germany, Japan |
| Imports: |
$440 million
(c.i.f., 1999) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and
equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals |
| Imports
- partners: |
South Africa, UK,
China, Singapore, France, Italy |
| Debt
- external: |
$240 million
(1999 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$16.4 million
(1995) |
| Currency: |
Seychelles rupee
(SCR) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Seychelles rupees
per US dollar - 6.0397 (November 2000), 5.6009 (2000),
5,3426 (1999), 5.2622 (1998), 5.0263 (1997), 4.9700 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| 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) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
2 (plus 9
repeaters) (1997) |
| Televisions: |
11,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.sc |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
5,000 (2000) |
| Highways: |
total:
373 km
paved: 315 km
unpaved: 58 km (1997) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Victoria |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,353 GRT/7,638 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
8
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 4 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Coast
Guard, air wing, National Guard, Presidential Protection
Unit, Police Force |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 22,951 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 11,452 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$13 million
(FY93) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
2.8% (FY93) |
| Disputes
- international: |
claims the Chagos
Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory) |
|
