{"id":8555,"date":"2021-09-10T04:00:34","date_gmt":"2021-09-10T11:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/?p=8555"},"modified":"2021-09-10T13:15:19","modified_gmt":"2021-09-10T20:15:19","slug":"seychelles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/seychelles\/","title":{"rendered":"Seychelles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/h2>\n

Seychelles, officially the Republic of Seychelles, is an archipelagic island country in the Indian Ocean<\/a> at the eastern edge of the Somali Sea. It consists of 115 islands. Its capital and largest city, Victoria<\/a>, is 1,500 kilometres (932 mi) east of mainland Africa. Other nearby island countries and territories include the Comoros<\/a>, Madagascar<\/a>, Mauritius<\/a>, and the French overseas regions of Mayotte<\/a> and R\u00e9union<\/a> to the south; and Maldives<\/a> and the Chagos Archipelago<\/a> (administered by the United Kingdom as the British Indian Ocean Territory<\/a>) to the east. Its estimated population of 98,462 is the smallest population of any sovereign African country.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Seychelles on the Globe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Seychelles was uninhabited prior to being encountered by Europeans in the 16th century. It faced competing French and British interests until coming under full British control in the late 18th century. Since proclaiming independence from the United Kingdom in 1976, it has developed from a largely agricultural society to a market-based diversified economy, characterized by rapidly rising service, public sector, and tourism activities. From 1976 to 2015, nominal GDP grew nearly 700%, and purchasing power parity nearly 1600%. Since the late 2010s, the government has taken steps to encourage foreign investment.<\/p>\n

Today, Seychelles boasts the highest nominal per capita GDP of any African nation. It has the second-highest Human Development Index of any African country after Mauritius. It is one of only two African countries classified as a high-income economy by the World Bank<\/a> (the other being Mauritius).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Victoria, Seychelles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Seychellois culture and society is an eclectic mix of French, British, and African influences, with more recent infusions of Chinese and Indian elements. The country is a member of the United Nations<\/a>, the African Union<\/a>, the Southern African Development Community<\/a>, and the Commonwealth of Nations.<\/a><\/p>\n

History:<\/h2>\n

Seychelles were uninhabited throughout most of recorded history. Some scholars assume that Austronesian seafarers and later Maldivian and Arab traders were the first to visit the uninhabited Seychelles. This assumption is based on the discovery of tombs, visible until 1910. The earliest recorded sighting by Europeans took place on 15 March 1503, recorded by Thom\u00e9 Lopes<\/a> aboard Rui Mendes de Brito, part of the 4th Portuguese India Armada<\/a> commanded by the Portuguese Admiral Vasco da Gama<\/a>. Da Gama’s ships passed close to an elevated island, probably Silhouette Island<\/a> and the following day Desroches Island<\/a>. The earliest recorded landing was in January 1609, by the crew of the Ascension under Captain Alexander Sharpeigh<\/a> during the fourth voyage of the British East India Company.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
4th Portuguese India Armada<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A transit point for trade between Africa and Asia, the islands were said to be occasionally used by pirates until the French began to take control starting in 1756 when a Stone of Possession was laid on Mah\u00e9 by Captain Nicholas Morphey<\/a>. The islands were named after Jean Moreau de S\u00e9chelles<\/a>, Louis XV<\/a>‘s Minister of Finance.<\/p>\n

The British frigate Orpheus commanded by Captain Henry Newcome arrived at Mah\u00e9 on 16 May 1794, during the War of the First Coalition<\/a>. Terms of capitulation were drawn up and the next day Seychelles was surrendered to Britain. Jean Baptiste Qu\u00e9au de Quincy, the French administrator of Seychelles during the years of war with the United Kingdom, declined to resist when armed enemy warships arrived. Instead, he successfully negotiated the status of capitulation to Britain which gave the settlers a privileged position of neutrality.<\/p>\n

Britain eventually assumed full control upon the surrender of Mauritius in 1810, formalised in 1814 at the Treaty of Paris. Seychelles became a crown colony separate from Mauritius in 1903.<\/p>\n

Independence was granted in 1976 and it became a republic at the same time. It has been a member of Commonwealth. In the 1970s Seychelles was “the place to be seen, a playground for film stars and the international jet set”. In 1977, a coup d’\u00e9tat by France Albert Ren\u00e9<\/a> ousted the first president of the republic, James Mancham<\/a>. Ren\u00e9 discouraged overdependence on tourism and declared that he wanted “to keep the Seychelles for the Seychellois”.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
France-Albert Ren\u00e9<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 1979 constitution declared a socialist one-party state, which lasted until 1991.<\/p>\n

In the 1980s there were a series of coup attempts against President Ren\u00e9, some of which were supported by South Africa. In 1981, Mike Hoare<\/a> led a team of 43 South African mercenaries masquerading as holidaying rugby players in the 1981 Seychelles coup d’\u00e9tat attempt<\/a>. There was a gun battle at the airport, and most of the mercenaries later escaped in a hijacked Air India<\/a> plane. The leader of this hijacking was German mercenary D. Clodo, a former member of the Rhodesian SAS. Clodo later stood trial in South Africa (where he was acquitted) as well as in his home country Germany for air piracy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Mad Mike Hoare<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1986, an attempted coup led by the Seychelles Minister of Defence, Ogilvy Berlouis, caused President Ren\u00e9 to request assistance from India. In Operation Flowers are Blooming<\/a>, the Indian naval vessel Vindhyagiri<\/a> arrived in Port Victoria to help avert the coup.<\/p>\n

The first draft of a new constitution failed to receive the requisite 60% of voters in 1992, but an amended version was approved in 1993.<\/p>\n

