Seychelles

Republic of Seychelles

republicIndependence 29 June 1976 (from UK)

Seychelles as the 2005 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 115 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

Locationarchipelago in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar

Populationas each edition published it

81,188 people July 2005 est. · 68,336 in 1990

Population growth% a year

0.43% 2005 est. · 0.88% in 1993

Median ageyears

27.7 years 2005 est. · 26.9 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

71.82 years 2005 est. · 69.26 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.75 children per woman 2005 est. · 2.6 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

15.53 deaths per 1,000 live births 2005 est. · 15 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$7,800 2002 est. · $5,200 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

1.5% 2004 est. · -4.5% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

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. The most recent presidential elections were held in 2001; President RENE, who had served since 1977, was re-elected. In April 2004 RENE stepped down and Vice President James MICHEL was sworn in as president.

Geography

Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar

18 fields

Land useshare of 455 sq km

arable land 2.22%permanent crops 13.33%other 84.45% (2001)

Area

455sq km

land: 455 sq kmwater: 0 sq km2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Coastline

491km

land boundaries: 0 kmterritorial sea: 12 nmcontiguous zone: 24 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nmcontinental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Highest point

905m

Morne Seychelloislowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

Location

archipelago in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar

Geographic coordinates

4 35 S, 55 40 E

Map references

Africa

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

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

Geography - note

41 granitic and about 75 coralline islands

People

19 fields

Age structuremale left, female right · (2005 est.)

1,622

65 and over6.2%

3,392

26,709

15-6467.4%

28,025

10,839

0-1426.4%

10,601

MaleFemale

Population

81,188

(July 2005 est.)growth rate: 0.43% (2005 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2005 est.)

Birth

16.22Death

6.34Net migration

-5.54

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2005 est.)71.82

66.41 · 77.4Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)15.53

19.65 · 11.28

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (2003 est.)91.9%

91.4% · 92.3%Median age years (2005 est.)27.7

26.62 · 28.76

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Religions(2002 census)

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)

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:: 0.48 male(s)/female
total population:: 0.93 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.75 children born/woman (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS - deaths

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)

Government

Republic; President James MICHEL (since 14 April 2004); President James MICHEL (since 14 April 2004)

18 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

54.19%

France Albert RENE (SPPF) 54.19%Wavel RAMKALAWAN (UO) 44.95%Philippe BOULLE 0.86%election last held 31 August-2 September 2001 (next to be held NA 2006)

National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale, 34 seats, elected 4-6 December 2002one dot, one seat

SPPF 23SNP 11

Percent of vote

SPPF 54.3%SNP 42.6%DP 3.1%

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 James 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); 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 31 August-2 September 2001 (next to be held NA 2006)
election results:: France Albert RENE re-elected 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;
France Albert RENE stepped down 14 April 2004 and Vice President James MICHEL was sworn in as president

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 4-6 December 2002 (next to be held by 2007)
election results:: percent of vote by party - SPPF 54.3%, SNP 42.6%, DP 3.1%; seats by party - SPPF 23, SNP 11

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, Daniel BELLE];
Mouvement Seychellois pour la Democratie [Jacques HODOUL];
Seychelles National Party or SNP (formerly the United Opposition or UO) [Wavel RAMKALAWAN];
Seychelles People's Progressive Front or SPPF [France Albert RENE, James MICHEL] - the governing party

Political pressure groups and leaders

Roman Catholic Church; trade unions

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (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 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

Since independence in 1976, per capita output in this Indian Ocean archipelago has expanded to roughly seven times the old near-subsistence level.

38 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$626million

(2002 est.)

Real growth rate

1.5%

(2004 est.)industrial production growth: NA

Inflation, consumer prices

(2004 est.)

Public debt

122.8%of GDP

(2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(2004 est.)

agriculture 2.8%industry 28.7%services 68.9% (2004 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

27.7%

4.7%

15.8%

France

10.3%

Saudi Arabia

15.5%

12.6%

Spain

13.3%

8.6%

Japan

7.5%

Italy

6.7%

Singapore

South Africa

6.8%

5.6%

Germany

Exports $256.2 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)Imports $393.4 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)(2004)

Budget

Revenues

$318.3 millionExpenditures

$298.5 million (2004 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of NA

Electricity

Electricity production

218 million (2002)Electricity consumption

202.8 million (2002)

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. A sharp drop 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, erasing a persistent budget deficit.

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.

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $7,800 (2002 est.)

Labor force

30,900 (1996)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 10%, industry 19%, services 71% (1989)

Unemployment rate

Population below poverty line

Investment (gross fixed)

39.5% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products

coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cassava (tapioca), bananas;
broiler chickens;
tuna fish

Industries

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

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption

4,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

Oil - imports

Current account balance

$-98.42 million (2004 est.)

Exports

$256.2 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

canned tuna, frozen fish, cinnamon bark, copra, petroleum products (reexports)

Imports

$393.4 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$70.94 million (2004 est.)

Debt - external

$218.1 million (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$16.4 million (1995)

Currency (code)

Seychelles rupee (SCR)

Exchange rates

Seychelles rupees per US dollar - 5.5 (2004), 5.4007 (2003), 5.48 (2002), 5.8575 (2001), 5.7138 (2000)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

8 fields

Mobile cellular

54,500

(2003)

Internet users

264

(2003)

Fixed lines

21,700

(2002) · country code .sc

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)