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Communications

Airports [time series]

14 total, 14 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air [time series]

1 major transport aircraft

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

260 km total; 160 km paved, 100 km crushed stone or earth

Merchant marine [time series]

1 refrigerated cargo totaling 1,827 GRT/2,170 DWT

Ports [time series]

Victoria

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

direct radio communications with adjacent islands and African coastal countries; 13,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 2 AM, no FM, 2 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station; USAF tracking station

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Army, Navy, Air Force, Presidential Protection Unit, Police Force, Militia

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

exchange rate conversion - $12 million, 4% of GDP (1990 est.)

Manpower availability [time series]

males 15-49, 17,739; 9,096 fit for military service

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

accounts for 7% of GDP, mostly subsistence farming; cash crops - coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla; other products - sweet potatoes, cassava, bananas; broiler chickens; large share of food needs imported; expansion of tuna fishing under way

Budget [time series]

revenues $180 million; expenditures $202 million, including capital expenditures of $32 million (1989)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Seychelles rupee (plural - rupees); 1 Seychelles rupee (SRe) = 100 cents

Economic aid [time series]

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY78-89), $26 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1978-89), $315 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $5 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $60 million

Electricity [time series]

30,000 kW capacity; 80 million kWh produced, 1,160 kWh per capita (1991)

Exchange rates [time series]

Seychelles rupees (SRe) per US$1 - 5.2946 (March 1992), 5.2893 (1991), 5.3369 (1990), 5.6457 (1989), 5.3836 (1988), 5.6000 (1987)

Exports [time series]

$40 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.) commodities: fish, copra, cinnamon bark, petroleum products (reexports) partners: France 63%, Pakistan 12%, Reunion 10%, UK 7% (1987)

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$189 million (1991 est.)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

exchange rate conversion - $350 million, per capita $5,200; real growth rate -4.5% (1991 est.)

Imports [time series]

$186 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.) commodities: manufactured goods, food, tobacco, beverages, machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products partners: UK 20%, France 14%, South Africa 13%, PDRY 13%, Singapore 8%, Japan 6% (1987)

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 7% (1987); accounts for 10% of GDP

Industries [time series]

tourism, processing of coconut and vanilla, fishing, coir rope factory, boat building, printing, furniture, beverage

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

1.8% (1990 est.)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

In this small, open, tropical island economy, the tourist industry employs about 30% of the labor force and provides more than 70% of hard currency earnings. In recent years the government has encouraged foreign investment in order to upgrade hotels and other services. At the same time, the government has moved to reduce the high dependence on tourism by promoting the development of farming, fishing, and small-scale manufacturing.

Unemployment rate [time series]

9% (1987)

Geography

Climate [time series]

tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon (late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon (March to May)

Coastline [time series]

491 km

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]

claims Tromelin Island

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare; short droughts possible; no fresh water - catchments collect rain; 40 granitic and about 50 coralline islands

Area (Land area) [time series]

455 km2

Land boundaries [time series]

none

Land use [time series]

arable land 4%; permanent crops 18%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 18%; other 60%

Maritime claims [time series]

Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources [time series]

fish, copra, cinnamon trees

Note [time series]

located north-northeast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean

Terrain [time series]

Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky, hilly; others are coral, flat, elevated reefs

Area (Total area) [time series]

455 km2

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

23 administrative districts; Anse aux Pins, Anse Boileau, Anse Etoile, Anse Louis, Anse Royale, Baie Lazare, Baie Sainte Anne, Beau Vallon, Bel Air, Bel Ombre, Cascade, Glacis, Grand' Anse (on Mahe Island), Grand' Anse (on Praslin Island), La Digue, La Riviere Anglaise, Mont Buxton, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance, Pointe La Rue, Port Glaud, Saint Louis, Takamaka

Capital [time series]

Victoria

Constitution [time series]

5 June 1979

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

Second Secretary, Charge d'Affaires ad interim Marc R. MARENGO; Chancery (temporary) at 820 Second Avenue, Suite 900F, New York, NY 10017; telephone (212) 687-9766 US: Ambassador Richard W. CARLSON; Embassy at 4th Floor, Victoria House, Victoria (mailing address is Box 148, Victoria, and Victoria House, Box 251, Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles, or APO AE 09815-2501); telephone (248) 25256; FAX (248) 25189

Executive branch (Elections) [time series]

election of delegates to a multiparty constitutional conference is scheduled for June 1992 President: last held 9-11 June 1989 (next to be held NA June 1994); results - President France Albert RENE reelected without opposition People's Assembly: last held 5 December 1987 (next to be held NA December 1992); results - SPPF was the only legal party; seats - (25 total, 23 elected) SPPF 23

Executive branch [time series]

president, Council of Ministers

Flag [time series]

three horizontal bands of red (top), white (wavy), and green; the white band is the thinnest, the red band is the thickest

Independence [time series]

29 June 1976 (from UK)

Judicial branch [time series]

Court of Appeal, Supreme Court

Executive branch (Leaders) [time series]

Chief of State and Head of Government: President France Albert RENE (since 5 June 1977)

Legal system [time series]

based on English common law, French civil law, and customary law

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral People's Assembly (Assemblee du Peuple)

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

Republic of Seychelles

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, C, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO

National holiday [time series]

Liberation Day (anniversary of coup), 5 June (1977)

Political parties (Other political or pressure groups) [time series]

trade unions, Roman Catholic Church

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

ruling party - Seychelles People's Progressive Front (SPPF), France Albert RENE; note - in December 1991, President RENE announced that the Seychelles would begin an immediate transition to a multiparty political system; registration of new political parties was scheduled to begin in January 1992

Suffrage [time series]

universal at age 17

Government type (Type) [time series]

republic

People

Birth rate [time series]

23 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate [time series]

7 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

Seychellois (mixture of Asians, Africans, Europeans)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

15 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Labor force [time series]

27,700; industry and commerce 31%, services 21%, government 20%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 12%, other 16% (1985); 57% of population of working age (1983)

Languages [time series]

English and French (official); Creole

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

65 years male, 75 years female (1992)

Literacy [time series]

85% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990)

Nationality [time series]

noun - Seychellois (singular and plural); adjective - Seychelles

Net migration rate [time series]

-8 migrants/1,000 population (1992)

Organized labor [time series]

three major trade unions

Population [time series]

69,519 (July 1992), growth rate 0.8% (1992)

Religions [time series]

Roman Catholic 90%, Anglican 8%, other 2%

Total fertility rate [time series]

2.4 children born/woman (1992)