Category: Seychelles

Seychelles is an archipelago which consists of 115 islands situated in Indian Ocean, but based on the constitution the islands are listed as 155. The islands are divided into different groups such as granitic islands, Amirantes group of coral islands, Farquhar group and Aldabra group. The capital of the island nation is Victoria. The neighboring territories and countries are Zanzibar, Mauritius, Reunion, Comoros and Mayotte. Seychelles was first visited by Arab traders or Austronesian seafarers. In 1810, the British took up the complete control and Seychelles separated from the Mauritius in the year 1903 to become the crown colony. Seychelles got independence from United Kingdom in the year 1976.

President is the head of the government and head of the state. The parliament is unicameral known as National Assembly with 34 members. Executive power is vested on government and legislative power is exercised by both government as well as the National Assembly. The economy of the country mainly depends up on fishing and tourism. Seychelles’ foreign earnings, employment, banking, commerce and construction are all associated with tourism sector. In the fishing sector, the industrial fishing, construction and manufacturing accounts about 28.8% of GDP. Other industrial activities are small scale manufacturing especially import substitution and agro processing.

The total population of Seychelles is 84,000 and the country consists of various ethnic communities. The ethnic communities are of Chinese, French, Indian and African descendents. The official languages of Seychelles are English and French. Seychellois Creole is also used by the people of Seychelles. Majority of the population are Christians and among the Christians 82.3% are of Roman Catholics, 6.4% Anglican and 4.5% other denominations of Christianity. The religious minorities are Islam and Hinduism. About 1.5% of the people are from other religions and 2.1 % of the people are non-religious or do not have any religion at all.

Coral atoll of Seychelles is a World Heritage Site listed by UNESCO and it is the world’s largest atoll. Vallee De Mai is another UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is the home largest nut in the world, Coco De Mer Palm. There are fourteen marine reserves in Seychelles Islands from which six of them are Marine National Parks. Craft village consist of a several small Creole bungalows and each of it has its own special handicrafts. Seychelles is a favorite wedding and honeymoon destination as it host several theme based weddings on its beaches and resorts.

Cousin Island is a famous destination as it is the home of several endangered species. The island is the breeding ground of turtles and seabirds. You can also enjoy bird watching as you can see several bird species such as the Seychelles Flycatcher, sunbird, Swiftlet, Kestrel, Blue Pigeon and Scope Owl. Some of the tourist attractions that are worth seeing in Praslin are Anse Lazio beach, Anse Volbert beach, Praslin Ocean Farm and three top diving sites such as South Marianne, White Bank and Sister Rocks. In La Digue, the famous tourist spots are Veuve Reserve, Copra factory, Anse Source d’Argent beach, historical cemetery and Copra factory.