Seychelles

Seychelles is an island republic in the western Indian Ocean, about 1,500 km (930 mi) east of mainland Africa, made up of 115 islands. Victoria on Mahé is the capital, and French, English and Seychellois Creole are the official languages, with Creole the most widely spoken.

The islands had no people before Europeans came, though Arab and Swahili traders likely knew of them. Ships of Vasco da Gama's fleet sighted them on 15 March 1503, and the crew of the English ship Ascension made the first recorded landing in January 1609. France laid a Stone of Possession on Mahé in 1756 and named the islands after the politician Jean Moreau de Séchelles. In August 1770 the first settlers landed on Ste. Anne Island, 15 French colonists.

In 1794 the administrator Jean-Baptiste Quéau de Quinssy chose not to fight a British frigate and kept the islands neutral. Britain took control after capturing Isle de France in 1810, which the Treaty of Paris of 1814 made formal, and later brought workers from India. Seychelles became a separate crown colony in 1903 and independent in 1976. James Mancham was the first president, France-Albert René led the country from 1977, and the opposition won the October 2020 election.

Since independence the economy has moved from farming to services, the public sector and tourism, and its culture mixes French, British, Indian and African influences with Chinese elements. It is the smallest African country by area and population. Hunting for food once drove the Aldabra giant tortoise to the edge of extinction, and the Aldabra Group alone counts 67 raised coral islands.