Seychelles is a small island country located in the Somali sea northeast of Madagascar and about 835mi (1,344km) from Mogadishu, Somalia, its nearest foreign mainland city, while Antsiranana is the nearest foreign city overall.[1] Seychelles lies between approximately 4S and 10S and 46E and 54E. The nation is an archipelago of 115 tropical islands, some granite and some coral. the majority of which are small and uninhabited. The landmass is only 452km2 (175sqmi), but the islands are spread wide over an exclusive economic zone of 1,336,559km2 (516,048sqmi). About 90 percent of the population of 90,000 live on Mah, 9 percent on Praslin and La Digue. Around a third of the land area is the island of Mah and a further third the atoll of Aldabra.[2]
There are two distinct regions, the granitic islands, the world's only oceanic islands of granitic rock and the coralline outer islands. The granite islands are the worlds oldest ocean islands, while the outer islands are mainly very young, though the Aldabra group and St Pierre (Farquhar Group) are unusual, raised coral islands that have emerged and submerged several times during their long history, the most recent submergence dating from about 125,000 years ago[3]
The archipelago consists of 115 islands and thirty prominent rock formations scattered throughout a self-proclaimed exclusive economic zone of more than 1,350,000 square kilometres (520,000sqmi) of ocean.[4] Some forty islands are granitic and lie in a 90-kilometre (56mi) radius from Mah, the main island.[4] The remaining islands are coralline, stretching over a 1,200-kilometre (750mi) radius from Ile Aux Vaches in the northeast to the Aldabra Atoll in the southwest.[4] The country's Inner Islands are the granitic islands plus two nearby coralline islands, Bird Island and Denis Island.[citation needed] The remaining coralline islands are the Outer Islands.[citation needed] The islands are all smallthe aggregate land area is only 455 square kilometres (176sqmi).[4][5]
Mah is 25 kilometres (16mi) long and no more than 8 kilometres (5.0mi) wide,[4] with an area of with a size of 156.7km2 (61sqmi).[citation needed] It contains the capital and only city, Victoria, an excellent port.[4] Victoria lies approximately 1,600 kilometres (990mi) east of Mombasa, Kenya; 2,800 kilometres (1,700mi) southwest of Mumbai; 1,700 kilometres (1,100mi) north of Mauritius; and 920 kilometres (570mi) northeast of Madagascar.[4] The only other important islands by virtue of their size and population are Praslin and La Digue, situated about thirty kilometers to the northeast of Mah.[4]
The granitic islands are the peaks of the submarine Mascarene Plateau, a continental formation theorized to be either a part of Africa separated when Asia began to drift away from the original single continent of Gondwana, or the remnants of a microcontinent that existed up to the beginning of the Tertiary Period, approximately 50 million years ago.[4] The granitic islands are characterized by boulder-covered hills and mountains as high as 940 metres (3,080ft) rising abruptly from the sea.[4] Elsewhere, narrow coastal plains extend to the base of the foothills.[4] Extensively developed coral reefs are found mainly on the east coasts because of the southwest trade winds and equatorial current. Ninety-nine percent of the population is located on the granitic islands, and most are on Mah.[4]
The coralline islands differ sharply from the granitic in that they are very flat, often rising only a few feet (one meter) above sea level. They have no fresh water, and very few have a resident population.[4] Many, like Ile aux Vaches, Ile Denis, the Amirante Isles, Platte Island, and Coetivy Island, are sand cays upon which extensive coconut plantations have been established.[4] Some of the coralline islands consist of uplifted reefs and atolls covered with stunted vegetation.[4] Several of these islands have been important breeding grounds for turtles and birds, as well as the sites of extensive guano deposits, which formerly constituted an important element of the Seychellois economy but now for the most part are depleted.[4] The Aldabra Islands, the largest coralline atoll with an area greater than Mahe, are a sanctuary for rare animals and birds.[4]
The five groups of coralline islands that make up the Outer Islands are Southern Coral Group (a collective term for le Platte and Cotivy Island), Amirante Islands, Alphonse Group (Alphonse Atoll and St. Franois Atoll), Aldabra Group (Aldabra Atoll, Assumption Island, and the Cosmoledo Group, consisting of Cosmoledo Atoll and Astove Island), and Farquhar Group (Farquhar Atoll, Providence Atoll and St. Pierre Island).[citation needed]
