Seychelles Island
geography
The seychelles’s 115 granite and coral islands extend from between 4 and 10 degrees south of the equator and lie between 480km and 1,600km from the east coast of africa in the western indian ocean.
This indian ocean republic occupies a land area of 455 km² and an exclusive economic zone of 1.4 million km². It represents an archipelago of timeless beauty, tranquillity and harmony that is famous for its world-beating beaches and for its great diversity which rolls from lush forests down to the warm azure ocean.
Of these 115 islands, 41 the inner islands constitute the oldest mid-oceanic granite islands on earth while a further 74 form the 5 groups of low-lying coral atolls and reef islets that are the outer islands.
Seychelles is home to no less than two UNESCO World heritage sites: the legendary vallée de mai on praslin where the wondrously shaped coco-de-mer nut grows high on ancient palms and the fabled Aldabra, the world’s largest raised coral atoll, first seen by early arab seafarers of the 9th century A.D.
Seychelles, one of the world’s very last frontiers, promises adventure and breathtaking natural beauty in pristine surrounds still untouched by man.
history
Seychelles is a comparatively young nation which can trace its first settlement back to 1770 when the islands were first settled by the french, leading a small party of whites, indians and africans. The islands remained in french hands until the defeat of napoleon at waterloo, evolving from humble beginnings to attain a population of 3,500 by the time seychelles was ceded to britain under the treaty of Paris in 1814.
During this period seychelles came to know the enlightened policies of administrators such as pierre poivre, the brilliant politicking of governor queau de quinssy and, of course, the terrible repercussions of the french revolution.
Under the british, seychelles achieved a population of some 7,000 by the year 1825. important estates were established during this time producing coconut, food crops, cotton and sugar cane. During this period seychelles also saw the establishment of victoria as her capital, the exile of numerous and colourful troublemakers from the empire, the devastation caused by the famous avalanche of 1862 and the economic repercussions of the abolition of slavery.
Seychelles achieved independence from britain in 1976 and became a republic within the commonwealth. following a period of single party rule by the government of Mr. France Albert René, on december 4, 1991, President René announced a return to the multiparty system of government, 1993 saw the first multiparty presidential and legislative elections held under a new constitution in which President René was victorious. President René also won the 1998 and 2003 elections before transferring the Presidency to James Alix Michel in june 2004.
Fun Fact
Meet Esmeralda, the world's largest tortoise who lives in Seychelles.
culture
The cosmopolitan seychellois are a colourful blend of peoples of different races, cultures and religions. at different times in its history, people of african, european and asian origin have come to seychelles, bringing with them their distinct traditions and customs and contributing to the way of life and to the vibrant seychellois culture.
One can see these influences at work throughout the domains of local art, cuisine, music, dance and architecture.
The architectural design of some of the grand old houses with their steep roofs are representative of a style adapted for comfortable living in the tropics that displays influences from seychelles’ french and british colonial heritage. Modern architecture attempts to assimilate traditional styles with practical features designed to capture the island breezes.
Local artists continue to exhibit diverse styles that echo the multi-ethnic backdrop of the islands and bear testament to the various influences which have come to bear. Creole music and dance have their roots in african, malagasy and european cultures with rhythms traditionally accompanied by simple drums and string instruments which, today, include such recent imports as the violin and guitar.
The traditional moutya is an erotic dance derived from the days of slavery and still features today, together with the sega with its colourful lyrics; the kanmtole, reminiscent of a country reel, and the kontredanse, an import from the french court.
climate
the seychelles’ beautiful tropical climate does not reach extreme temperatures of hot and cold. The temperature rarely drops below 24°C or rises above 32°C. All but the remotest southern islands lie outside the cyclone belt making seychelles’ a year round destination for sun worshippers and beach lovers.
It is generally cooler when the north-west trade winds blow during the months of November to March. The sea is generally calm and the weather warm and humid, with average winds of 15 – 22 kilometres per hour.
A larger amount of the annual rainfall falls during the months of December to February compared to other months. The average number of rainy (days with 1 millimetre or more rainfall) in December, January and February are 18, 17 and 11 days respectively. It is also fairly cloudy at times during those months and therefore less sunshine. The weather is hottest from December to April, and the humidity is high – often 80% or higher.
The months of May to October bring drier, cooler weather, and livelier seas – particularly on south-eastern coasts – and winds of 19 -37 kilometres per hour are common.
On average the number of rainy days during this period is 11 with long periods of sunshine. Dry spells of two weeks or more are fairly common.
For more detailed weather information, please visit the Seychelles Meteorological Services official website and click on “The Seychelles Climate Guide.”
language
In the evolution of its society, seychelles has remained faithful to its multi-ethnic roots. For over two centuries, the islands have remained a melting pot of different races, traditions and religions from the four corners of the earth.
Inspired by its grand diversity of cultural influences, ethnic diversity with racial harmony remain the mainstays of today’s vibrant yet tranquil creole nation for which harmony is a way of life.
There are three official languages in seychelles: Creole (a lilting, french-based patois), english and french. Many seychellois also speak fluent italian or german.
