Seychelles (pronounced /seɪˈʃɛl/ or /seɪˈʃɛlz/ ["say shells"] in
English and /seʃɛl/ in
French), officially the Republic of Seychelles (French: République des Seychelles; Creole: Repiblik Sesel), is an archipelago nation of 155
islands (115 islands and 40 islets) in the Indian Ocean, some 1,500 km east of mainland
Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar. Other nearby
island countries and territories include Zanzibar to the west, Mauritius and Réunion to the south, Comoros
and Mayotte to the southwest, and the Suvadives of the Maldives to the northeast. Seychelles has
the smallest population of any sovereign state of Africa and is frequently viewed as one of the
most beautiful countries in the world.
History
-
While Austronesian seafarers or Arab traders may
have been the first to visit the uninhabited Seychelles, the first recorded sighting of them took place in 1502, by the Portuguese Admiral Vasco da
Gama, who passed through the Amirantes and named them after himself (islands of
the Admiral). The first recorded landing and first written account was by the crew of the English East Indiaman Ascension
in 1609. As a transit point for trading between Africa and Asia,
they were occasionally used by pirates until the French began to
take control of the islands starting in 1756 when a Stone of Possession was laid by Captain
Nicholas Morphey. The islands were named after Jean Moreau de Séchelles, Louis
XV’s Minister of Finance. [1]
The British contested control over the islands with the French between
1794 and 1812. Jean Baptiste Queau de Quincy, French administrator of
Seychelles during the years of war with England, realised it was pointless to resist whenever a heavily armed enemy war ship
arrived. However, he successfully negotiated the status of capitulation to Britain, which
gave the settlers a privileged position of neutrality. In all, he capitulated seven times, guiding the colony successfully
through difficult times.
Britain eventually assumed full control upon the surrender of Mauritius in 1812 and this was formalised in 1814 at the Treaty of Paris. The Seychelles became a crown
colony separate from Mauritius in 1903 and independence
was granted in 1976, as a republic within the Commonwealth. In 1977, a coup d'etat ousted the first president of the republic,
James Mancham, replacing him with France Albert
René. The 1979 constitution declared a socialist one-party state, which lasted until 1991. The first draft of a new
constitution failed to receive the requisite 60 percent of voters in 1992, but
in 1993 an amended version was approved.
Politics
-
The Seychelles president, who is both head of state
and head of government, is elected by popular vote for a five-year term of office.
The previous president, France Albert René, first came to power in a coup d'état in 1977, one year after independence. He was democratically elected after the constitutional reforms of 1992. He stood down in 2004 in favour of his vice-president, James Michel, who was re-elected in
2006. The cabinet is presided over and appointed by the president, subject to the approval of a
majority of the legislature.
The unicameral Seychellois parliament, the
National Assembly or Assemblée Nationale, consists of 34 members,
of whom 25 are elected directly by popular vote, while the remaining 9 seats are appointed proportionally according to the
percentage of votes received by each party. All members serve five-year terms.
Politics is a topic of hot debate in the country - with many claiming there is an uneven playing field between the two leading
parties.
The Seychelles are part of the Indian Ocean Commission.
Geography
-
The Seychelles is a small island nation located in
the Indian Ocean northeast of Madagascar and about
1,600 km (1,000 miles) east of Kenya. The number of islands in the
archipelago is often given as 115 but the Constitution of the Republic of Seychelles lists 155. The islands as per the
Constitution are divided into various groups as follows.
There are 42 granitic islands, in descending order of size: Mahé, Praslin,
Silhouette, La Digue, Curieuse, Félicité, Frégate, St. Anne, North, Cerf, Marianne, Grand Sœur,Thérèse, Aride, Conception,Petite
Sœur, Cousin, Cousine, Long, Récif, Round (Praslin), Anonyme, Mamelles, Moyenne, Ile aux Vaches Marines, L'Islette, Beacon (Ile
Sèche), Cachée, Cocos, Round (Mahé), L'Ilot Frégate, Booby, Chauve Souris (Mahé),Chauve Souris (Praslin), Ile La Fouche, Hodoul,
L'Ilot, Rat, Souris, St. Pierre (Praslin),Zavé, Harrison Rocks (Grand Rocher).