The Seychelles is part of the granitic Mascarene Plateau which broke off from the Indian Plate about 66 mya. This rift formation is associated with the Runion hotspot which is also responsible for Runion Island and the Deccan Traps in India. Because of its long isolation, the Seychelles hosts several unique species including the coco de mer, a palm which has the largest seeds of any plant and the world's largest population of giant tortoises.[citation needed]
The climate of Seychelles is tropical, having little seasonal variation.[4] Temperatures on Mahe rarely rise above 29C (84F) or drop below 24C (75F).[4] Humidity is high, but its enervating effect is usually ameliorated by prevailing winds.[4] The southeast monsoon from late May to September brings cooler weather, and the northwest monsoon from March to May, warmer weather.[4]
High winds are rare inasmuch as most islands lie outside the Indian Ocean cyclone belt; Mahe suffered the only such storm in its recorded history in 1862.[4] Mean annual rainfall in Mahe averages 2,880 millimetres (113in) at sea level and as much as 3,550 millimetres (140in) on the mountain slopes.[4] Precipitation is somewhat less on the other islands, averaging as low as 500 millimetres (20in) per year on the southernmost coral islands.[4]
Because catchment provides most sources of water in Seychelles, yearly variations in rainfall or even brief periods of drought can produce water shortages.[4] Small dams have been built on Mahe since 1969 in an effort to guarantee a reliable water supply, but drought can still be a problem on Mahe and particularly on La Digue.[4]
The Seychelles contain at least 75 species of flowering plants, three mammal species, 15 bird species, 30 species of reptiles and amphibians, and several hundred species of snails, insects, spiders and other invertebrates found nowhere else.[4] The diversity of species in the islands is being assessed by the Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles.[citation needed] In addition, the waters contain more than 900 kinds of fish, of which more than one-third are associated with coral reefs.[4] Specific examples of unique birds are the black paradise flycatcher, the black parrot, the brush warbler, and a flightless rail.[4] Most famous of all the Seychelles animals are the giant tortoises of the genus Aldabrachelys.[citation needed]
As a result of extensive shipping to Seychelles that brings needed imports and the discharge of commercial tuna fishing, the waters suffer some pollution.[4] Furthermore, goats brought to Aldabra Islands are destroying much of the vegetation on which giant tortoises feed or seek shade.[4] Rats have reduced biodiversity on many islands.[citation needed] Climate change is also a significant issue; it was recently realised that this has caused the extinction of the endemic snail Rhachistia aldabrae.[citation needed]
Seychelles began addressing the conservation problem in the late 1960s by creating the Nature Conservancy Commission, later renamed the Seychelles National Environment Commission.[4] A system of national parks and animal preserves covering 42% of the land area and about 260 square kilometres (100sqmi) of the surrounding water areas has been set aside.[4] Legislation protects wildlife and bans various destructive practices.[4]
A major project has been funded by Fonds Francais pour l'environnement Mondiale (FFEM) and implemented by Island Conservation Society.[6] This aims to rehabilitate and enhance islands for the maintenance of native biodiversity in Seychelles through eradication of introduced predator species, rehabilitation of habitats and reintroduction of rare or threatened species. Rats have been eliminated from North Island under this project and more schemes are planned, including at Cosmoledo Atoll and on Conception Island.
Geographic coordinates: 435S 5540E / 4.583S 55.667E / -4.583; 55.667
Area:total:459km2land:459km2water:0km2
Land boundaries:0km
Coastline:491km
Maritime claims:continental shelf:200nmi (370.4km; 230.2mi) or to the edge of the continental marginexclusive economic zone:1,336,559km2 (516,048sqmi) with 200nmi (370.4km; 230.2mi)territorial sea:12nmi (22.2km; 13.8mi)
Elevation extremes:lowest point:Indian Ocean 0 mhighest point:Morne Seychellois 905 m
Natural resources:fish, copra, cinnamon trees
Land use:arable land:2%permanent crops:13%permanent pastures:0%forests and woodland:11%other:74% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land:0km2
Environment - international agreements:party to:Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whalingsigned, but not ratified:Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
This is a list of the extreme points of Seychelles, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.
