Seychelles

Republic of Seychelles

republicIndependence 29 June 1976 (from UK)

Seychelles as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 94 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalVictoria
Position4 35 S, 55 40 E
Area455 sq km
LocationEastern Africa, group of islands in the Indian Ocean,
1997

Every edition of Seychelles

Populationas each edition published it
78,107 people July 1997 est. · 68,336 in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.7% 1997 est. · 0.88% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 26.9 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 69.26 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
2.06 children per woman 1997 est. · 2.6 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
12.1 deaths per 1,000 live births 1997 est. · 15 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$6,000 1995 est. · $5,200 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
1.1% 1995 est. · -4.5% in 1993

Geography

Eastern Africa, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, | northeast of Madagascar

18 fields

Land useshare of 455 sq km

arable land 2%permanent crops 13%forests and woodland 11%other 74% (1993 est.)permanent pastures: NA%
Area
455sq km
land: 455 sq kmwater: 0 sq km2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Coastline
491km
land boundaries: 0 kmcontinental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental marginexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm
Highest point
905m
Morne Seychelloislowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

Location

Eastern Africa, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar

Geographic coordinates

4 35 S, 55 40 E

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

Natural resources

fish, copra, cinnamon trees

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 rain water

Environment - international agreements

party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
Desertification

Geography - note

40 granitic and about 50 coralline islands

People

15 fields
Population
78,107
(July 1997 est.)growth rate: 0.7% (1997 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1997 est.)

Birth
20.53Death
7.14Net migration
-6.4

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1997 est.)
64.81 · 74.47
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1971 est.)58%
56% · 60%
MaleFemaleLife expectancy total population : 69.57 years · Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Religions

Roman Catholic 90%Anglican 8%other 2%

Age structure

0-14 years:
30.2% (male 11,885; female 11,708)
15-64 years:
63.5% (male 24,336; female 25,293)
65 years and over:
6.3% (male 1,698; female 3,187) (July 1997 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over : 0.53 male(s)/female
total population:
0.94 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate

12.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.06 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Seychellois (singular and plural)
adjective:
Seychelles

Ethnic groups

Seychellois (mixture of Asians, Africans, Europeans)

Languages

English (official), French (official), Creole

Government

Republic; President France Albert RENE (since 5 June 1977); President France Albert RENE (since 5 June 1977)

20 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

59.5%
France Albert RENE (SPPF) 59.5%Sir James MANCHAM (DP) 36.72%election last held 20-23 July 1993 (next to be held NA 1998)

Legislature, elected 20-23 July 1993percent of vote

SPPF 82%DP 15%UO 3%

Country name

conventional long form:
Republic of Seychelles
conventional short form:
Seychelles

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 Island), Grand' Anse (on Praslin Island), La Digue, La Riviere Anglaise, Mont Buxton, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance, Pointe Larue, Port Glaud, Saint Louis, Takamaka

Independence

29 June 1976 (from UK)

National holiday

National Day, 18 June (1993) (adoption of new constitution)

Constitution

18 June 1993

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 20-23 July 1993 (next to be held NA 1998)
election results :
President France Albert RENE reelected; percent of vote - France Albert RENE (SPPF) 59.5%, Sir James MANCHAM (DP) 36.72%

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (33 seats, 22 popularly elected by direct vote, 11 allocated on a proportional basis to parties winning at least 9 percent of the vote; members serve five-year terms)

elections:
last held 20-23 July 1993 (next to be held NA 1998)
election results:
  • percent of vote by party - SPPF 82%, DP 15%, UO 3%;
  • seats by party (elected) - SPPF 21, DP 1;
  • seats by party (awarded) - SPPF 6, DP 4, UO 1

note: the 11 awarded seats are apportioned according to the share of each party in the total vote

Judicial branch

Court of Appeal; Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

  • ruling party - Seychelles People's Progressive Front or SPPF [France Albert RENE];
  • Democratic Party or DP [Sir James MANCHAM];
  • United Opposition or UO [Wavel RAMKALAWAN] - a
coalition of the following parties:
  • Seychelles Party or PS [Wavel RAMKALAWAN], Seychelles Democratic Movement or MSPD[Jacques HONDOUL], and Seychelles Liberal Party or SLP [Ogilvie BERLOUIS];
  • New Democratic Party [Christopher GILL (former member of DP)]

Political pressure groups and leaders

trade unions; Roman Catholic Church

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, C, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires ad interim Claude MOREL
chancery:
(temporary) care of the Permanent Mission of Seychelles to the United Nations, 820 Second Avenue, Suite 900F, New York, NY 10017
telephone:
[1] (212) 972-1785

FAX

[1] (212) 972-1786

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: 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

22 fields
Real growth rate
1.1%
(1995 est.)industrial production growth: 4% (1992)
Labor force
26,000
(1996)by occupation: industry and commerce 31%, services 21%, government 20%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 12%, other 16% (1985)
Debt - external
$170million
(1994 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(1994)

agriculture 3.6%industry 15%services 81.4% (1994)

Budget

Revenues
$220 millionExpenditures
$241 million (1994 est.)
expenditures including capital expenditures of $36 million

Economy - overview

Since independence in 1976, per capita output in this Indian Ocean archipelago has grown to roughly seven times the old near-subsistence level, led by the tourist sector, which employs about 30% of the labor force and provides more than 70% of hard currency earnings. 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.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $450 million (1995 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $6,000 (1995 est.)

Industries

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

Electricity - capacity

33,000 kW (1995)

Electricity - production

110 million kWh (1992)

Agriculture - products

  • coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cassava (tapioca), bananas;
  • broiler chickens;
  • tuna fishing (expansion under way)

Exports

total value:
$56.1 million ( f.o.b. 1995)
commodities:
fish, cinnamon bark, copra, petroleum products (re-exports)
partners :
France, UK, China, Germany, Japan (1993)

Imports

total value:
$238 million (c.i.f., 1995)
commodities:
manufactured goods, food, petroleum products, tobacco, beverages, machinery and transportation equipment
partners:
China, Singapore, South Africa, UK (1993)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $NA

Currency

1 Seychelles rupee (SRe) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

Seychelles rupees (SRe) per US$1 - 4.9968 (January 1997), 4.9700 (1996), 4.7620 (1995), 5.0559 (1994), 5.1815 (1993), 5.1220 (1992)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

6 fields
Fixed lines
13,000
(1995 est.)

Telephone 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 3, FM 0, shortwave 0

Radios

35,000 (1993 est.)

Television broadcast stations

2 (in a government network)

Televisions

6,000 (1993 est.)

Transportation

7 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

under 914 m
6
total : 12 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 5

Networkskm

Highways
270Railways
0
Highways: paved: 170 km · unpaved: 100 km (1995 est.)

Highways

total:
270 km
paved:
170 km
unpaved:
100 km (1995 est.)

Airports

14 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total : 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (1996 est.)

Military

Army, Coast Guard, Marines, National Guard, | Presidential Protection Unit, Police Force

5 fields

Military branches

Army, Coast Guard, Marines, National Guard, Presidential Protection Unit, Police Force

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 21,860 (1997 est.)

Transnational Issues

1 field

Disputes - international

claims Tromelin Island SIERRA LEONE

Central Intelligence Agency. “Seychelles.” The World Factbook 1997. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/seychelles/1997.

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