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Republic of Seychelles

Although well developed for visitors, the Indian Ocean tropical island archipelago of Seychelles features a large variety of carefully preserved plants, animals, sea life, beaches and reefs. Almost half the land area of the islands is designated as protected Parks and Nature Reserves, and many of the islands and atolls are designated as protected marine sanctuaries.
Picture - Aerial view over an island in the Seychelles.
Picture - Granite formations in the Seychelles.
View a slideshow of Republic of Seychelles Pictures
Situated 1,800 km/1,116 mi east of the Kenyan coast and four degrees south of the equator, the Seychelles archipelago consists of 115 islands, (of which 100 are named), including 41 granitic islands (the only mid-ocean granitic islands in the world) and 75 coralline islands. They are not volcanic in origin, but are the peaks of a vast underwater plateau.
The country is spread out over 1,300,000sq.km/806,000sq.mi, of which only 445sq.km/276sq.mi is land. Travel between the islands is accomplished mostly by air. The population is around 80,000 of whom 72,000 live on the main island of Mahé.
The average day has 12 hours of sunlight, and the mean maximum temperature is a warm and humid 29° although August and September are relatively cool and dry. There are two monsoon seasons and the most serious rainfall occurs in December and January, but the islands lie outside the cyclone belt.
The Seychelles were first noted by Arab and Persian sailors around the 9th C and the first European to explore the archipelago was Vasco de Gama, who claimed it for Portugal in 1502. France took possession in 1756, but ceded the islands to Britain following the Napoleonic Wars. English and French are the two official languages, with Seselwa Creole spoken as well. Independence was achieved in 1976 and a multi-party democracy has existed since 1991.

Related Attractions

Water Sports

Visitors to Seychelles can engage in sailing, diving and fishing. Chartered monohulls and catamarans will travel between the moorings of the inner islands and the beaches, lagoons and coves of the outer islands. Snorkelling and diving are facilitated by dive centers throughout the islands, and swimmers can observe some of the 900 fish species and over 100 species of coral.
Anglers can engage in big-game, bottom, trolling and salt-water fly-fishing. The most productive big-game and fighting catch banks are those around Mahé, Fregate, Bird and Denis Islands. Trolling fish include tuna, jackfish and dorado. Bottom fishing can produce giant red snapper, grouper and Job. Fly-fishing, by wading or small skiff.
The best sailing and windsurfing is in May and October, at the beginning and end of the trade winds. The Mahé/Praslin Windsurfing Competition, which starts from Victoria, Mahé and finishes at Maison des Palmes Beach on Praslin occurs in September. There are two annual Regattas: the Round Table Beau Vallon Regatta in August/September, and La Digue Annual Regatta in September.
For sailors, there are two tides a day and two seasons, wet and dry. The best anchorages are on the south and east coasts of the islands or in sheltered bays.