See more here:
Geography of Seychelles - Wikipedia
- Seychelles to send 3 sportspeople to Olympics in Paris - Seychelles News Agency - April 20th, 2024 [April 20th, 2024]
- Seychelles working towards One Health platform for humans and animals - Seychelles News Agency - April 20th, 2024 [April 20th, 2024]
- Seychelles' Authorities Offering Reward for Info On Suspected Gas Attacks - AllAfrica - Top Africa News - April 20th, 2024 [April 20th, 2024]
- Photo Feature: College of Education faculty visit University of Seychelles - Communique - March 22nd, 2024 [March 22nd, 2024]
- High Seas Treaty Will Help Defend Small Island Nations' Fisheries - The Maritime Executive - March 22nd, 2024 [March 22nd, 2024]
- The best time to visit the Seychelles - Cond Nast Traveller India - March 22nd, 2024 [March 22nd, 2024]
- Mauritius and Seychelles are the only African countries eligible for visa on arrival to the UAE - Business Insider Africa - March 22nd, 2024 [March 22nd, 2024]
- Tanzanian national sentenced 12 years in prison in Seychelles for importation of cocaine - Seychelles News Agency - March 22nd, 2024 [March 22nd, 2024]
- Hilton Announces the Opening of Canopy by Hilton Seychelles - Franchising.com - March 22nd, 2024 [March 22nd, 2024]
- Hilton opens first Canopy branded Seychelles resort - TravelMole - March 22nd, 2024 [March 22nd, 2024]
- Why Mauritius and Seychelles are the only African countries granted visa-on-arrival access to the UAE - Ventures Africa - March 22nd, 2024 [March 22nd, 2024]
- Seychelles and US complete 2nd bilateral military operation within EEZ - Seychelles News Agency - March 22nd, 2024 [March 22nd, 2024]
- Seychelles participates in the 22nd Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council - Africa.com - March 22nd, 2024 [March 22nd, 2024]
- Tourism Seychelles and Turkey Tourism Enhance Relationship - eTurboNews | eTN - March 22nd, 2024 [March 22nd, 2024]
- Seychelles and Bahrain Enjoy Tourism Networking Dinner - eTurboNews | eTN - March 22nd, 2024 [March 22nd, 2024]
- Implementing the debt-for-nature swaps for marine protected areas: case studies from Seychelles and Belize ... - Nature.com - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- Seychelles introduces world of immersive experiences offering profound insight into local culture - Travel Trade Jouurnal - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- Appointment of the new Commissioner General of the Seychelles Revenue Commission - Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- Air Seychelles cancels direct flights to Tel Aviv as of October 13 ... - Seychelles News Agency - October 13th, 2023 [October 13th, 2023]
- Condor Airlines Becomes Latest Airline To Resume Flights To ... - Simple Flying - October 13th, 2023 [October 13th, 2023]
- Seychelles Opposition Leader Patrick Herminie Arrested for ... - Bitter Winter - October 13th, 2023 [October 13th, 2023]
- Seychelles' 5 Leaders of the Opposition in the Third Republic - Seychelles News Agency - October 13th, 2023 [October 13th, 2023]
- 5 customs administrations from Indian Ocean agree to create ... - Seychelles News Agency - October 13th, 2023 [October 13th, 2023]
- Ocean Science as a Pillar of Sustainable Ocean Management: - IOC-UNESCO - October 13th, 2023 [October 13th, 2023]
- Supreme Court ruling tells LGBTQ people in Mauritius that their ... - OHCHR - October 13th, 2023 [October 13th, 2023]
- Bitget Lists Big Time (Big Time) in the Innovation and GameFi Zone - PR Newswire - October 13th, 2023 [October 13th, 2023]
- Governor General to welcome new heads of mission to Canada - Gouverneure gnrale du Canada - October 13th, 2023 [October 13th, 2023]
- Letters of Credence Ceremony | The Governor General of Canada - Gouverneure gnrale du Canada - October 13th, 2023 [October 13th, 2023]
- Seychelles Breweries "fully committed" to campaigns against obesity ... - Seychelles News Agency - October 9th, 2023 [October 9th, 2023]
- Air Seychelles denies flight to Israel made emergency landing in ... - The Times of Israel - October 9th, 2023 [October 9th, 2023]
- Free sterilisation of dogs camp in Seychelles to start in October - Seychelles News Agency - October 9th, 2023 [October 9th, 2023]
- Seychelles: Small Islands With Big Aspirations - AllAfrica - Top Africa News - October 9th, 2023 [October 9th, 2023]
- Observer Group lauds Elections Commission of Maldives in its ... - Commonwealth - October 9th, 2023 [October 9th, 2023]
- 25 of the best hotels in the Indian Ocean - The Times - October 9th, 2023 [October 9th, 2023]
- Danny Faure, Former President of the Republic of Seychelles to ... - Commonwealth - August 24th, 2023 [August 24th, 2023]
- Appointment of the Board of Seychelles Licensing Authority and its ... - African Business - August 24th, 2023 [August 24th, 2023]
- Seychelles launches national survey on cardiovascular and non ... - Seychelles News Agency - August 24th, 2023 [August 24th, 2023]
- Ehi Braimah: Blue economy will boost Nigeria's revenue -- no ... - TheCable - August 24th, 2023 [August 24th, 2023]
- Saudi women's football teams could play in Oceania under new deal - RNZ - August 24th, 2023 [August 24th, 2023]
