Seychelles

For the ship, see HMS Seychelles.

Republic of Seychelles
Motto: "Finis Coronat Opus" (Latin)
"The End Crowns the Work"
Anthem: Koste Seselwa
Join together all Seychellois
Location of Seychelles (dark blue) – in Africa (light blue & dark grey) – in the African Union (light blue)
Location of Seychelles (dark blue)

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

Capital
and largest city
Victoria
4°37′S 55°27′E / 4.617°S 55.450°E / -4.617; 55.450
Official languages
Ethnic groups
Seychellois Creoles[a]
others[b]
Religion
(2022)[2][3]
Demonym(s)
  • Seychellois
  • Seychelloise
  • Seselwa (Creole)
GovernmentUnitary presidential republic
• President
Wavel Ramkalawan
Ahmed Afif
LegislatureNational Assembly
Independence 
from the United Kingdom
• Independence declared
29 June 1976
Area
• Total
457 km2 (176 sq mi) (181st)
• Water (%)
negligible
Population
• 2024 estimate
130,523[4] (200th)
• Density
262.3/km2 (679.4/sq mi) (67th)
GDP (PPP)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $4.175 billion[5] (177th)
• Per capita
Increase $41,828[5] (49th)
GDP (nominal)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $2.085 billion[5] (186th)
• Per capita
Increase $20,889[5] (50th)
Gini (2018)32.1[6]
medium inequality
HDI (2022)Increase 0.802[7]
very high (67th)
CurrencySeychellois rupee (SCR)
Time zoneUTC+04:00 (SCT)
Drives onleft
Calling code+248
ISO 3166 codeSC
Internet TLD.sc

Seychelles[c] (/seɪˈʃɛl(z)/ ⓘ, /ˈseɪʃɛl(z)/;[9][10] French: [sɛʃɛl][11][12][13] or [seʃɛl][14]), officially the Republic of Seychelles (French: République des Seychelles; Seychellois Creole: Repiblik Sesel),[15] is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 155 islands (as per the Constitution) in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, is 1,500 kilometres (800 nautical miles) east of mainland Africa. Nearby island countries and territories include the Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, and the French overseas departments of Mayotte and Réunion to the south; and the Chagos Archipelago and Maldives to the east and borders Kenya to the far east. Seychelles is the smallest country in Africa as well as the least populated sovereign African country, with an estimated population of 100,600 in 2022.[4]

Seychelles was uninhabited prior to being encountered by Europeans in the 16th century. It faced competing French and British interests until it came 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 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.

As of the early 21st century, Seychelles has the highest nominal per capita GDP of any African nation. It has the highest Human Development Index ranking of any African country.[16] According to the 2023 V-Dem Democracy indices, Seychelles is the 43rd-ranked electoral democracy worldwide and 1st-ranked electoral democracy in Africa.[17]

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

  1. ^ a b "SeychellesThe World Factbook". -. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2022Census was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "National Profiles | World Religion".
  4. ^ a b "World Bank Open Data". World Bank Open Data (in Latin). Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Seychelles)". International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  6. ^ "GINI index". World Bank. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  7. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  8. ^ Motschenbacher, Heiko (2 January 2020). "Greece, the Netherlands and (the) Ukraine: A Corpus-Based Study of Definite Article Use with Country Names". Names. 68 (1): 1–16. doi:10.1080/00277738.2020.1731241. hdl:11250/2676009. ISSN 1756-2279.
  9. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011). Roach, Peter; Setter, Jane; Esling, John (eds.). Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary (18th ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-15255-6.
  10. ^ Wells, John C. (2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Longman. ISBN 978-1-4058-8118-0.
  11. ^ "Seychelles – English translation in German – Langenscheidt dictionary French-German" (in English, German, and French). Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  12. ^ "Traduction: Seychelles - Dictionnaire français-anglais Larousse" (in English and French). Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  13. ^ "Seychelles | French » English | PONS" (in English and French). Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  14. ^ "English Translation of "Seychelles" | Collins French-English Dictionary" (in English and French). Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  15. ^ "Seychelles Facts | Britannica".
  16. ^ "World Bank Country and Lending Groups – World Bank Data Help Desk". World Bank.[date missing]
  17. ^ V-Dem Institute (2023). "The V-Dem Dataset". Retrieved 14 October 2023.


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