Seychelles

55°40′E / 4.583°S 55.667°E / -4.583; 55.667

Seychelles (/[unsupported input]sˈʃɛlz/ say-SHELZ; French: [sɛʃɛl]), offeecially the Republic o Seychelles (French: République des Seychelles; Creole: Repiblik Sesel), is an island kintra spannin an archipelago o 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some 1,500 kilometres (932 mi) east o mainland Africae, northeast o the island o Madagascar.

Republic o Seychelles

  • République des Seychelles (French)
  • Repiblik Sesel (Seychelles Creole)
Motto: "Finis Coronat Opus" (Laitin)
"The End Crouns the Wark"
AnthemKoste Seselwa
Jyn thegither aw Seychellois
Location o  Seychelles  (dark blue) – in Africa  (light blue & dark grey) – in the African Union  (light blue)
Location o  Seychelles  (dark blue)

– in Africa  (light blue & dark grey)
– in the African Union  (light blue)

CaipitalVictoria
4°37′S 55°27′E / 4.617°S 55.450°E / -4.617; 55.450
Lairgest ceetycapital
Offeecial leids
Ethnic groups
(2000)
  • 93.2% Creoles
  • 3.0% Breetish
  • 1.8% French
  • 0.4% Cheenese
  • 0.4% Indian
  • 1.2% ithers
Demonym(s)
  • Seychellois
  • Seychelloise
  • Seselwa (Creole)
GovrenmentUnitar presidential republic
• Preses
Wavel Ramkalawan[1]
• Vice President
Ahmed Afif
LegislaturNaitional Assemmly
Unthirldom
• frae the Unitit Kinrick
29 Juin 1976
Aurie
• Total
459 km2 (177 sq mi) (181st)
• Water (%)
negligible
Population
• 2016 estimate
94,228[2] (195t)
• Density
186.2/km2 (482.3/sq mi) (60t)
GDP (PPP)2017 estimate
• Total
$2.761 billion[3]
• Per capita
$29,155[3]
GDP (nominal)2017 estimate
• Tot
$1.475 billion[3]
• Per capita
$15,577[3]
Gini (2007)65.8[4]
verra heich
HDI (2014)Increase 0.772[5]
heich · 64th
CurrencySeychellois rupee (SCR)
Time zoneUTC+4 (SCT)
• Summer (DST)
UTC+4 (nae observed)
Drivin sideleft
Cawin code+248
ISO 3166 codeSC
Internet TLD.sc
Map

Ither nearbi island kintras an territories include Zanzibar tae the wast, Mauritius an Réunion tae the sooth, Comoros an Mayotte tae the soothwast. Seychelles, wi an estimatit population o 84,000, haes the smawest population o ony African state.[6]

History

Austronesian seafarers or Arab traders wur the first tae visit the uninhabitit Seychelles. The earliest recordit sichtin bi Europeans teuk place in 1502 bi the Portuguese Admiral Vasco da Gama, who passed through the Amirantes an named them efter hissel (islands o the Admiral).

A transit point for trade atween Africae an Asie, the islands wur occasionally uised bi pirates till the French began tae take control stairtin in 1756 when a Stone o Possession wis laid bi Caiptain Nicholas Morphey. The islands wur named efter Jean Moreau de Séchelles, Louis XV’s Meenister o Finance.[7]

The Breetish contestit control ower the islands atween 1794 an 1810. Jean Baptiste Quéau de Quincy, French administrator o Seychelles durin the years o war wi the Unitit Kinrick, declined tae resist when airmed enemy warships arrived.[8] Instead, he successfully negotiatit the status o capitulation tae Breetain which gave the settlers a privileged position o neutrality.

Breetain eventually assumed full control upon the surrender o Mauritius in 1810, formalised in 1814 at the Treaty o Paris. Seychelles became a croun colony separate frae Mauritius in 1903. Elections wur held in 1966 an 1970. Unthrildom wis grantit in 1976 as a republic athin the Commonweel.[9] In 1977, a coup d'état oostit the first preses o the republic, James Mancham, who wis replaced bi France Albert René.[10] The 1979 constitution declared a socialist ane-pairty state, which lastit till 1991. The first draft o a new constitution failed tae receive the requisite 60 percent o voters in 1992, but an amendit version wis approved in 1993.

References