There are 2 coral sand cays north of the granitics: Denis, Bird.
There are 2 coral islands south of the granitics: Coëtivy, Platte.
There are 29 coral islands in the Amirantes group, west of the granitics: Desroches, Poivre Atoll (comprising 3 islands :
Poivre, Florentin and South Island), Alphonse, D'Arros, St. Joseph Atoll (comprising 14 islands: St. Joseph Ile aux Fouquets,
Ressource, Petit Carcassaye, Grand Carcassaye, Benjamin, Bancs Ferrari, Chiens, Pélicans, Vars, Ile Paul, Banc de Sable, Banc aux
Cocos and Ile aux Poules), Marie Louise, Desnoeufs, African Banks (comprising 2 islands: African Banks and South Island), Rémire,
St. François, Boudeuse, Etoile, Bijoutier.
There are 13 coral islands in the Farquhar Group, south-south west of the Amirantes: Farquhar Atoll (comprising 10 islands:
Bancs de Sable Déposés Ile aux Goëlettes Lapins Ile du Milieu North Manaha South Manaha Middle Manaha North Island and South
Island), Providence Atoll (comprising two islands: Providence and Bancs Providence) and St Pierre.
There are 67 raised coral islands in the Aldabra Group, west of the Farquhar Group: Aldabra Atoll(comprising 46 islands :
Grande Terre, Picard, Polymnie, Malabar, Ile Michel, Ile Esprit, Ile aux Moustiques, Ilot Parc, Ilot Emile, Ilot Yangue, Ilot
Magnan, Ile Lanier, Champignon des Os, Euphrate, Grand Mentor, Grand Ilot, Gros Ilot Gionnet, Gros Ilot Sésame, Heron Rock, Hide
Island, Ile aux Aigrettes, Ile aux Cèdres, Iles Chalands, Ile Fangame, Ile Héron, Ile Michel, Ile Squacco, Ile Sylvestre, Ile
Verte, Ilot Déder, Ilot du Sud, Ilot du Milieu, Ilot du Nord, Ilot Dubois, Ilot Macoa, Ilot Marquoix, Ilots Niçois, Ilot Salade,
Middle Row Island, Noddy Rock, North Row Island, Petit Mentor, Petit Mentor Endans, Petits Ilots, Pink Rock and Table Ronde),
Assumption, Astove and Cosmoledo Atoll (comprising 19 islands: (Menai, Ile du Nord (West North), Ile Nord-Est (East North), Ile
du Trou, Goëlettes, Grand Polyte, Petit Polyte, Grand Ile (Wizard), Pagode, Ile du Sud-Ouest (South), Ile aux Moustiques, Ile
Baleine, Ile aux Chauve-Souris, Ile aux Macaques, Ile aux Rats, Ile du Nord-Ouest, Ile Observation, Ile Sud-Est and Ilot la
Croix.
Administrative divisions
-
The famous clock tower in the centre of Victoria, capital of Seychelles.
Seychelles is divided into twenty-five administrative regions, called districts:
Economy
-
Since independence in 1976, per capita output 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 labour 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
1991-1992 due largely to the country's significantly overvalued
exchange rate, the Gulf War and once again following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S.. Other issues facing the government are the curbing of
the budget deficit, including the containment of social welfare costs, and further privatisation of
public enterprises. The government has a pervasive presence in economic activity, with public enterprises active in petroleum
product distribution, insurance, banking, imports of basic products, telecommunications, and a wide range of other
businesses.
