Seychelles
Republic of Seychelles
republicIndependence 29 June 1976 (from the UK)
Seychelles as the 2009 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 128 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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. President France-Albert RENE, who had served since 1977, was re-elected in 2001, but stepped down in 2004. Vice President James MICHEL took over the presidency and in July 2006 was elected to a new five-year term.
Geography
Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar
18 fieldsLand useshare of 455 sq km
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
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, Wetlands
- signed, but not ratified:
- none of the selected agreements
People
22 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2009 est.)
Per 1,000 population
Male · female
Religions(2002 census)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1.08 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.59 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1.03 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Government
Republic; President James Alix MICHEL (since 14 April 2004); President James MICHEL (since 14 April 2004)
18 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale, 34 seats, elected 10-12 May 2007one dot, one seat
Percent of vote
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Republic of Seychelles
- conventional short form:
- Seychelles
- local long form:
- Republic of Seychelles
- local short form:
- Seychelles
Capital
- name:
- Victoria
- geographic coordinates:
- 4 38 S, 55 27 E
- time difference:
- UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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
Legal system
based on English common law, French civil law, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President James Alix 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)
- cabinet:
- Council of Ministers appointed by the president
- elections:
- president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for two more terms); election last held 28-30 July 2006 (next to be held in 2011)
- election results:
- President James MICHEL elected president;
- percent of vote - James MICHEL 53.73%, Wavel RAMKALAWAN 45.71%, Philippe BOULLE 0.56%;
- note - this was the first election in which President James MICHEL participated;
- he was originally sworn in as president after former president France Albert RENE stepped down in April 2004
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (34 seats; 25 members elected by popular vote, 9 allocated on a proportional basis to parties winning at least 10% of the vote; to serve five-year terms)
- elections:
- last held 10-12 May 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - SPPF 56.2%, SNP 43.8%; seats by party - SPPF 23, SNP 11
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, Paul CHOW];
- Seychelles National Party or SNP [Wavel RAMKALAWAN] (formerly the United Opposition or UO);
- People's Party (Parti Lepep) or PL [France Albert RENE, James MICHEL] (the governing party)
International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Jean Ronald JUMEAU
- 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
48 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2008 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
Since independence in 1976, per capita output in this Indian Ocean archipelago has expanded to roughly seven times the pre-independence, near-subsistence level, moving the island into the upper-middle income group of countries. 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 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. GDP grew about 7-8% per year in 2006-07, driven by tourism and a boom in tourism-related construction.
The Seychelles rupee was allowed to depreciate in 2006 after being overvalued for years and fell by 10% in the first 9 months of 2007. Despite these actions, the Seychelles economy has struggled to maintain its gains and in 2008 suffered from food and oil price shocks, a foreign exchange shortage, high inflation and large financing gaps, with GDP growth reduced to about 3% in 2008.
In July 2008 the government defaulted on a Euro amortizing note worth roughly US$80 million, leading to a downgrading of Seychelles credit rating. Seychelles requested an IMF Stand-By Agreement in December 2008.
Central bank discount rate
NA% (31 December 2008) · 5.13% (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 90
Commercial bank prime lending rate
11.81% (31 December 2008) · 10.89% (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 76
Stock of money
$164.8 million (31 December 2008) · $330.8 million (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 107
Stock of quasi money
$188.5 million (31 December 2008) · $249 million (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 117
Stock of domestic credit
$375.6 million (31 December 2008) · $660.2 million (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 117
Agriculture - products
- coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cassava (tapioca), bananas;
- poultry;
- tuna
Industries
fishing, tourism, processing of coconuts and vanilla, coir (coconut fiber) rope, boat building, printing, furniture; beverages
Current account balance
-$430 million (2008 est.) · -$274.8 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 102
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$64 million (31 December 2008 est.) · $40.8 million (31 December 2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 151
Debt - external
$1.422 billion (31 December 2008 est.) · $1.059 billion (31 December 2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 145
Exchange rates
Seychelles rupees (SCR) per US dollar - 8 (2008 est.), 6.5 (2007), 5.5 (2006), 5.5 (2005), 5.5 (2004)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- effective system
- domestic:
- combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is 130 telephones per 100 persons; 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)
Transportation
6 fieldsMerchant marine, 8 ships by typeone square, one ship
Airports by runway lengthpaved only
Airports by runway lengthunpaved only
Military
Seychelles Defense Force: Army, Coast Guard (includes Naval Wing, Air Wing), National Guard (2005)
6 fieldsMilitary branches
Seychelles Defense Force: Army, Coast Guard (includes Naval Wing, Air Wing), National Guard (2005)
Military service age and obligation
18 years of age for voluntary military service (younger with parental consent); no conscription (2008)
Transnational Issues
1 fieldDisputes - international
together with Mauritius, Seychelles claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory)
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Seychelles.” The World Factbook 2009. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/seychelles/2009.