Seychelles

A squirrel fish, hiding among rocks in the reefs of the Seychelles. In recent years there has been growing concern about coral reef degradation, as tropical shallow-water marine environments come increasingly under pressure from human activities. There are approximately 27,000 ha/66,700 acres of protected marine area and reefs in the Seychelles.

The male flower of the coco de mer (Lodoicea maldivica), also known as the double coconut or Seychelles nut palm. It grows uniquely on Praslin, the second-largest of the Seychelles islands. The fruit can weigh up to 20 kg/44 lb and contains the largest seed in the plant kingdom.

The Seychelles archipelago, in the Indian Ocean, comprises around 115 islands and islets, divided into two groups: the main group of 42 densely-clustered, granite islands, and the remaining 73 uninhabited coralline islands, spread out over a wide area to the southwest of the granitic islands. Praslin is the second largest island, after Mahé, and the only one where all six species of the native Seychelles palm can be found.

The female flower of the coco de mer (Lodoicea maldivica), also known as the double coconut or Seychelles nut palm. The Vallée de Mai, on the island of Praslin in the Seychelles, where the densest stands of these trees can be found, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tree is also known as the double coconut or double nut, a reference to its strange double seed, the largest seed in the plant kingdom.

Industrial fishing, especially tuna fishing and canning, is an increasingly significant factor in the economy of the Seychelles. Earnings from licence fees, paid by foreign trawlers to fish Seychelles territorial waters, are growing every year.

Bananas grown for export, such as these ones in the Seychelles, are cut when still green and ripened during the voyage. Although it resembles a tree, the banana is in fact a giant perennial herb. Cultivated bananas are grown in all the tropical regions of the world. They produce a higher crop yield per acre than potatoes.

Country in the Indian Ocean, off east Africa, north of Madagascar.

Government

Seychelles is a republic within the Commonwealth. The 1993 constitution provides for a president, who is directly elected to serve a five-year term and is limited to a maximum of three successive terms. The president is head of both state and government and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. There is a single-chamber, 33-member national assembly, 22 of its members elected by direct universal suffrage and 11 by proportional representation. It serves a four-year term.

History

The islands were probably visited by the Portuguese about 1500 and became a French colony in 1744. Seychelles was ceded to Britain by France in 1814 and was ruled as part of Mauritius until it became a crown colony in 1903.

Independence

In the 1960s several political parties were formed, campaigning for independence, the most significant being the Seychelles Democratic Party (SDP), led by James Mancham, and the Seychelles People's United Party (SPUP), led by France-Albert René. René demanded complete independence, while Mancham favoured integration with Britain.

In 1975 internal self-government was agreed. The two parties then formed a coalition government with Mancham as prime minister. In June 1976 Seychelles became an independent republic within the Commonwealth, with Mancham as president and René as prime minister.

One-party state

The following year René staged an armed coup while Mancham was attending a Commonwealth conference in London, and declared himself president. A new constitution was adopted in 1979, creating a one-party state, with the SPUP being renamed the Seychelles People's Progressive Front (SPPF). René, as the only candidate, was formally elected president in 1979 and then re-elected in 1984 and 1989. There were several unsuccessful attempts to overthrow him, the last reported in 1987.

René followed a policy of non-alignment and prohibited the use of port facilities to vessels carrying nuclear weapons. He maintained close links with Tanzania, which provided military support. The demise of the USSR and the consequential loss of economic support considerably weakened René's position.

Multiparty elections

The constitution was revised in 1991 to allow for multiparty politics. In 1992 James Mancham, the former president, returned from exile in the UK, announcing that he hoped to contest the presidency. A multiparty election, the first since 1974, was held July 1992 and won by the SPPF. The election was to a 20-member commission to draft a new, democratic constitution, and in June 1993 a new multiparty constitution was adopted. René defeated Mancham in the country's first multiparty presidential elections in July 1993.

In September 2001, René was re-elected with 54% of the vote.