Growth slowed in 1998–2001, due to sluggish tourist and tuna
sectors. Also, tight controls on exchange rates and the scarcity of foreign exchange have impaired short-term economic prospects.
The black market value of the Seychellois rupee
is anywhere from two thirds to one half the official exchange rate; without a devaluation of the currency the tourist sector
should remain sluggish as tourists seek cheaper destinations such as nearby Comoros and
Madagascar. A reduction in the number of flights serving the country, primarily due to the
inability by airline companies to repatriate funds, has also constrained the growth of the tourism industry. The recent entry of
Emirates and Qatar airlines has yet to result in increased growth.
At official exchange rates Seychelles remains the richest country in Africa in terms of GDP per capita. (US$7,504 as of 2005), although if the parallel
exchange rate, or purchasing power parity rates, are used, it ranks behind Mauritius and Botswana. Because of economic
contraction (the economy declined by about 2% in 2004 and 2005 and is set to decline by at least the same level in 2006) the
country is moving downwards in terms of per capita income.
It is important to note that Seychelles is, per capita, the most highly indebted country in the world according to the
World Bank, with total public debt around 122.8% of GDP. Approximately two thirds of this
debt is owed domestically, with the balance due to multi laterals, bi
laterals, and commercial banks. The country is in arrears to most of its
international creditors and has had to resort to pledged commercial debt to continue to be able to borrow. This high debt burden
is a direct consequence of the overvalued exchange rate — in essence, the country is living beyond its means, and financing its
lifestyle by borrowing domestically and internationally.
The Seychelles International Business Authority (SIBA) is charged with overseeing the quickly growing offshore industry.
Seychelles is home to a number of offshore incorporation specialists including firms like Sterling Offshore Ltd., a Seychelles
based firm of legal and business consultants specialising in offshore company formation, mutual funds, hedge funds and captive
insurance.
Seychelles is the smallest nation in the world issuing its own currency (i.e., not pegged to a foreign currency and not shared with any other country).
Demographics
-
- See also: Indo-Seychellois, Sino-Seychellois, Seychellois Creole People,
Seychellois Creole, and Franco-Seychellois
As the islands of the Seychelles had no indigenous population, the current Seychellois are composed of immigrants, mostly of
French, African, Indian, and
Chinese descent. French and English are official languages along with a French-based Creole. Most Seychellois are Christians; the Roman Catholic Church is the predominant denomination.
Culture
-
The folk music incorporates multiple influences in a syncretic fashion, including
English contredanse, polka
and mazurka, French folk and pop, sega from Mauritius and Réunion, taarab,
soukous and other pan-African genres, and Polynesian,
Indian and Arcadian music. A complex form of percussion music called contombley is popular, as is
Moutya, a fusion of native folk rhythms with Kenyan
benga developed by Patrick Victor.
As of 1992, some ninety percent of the population was Roman Catholic and
approximately seven percent Anglican. Although clergy and
civil authorities disapprove, many Seychellois see little inconsistency between their orthodox religious observance and belief in
magic, witchcraft, and sorcery.
Flora and Fauna
In common with many fragile island ecosysytems, the early human history of Seychelles saw the loss of biodiversity including
the disappearance of most of the giant tortoises from the granitic islands, felling of
coastal and mid-level forests and extinction of species such as the chestnut flanked white eye, the Seychelles parakeet and the saltwater crocodile. However,
extinctions were far fewer than on other islands such as Mauritius or Hawaii, partly due to a shorter period of human occupation (since 1770). The Seychelles today is known for
success stories in protecting its flora and fauna.
Arguably the first scientific study of Seychelles was that of the Marion Dufresne expedition in 1768, two years prior to
settlement. Dufresne instructed Duchemin, captain of the vessel La Digue, to ...especially give the greatest attention to the
study and prospects of all the species of inland productions such as trees, bushes, plants, herbs, quadruped animals, birds,
insects, freshwater fish, stones, soil, minerals. Nothing is unimportant. You must not avoid giving details and descriptions-
everything is worthy of attention. Their observations remain an intriguing window on Seychelles prior to human
interference.
