Seychelles

Map of Seychelles

Country	Conventional long form: Republic of Seychelles
Capital	Victoria
Population	90,024 (July 2012 est.)
Sex ratio	1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2011 est.)
Nationality	Seychellois (singular and plural)
Religions	Roman Catholic 82.3%, Protestant 7.5% (Anglican 6.4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.1%), other Christian 3.4%, Hindu 2.1%, Muslim 1.1%, other non-Christian 1.5%, unspecified 1.5%, none 0.6% (2002 census)
Languages	Creole 91.8%, English (official) 4.9%, other 3.1%, unspecified 0.2% (2002 census)
Literacy	15 and over can read and write Total population: 91.8% Male: 91.4% Female: 92.3% (2002 census)
Independence	29 June 1976 (from the UK)
National holiday	Constitution Day (National Day), 18 June (1993)
Location	archipelago in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar
Geographic coordinates	4 35 S, 55 40 E
Map references	Africa
Area	total: 455 sq km land: 455 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries	0 km
Coastline	491 km
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate	tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon (late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon (March to May)
Terrain	Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky, hilly; others are coral, flat, elevated reefs
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Morne Seychellois 905 m
Natural resources	fish, copra, cinnamon trees
Land use	arable land: 2.17% permanent crops: 13.04% other: 84.79% (2005)
Irrigated land	3 sq km
Natural hazards	lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare; occasional short droughts
Environment - current issues	water supply depends on catchments to collect rainwater
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note	41 granitic and about 75 coralline islands