- Nuveen Q&A: There is lack of understanding over the potential of ... - ESG Clarity - August 24th, 2023 [August 24th, 2023]
- Russia and Seychelles Consider Increasing Direct Flights Amidst ... - RusTourismNews - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- Russia steps up the pressure in northeast Ukraine - Seychelles News Agency - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- Joint Press release : Seychelles hosts the first African Peer Review ... - African Business - August 8th, 2023 [August 8th, 2023]
- Good governance: Seychelles takes part in APRM with African ... - Seychelles News Agency - August 8th, 2023 [August 8th, 2023]
- Seychelles' year-on-year inflation goes down to -1.3% as of June 2023 - Seychelles News Agency - August 8th, 2023 [August 8th, 2023]
- Around the World in 50 Destinations - Cruising World - August 8th, 2023 [August 8th, 2023]
- Iceland, Hungary helped shelter Belarusian businessman from EU ... - EURACTIV - August 8th, 2023 [August 8th, 2023]
- Rwanda, Seychelles Waive Visas, Ink Five Pacts to Deepen Relations - AllAfrica - Top Africa News - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- Seychelles' fiscal performance in Q1 much better year-on-year - Seychelles News Agency - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- Harnessing Renewable Energy in Seychelles: Challenges and ... - EnergyPortal.eu - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- Seychelles' La Gogue Dam back in operation with 60% increased ... - Seychelles News Agency - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- Seychelles' Aride Island Nature Reserve Temporarily Closes Until ... - AllAfrica - Top Africa News - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- For more than a year, Russia's richest man cleverly dodged the ... - Luxurylaunches - June 30th, 2023 [June 30th, 2023]
- How debt-for-nature swaps successfully finance UNESCO World Heritage conservation in Belize and Seychelles - EIN News - February 18th, 2023 [February 18th, 2023]
- Demographics of Seychelles - Wikipedia - January 27th, 2023 [January 27th, 2023]
- Aldabra Atoll Seychelles cruise port schedule | CruiseMapper - January 27th, 2023 [January 27th, 2023]
- After oxygen therapy for 5 years, Indian doctors help Seychelles woman breathe on her own again - The Indian Express - January 27th, 2023 [January 27th, 2023]
- Air Seychelles to Launch New Route to Almaty This December - Astana Times - November 30th, 2022 [November 30th, 2022]
- Seychelles - United States Department of State - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Seychelles: Appointment of the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Service Authority - African Business - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- University of Plymouth: Changing the world, one student at a time - Study International News - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Africa & Crypto: Top 5 countries and 10 best tokens - Ventures Africa - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- The treasure islands where tortoises have right of way - The Telegraph - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Gambia takes interest in Seychelles' state-owned enterprises oversight - The Point - The Point - September 9th, 2022 [September 9th, 2022]
- Oceania Cruises Announces 2025 'Around the World in 180 Days' Voyage - Cruise Radio - September 9th, 2022 [September 9th, 2022]
- What Do Ocean Preserves Really Safeguard? That Depends The Revelator - The Revelator - September 9th, 2022 [September 9th, 2022]
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- Homosexuality Is Still Illegal in These 67 U.N. Countries - Newsweek - August 22nd, 2022 [August 22nd, 2022]
- A Menu Sample of Dishes to Try When in the Seychelles - Africa.com - August 2nd, 2022 [August 2nd, 2022]
- Committee against Torture Discusses Reports on Follow-up to Concluding Observations, Individual Communications, and Reprisals - OHCHR - July 29th, 2022 [July 29th, 2022]
- Japan's passport is the most powerful in the world where does SA rank? - Moneyweb - July 29th, 2022 [July 29th, 2022]
- Five things South Africans should do in the Seychelles - Mail and Guardian - July 25th, 2022 [July 25th, 2022]
- KuCoin Expands its Reaching in Metaverse by Launching an Immersive Metaverse Office in Ertha - Business Wire - July 25th, 2022 [July 25th, 2022]
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- Crypto Trading Firm TPS Capital Denied Ties to Insolvent Three Arrows. Court Documents Indicate a Connection - Yahoo Finance - July 25th, 2022 [July 25th, 2022]
- Crypto Exchange OKX Is Paying $20 Million-Plus To Sponsor Manchester City Training Kit This Season - Forbes - July 11th, 2022 [July 11th, 2022]
- Colombo Security Conclave agrees to tackle common threats - The Hindu - July 11th, 2022 [July 11th, 2022]
- President Ramkalawan Officially Launched the Institute of Football Seychelles - African Business - June 5th, 2022 [June 5th, 2022]
- As Growth Slows, Madagascar Needs a New Reform Drive To Steer Clear of the Economic Storm - World Bank Group - June 5th, 2022 [June 5th, 2022]