Subsequent to settlement, Fairfax Moresby’s hydrographic survey in 1822, was the first scientific study in the islands, while
early collectors included those of Pervillé, Wright and Mobius during the early to mid nineteenth century. The first major avian
collector was Newton in 1865 followed by Lantz in 1877, both in the granitics. Abbott collected in the granitics in 1890 and in
the Aldabra group in 1893. Voeltzkow also made general natural history collections on Aldabra in 1895.
In 1882, Coppinger made extensive collections and observations. Several expeditions followed, most significant of which was
the Percy Sladen Expedition aboard Sealark in 1905, when Gardiner made extensive collections in the granitics and outer islands.
His collections for some islands remain the only records available into the 21st century.
Studies subsequent to Gardiner were sparse up to the 1950s, though some residents of Seychelles made valuable contributions,
notably Dupont, Thomasset, Baty and Vesey Fitzgerald. Visiting oceanographic expeditions also made some collections. In the
1950s, Smith conducted a major study of marine fish, while Cousteau also visited in 1954 aboard Calypso. Legrand collected
Lepidoptera in the 1950s, while the Bristol University expedition of 1964-65 focussed on birds and insects.
The contribution of Royal Society to the knowledge of Aldabra from 1966 is legendary and work on Aldabra continued under the
custodianship of Seychelles Islands Foundation In more modern times,
International Council for Bird Preservation (ICBP, now BirdLife International)
conducted a great deal of research on Cousin Island. In the second half of the 1980s and
during the 1990s, many reports and published papers for the granitics were the result of work conducted on Aride Island first by Royal Society for Nature Conservation (now Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts) and then by the local NGO Island Conservation Society, summarized in Annual Reports from 1987 to the present.
Extensive scientific research is carried out since the 1990s and much of this is published in Seychelles in the scientific
journal Phelsuma
(published by Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles.
Although many of the conservation laws date back to British colonial days, the Seychelles government has strictly protected
the natural heritage of the islands for many years. Flagship species, the Seychelles Magpie
Robin and the Seychelles Warbler, have been spectacularly rescued from the brink of extinction by BirdLife International, Royal Society of
Wildlife Trusts, Island Conservation Society, Nature Seychelles, private islands (Fregate and Denis) and the Government of Seychelles. These birds,
once restricted to one island each, have been translocated to many others. Seychelles has 12 endemic bird species. These are the Aldabra Drongo, Seychelles Magpie robin, Seychelles Paradise
Flycatcher, Seychelles Fody, Seychelles Scops-owl, Seychelles White-eye, Seychelles Swiftlet, Seychelles
Kestrel, Seychelles Blue Pigeon Seychelles Bulbul, Seychelles Warbler and Seychelles Sunbird.
Seychelles is home to two UNESCO World Heritage
Sites run by the Seychelles Islands Foundation. They are the atoll of Aldabra, which is
the world's largest raised coral atoll and also the Vallée de Mai on Praslin island, billed as the
original site of the Garden of Eden. The Cousin Island Special Reserve, purchased by
Royal Society for Nature Conservation in 1968 and managed by Nature
Seychelles, is an internationally-known bird and marine sanctuary which has won several awards for conservation and ecotourism.
Seychelles has six national marine parks including the St. Anne National Marine Park located adjacent to the capital, Port
Victoria which are managed by the government parastatal, Marine Parks Authority. Much of the land territory (about 40%) and a
substantial part of the coastal sea around Seychelles are protected as National Parks, including Marine Parks, and Reserves.
A World Bank/Environment Facility project in 1999 and a project for rat eradication has led to a programme of restoration of
private islands by the government, Nature Seychelles and private island owners. These islands include Fregate, Denis and Cousine.
