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   :: Facts At A Glance

Official Name Republic of Seychelles
Geographical Location An archipelago of 115 granite and coral islands found in the South Western Indian Ocean; between 4 and 10 degrees south of the equator
Area The land area is 455 sq. km. The Seychelles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is of more than 1.3 million square kilometers
Capital City Victoria
Local Time Seychelles is 4 hours ahead of GMT
3 hours ahead of British summer time
2 hours ahead of European summer time
Climate Seychelles lies outside the cyclone belt and enjoys a stable weather system. Shade temperature of around 25 to 31 degrees Celsius all year round
Sunshine Seychelles enjoys an average of 7.2 hours of sunshine per day
Rainfall The islands attracts over 2000mm of rain per year, however, some of the coralline islands have only a few mm of rain per year
Terrain About 1/3 of the islands are granitic in origin, with narrow coastal strips and central ranges of hills rising to 905 m. The other half are coral atolls, many uninhabitable
Demography Population: 82,500 (2004 figure); Growth rate: 0.6%; Density per square meter: 460
Nationality Seychellois
Ethnic Groups Creole (A mixture of European, Asian, and African)
Religions Catholic 86.6%; Anglican Church 6.8%; other Christians 2.5%; other religion 4.1%
Languages Official languages are Creole, English, and French
Education Education is compulsory through grade 10. The Literacy rate (12 yrs +) is 96% (2005 figure)
Health Free government health services for all Seychellois. Life expectanc - 72.6 yrs; Crude birth rate - 17.4; Infant mortality rate - 11.8. (2004)
Independence June 29th, 1976 from Great Britain
Constitution June 18th, 1993
National Day June 18th
Branches Executive - President (Head of Government)
Legislative - Unicameral National Assembly with 34 seats (25 directly elected and 9 allocated on a proportional basis)
Judicial - Supreme Court, Appeals Court
Political Parties - Seychelles People's Progressive Front (SPPF), the present government
- Democratic Party (DP)
- Seychelles National Party (SNP)
Administrative Divisions There are 25 administrative districts in Seychelles:
Anse aux Pins, Aux Cap, Roche Caiman, 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
GDP at Market Price (million rupees) SR 3,867 (2004 figure)
Real Growth Rate -2% (2004 figure)
Inflation 3.9% (2004 figure)
Arable Land 2%
Agriculture (main products) Copra, cinnamon bark, tea (green leaf)
Industries Tourism, Fisheries, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Construction
Natural Resources Fish, coconut, cinnamon
Exports (FOB) R 1,600.2 (2004 provisional)
Products : canned tuna, fish (fresh and frozen), cinnamon bark, other processed fish, frozen prawns, copra.
Re-exports: petroleum products, food, beverages, tobacco and chemicals
Imports (CIF) SR 2,739 (2004 provisional)
Products : machinery and transport equipment, food and live animals, beverages and tobacco, crude materials (inedible), mineral fuels, lubricants, etc, chemicals, manufactured goods, miscellaneous manufactured goods
Major Trading Partners UK, France, Italy, U.S., Spain, Japan, Netherlands, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Singapore, Taiwan