In January 2013, Seychelles declared a state of emergency; the tropical cyclone Felleng caused torrential rain, and flooding and landslides destroyed hundreds of houses.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Wavel Ramkalawan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Following the violent coup in 1977, the president always represented the same political party until the October 2020 Seychellois general election, which was historic in that the opposition party won. Wavel Ramkalawan<\/a> was the first president who did not represent United Seychelles (the current name of the former Seychelles People’s Progressive Front).<\/p>\n

Geography:<\/h2>\n

An island nation, Seychelles is located in the Somali Sea segment of the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar<\/a> and about 1,600 km (994 mi) east of Kenya<\/a>. The Constitution of Seychelles lists 155 (not 115) named islands and a further 7 reclaimed islands have been created subsequent to the publication of the Constitution. The majority of the islands are uninhabited, with many dedicated as nature reserves. Seychelles largest island Mahe is located at a distance of 835 mi (1,344 km), from Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital over the Somali Sea.<\/p>\n

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Map of the Seychelles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A group of 44 islands (42 granitic and 2 coralline) occupy the shallow waters of the Seychelles Bank and are collectively referred to as the inner islands. They have a total area of 244 km2, accounting for 54% of the total land area of the Seychelles and 98% of the entire population.<\/p>\n

The islands are divided into groups as follows.<\/p>\n

There are 42 granitic islands known as the Granitic Seychelles.<\/a><\/p>\n

There are two coral sand cays north of the granitics on the edge of the Seychelles Bank: Denis and Bird.<\/p>\n

There are two coral islands south of the Granitics: Co\u00ebtivy and Platte.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Mah\u00e9 Island<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are 29 coral islands in the Amirantes group<\/a>, west of the granitics.<\/p>\n

There are 13 coral islands in the Farquhar Group<\/a>, south-southwest of the Amirantes.<\/p>\n

There are 67 raised coral islands in the Aldabra Group<\/a>, west of the Farquhar Group:<\/p>\n

In addition to these 155 islands as per the Constitution of Seychelles there are 7 reclaimed islands.<\/p>\n

Economy:<\/h2>\n

During the plantation era, cinnamon, vanilla and copra were the chief exports. In 1965, during a three-month visit to the islands, futurist Donald Prell<\/a> prepared for the then-crown colony Governor General an economic report containing a scenario for the future of the economy. Quoting from his report, in the 1960s, about 33% of the working population worked at plantations, and 20% worked in the public or government sector. The Indian Ocean Tracking Station on Mah\u00e9 used by the Air Force Satellite Control Network<\/a> was closed in August 1996 after the Seychelles government attempted to raise the rent to more than $10,000,000 per year.<\/p>\n

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Seychelles Export Treemap<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Since independence in 1976, per capita output has expanded to roughly seven times the old near-subsistence level. Growth has been led by the tourist sector, which employs about 30% of the labor force, compared to agriculture which today employs about 3% of the labor force. Despite the growth of tourism, farming and fishing continue to employ some people, as do industries that process coconuts and vanilla.<\/p>\n

The prime agricultural products currently produced in Seychelles include sweet potatoes, vanilla, coconuts and cinnamon. These products provide much of the economic support of the locals. Frozen and canned fish, copra, cinnamon and vanilla are the main export commodities.<\/p>\n

Transportation:<\/h2>\n

There are a number of modes of transport in Seychelles. Seychelles possesses transportation systems that include 453km of roads (of which 400km are paved), seaports, and airports. The country lacks railways. The main seaport is Victoria<\/a>, and Seychelles has no merchant marine. There are fourteen airports in Seychelles, the major ones including Seychelles International Airport<\/a> and Praslin Island Airport<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Mahe International Airport, Seychelles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Of the fourteen airports, six have runways that are paved.<\/p>\n

In rural areas, especially on La Digue<\/a>, a popular way of public transport is by using ox-carts.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A traditional ox-cart on La Digue<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Flag of the Seychelles:<\/h2>\n

The flag of Seychelles was adopted on January 8, 1996. The current flag is the third used by the country since its independence from Britain on June 29, 1976. The colors used in the current flag are the official colors of two of the nation’s major political parties: the Seychelles People’s United Party and the Seychelles Democratic Party.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The flag consists of five different colored bands (blue, yellow, red, white, and green) starting from one end and diverging towards the other end. The oblique bands symbolize a dynamic new country moving into the future. The color blue depicts the sky and the sea that surrounds the Seychelles. Yellow is for the sun which gives light and life, red symbolizes the people and their determination to work for the future in unity and love, while the white band represents social justice and harmony. The green depicts the land and natural environment.<\/p>\n

The original flag was adopted after independence on June 29, 1976. It had alternating blue and red triangles. Coincidentally the flag was almost identical to the Australian United Steam Navigation Company’s flag.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Flag of Seychelles (1976\u20131977)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1977, when president James Mancham was overthrown by France-Albert Ren\u00e9, the old flag was abolished and the red, white and green flag based on the flag of the Seychelles People’s United Party came into use, which had a distinct wavy white stripe. The only significant difference between the national flag and SPUP’s flag was the depiction of the sun in the party’s flag which was not used in the country’s flag. The flag looked like a combination of the flag of the Latvian SSR and the Lithuanian SSR. When the party lost the majority in the elections, other parties demanded a change in the flag which led to a parliamentary approval of a new proposed design.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Flag of Seychelles (1977\u20131996)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The flag consists of five different coloured bands (blue, yellow, red, white, and green) starting from one end and diverging towards the other end. The oblique bands symbolize a dynamic new country moving into the future. The colour blue depicts the sky and the sea that surrounds the Seychelles. Yellow is for the sun which gives light and life, red symbolizes the people and their determination to work for the future in unity and love, while the white band represents social justice and harmony. The green depicts the land and natural environment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9389,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[19,59,5,6,7,31,29,60],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8555"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8555\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}