The management of these islands now employ full time conservation officers and fund conservation programmes. The island
restoration program has now been taken to the outer islands by the Island
Conservation Society, with the first Island Conservation Centre opened at Alphonse Atoll in 2007. Island Conservation Society has also implemented other conservation programmes on islands
including Conception, North Island, Cosmoledo Atoll and Farquhar Atoll.
The granitic islands of Seychelles are home to about 75 endemic plant species, with a further 25 or so species in the Aldabra
group. Particularly well-known is the Coco de mer, a species of palm that grows only on the
islands of Praslin and neighbouring Curieuse. Sometimes
nicknamed the 'love nut' because of its suggestive shape, the coco-de-mer is the world's largest seed. The jellyfish tree is to be found in only a few locations today. This strange and ancient plant has resisted
all efforts to propagate it. Other unique plant species include the Wrights Gardenia found only on Aride Island Special Reserve.
The giant tortoises from Aldabra now populate many of
the islands of the Seychelles. The Aldabra population is the largest in the world. These unique reptiles can be found even in
captive herds. It was has been reported that the granitic islands of Seychelles supported distinct species of Seychelles giant tortoises, the status of the different populations is currently unclear.
Seychelles hosts some of the largest seabird colonies in the world. Islands such as Bird, Aride
Island, Cousin, Aldabra and Cosmoledo host many
species of seabirds including the sooty tern, fairy tern, white-tailed tropicbird,
noddies and frigatebirds. Aride Island has more species of seabird and greater numbers than the other 40 granite islands combined
including the world's largest colony of Audubon's Shearwater and Lesser Noddy.
The marine life around the islands, especially the more remote coral islands, can be spectacular. More than 1000 species of
fish have been recorded. Since the use of spearguns and dynamite for fishing was banned through efforts of local conservationists in the 1960s, the wildlife is
unafraid of snorkelers and divers. Coral bleaching in 1998 has unfortunately damaged
most reefs, but some reefs show healthy recovery (e.g. Silhouette Island. The reefs
comprise of a vast selection of soft corals and hard corals alike. There is great diving and snorkeling opportunity. The taking
of marine turtles was completely stopped in 1994, turtle populations are now recovering on several protected islands, most
notably Cousin Island, Aride Island,
Silhouette Island and Aldabra. However, they continue
to decline at unprotected sites. The use of gill nets for shark fishing as well as the practice of shark finning are now
banned.
Gallery
Miscellaneous topics
Further reading
- Aldabra Adrian Skerrett (Editor)
- Berlitz Pocket Guide Adrian & Judith Skerrett
- Birds of the Seychelles Adrian Skerrett, Ian Bullock, Tony Disley
- Bradt travel Guide: Seychelles Lynnath Beckleya and Lyn Mair
- The History of Slavery in Mauritius and the Seychelles, 1810-1875 Moses D. E., Nwulia
- Insight Guide: Mauritius, Réunion and Seychelles Emily Hatchwell
- Insight Pocket Guide: Seychelles Judith & Adrian Skerrett
- Journey through Seychelles Mohamed Amin, Duncan Willets, Adrian Skerrett, Judith Skerrett
- Lonely Planet World Guide: Mauritius, Réunion and Seychelles Jan Dodd, Madeleine Philippe
- Political Castaways Christopher Lee
- The Seychelles Michael Friedel
- Seychelles Vincenzo Paolillo
- Seychelles: Garden of Eden in the Indian Ocean Sarah Carpin
- Paradise Raped James R. Mancham
- Seychelles: The New Era France Albert René
- Seychelles, What Next? Alain St.Ange
- Seychelles Since 1770: History of a Slave and Post-Slavery Society Deryck Scarr
- Seychelles, In Search of Democracy Alain St.Ange & Bernard Georges
- 'Rivals in Eden' and 'Hard Times in Paradise' Bill McAteer
- Seychelles, The Cry of A People Alain St.Ange
References
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