# The World Factbook (1982)/Seychelles
## SEYCHELLESSEYCHELLES

* (See reference map VII)

### LANDLAND

404 km$^2$; 54% arable land, nearly all of it is under cultivation, 17% wood and forest land, 29% other (mainly reefs and other surfaces unsuited for agriculture); 40 granitic and 50 or more coralline islands

### WATERWATER

Limits of territorial waters (claimed): 12 nm (economic, including fishing, 200 nm)
Coastline: 491 km (Mahe Island 93 km)

### PEOPLEPEOPLE

Population: 66,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 1.9%
Nationality: noun—Seychellois (sing. and pl.); adjective—Seychelles
Ethnic divisions: Seychellois (admixture of Asians, Africans, Europeans)
Religion: 90% Roman Catholic
Language: Creole official and most widely spoken; English, French
Literacy: 60% adult; 75% school-age children
Labor force: 15,000 in monetized sector (excluding self-employed, domestic servants, and workers on small farms); 33% public sector employment, 20% private sector employment in agriculture, 20% private sector employment in construction and catering services
Organized labor: 3 major trade unions

### GOVERNMENTGOVERNMENT

Official name: Republic of Seychelles
Type: republic; member of the Commonwealth
Capital: Victoria, Mahé Island
Legal system: based on English common law, French civil law system, and customary law
National holiday: 29 June
Branches: President, Council of Ministers
​Fiscal year: calendar year
Government leader: President France Albert RENE
Suffrage: universal adult
Elections: general elections held June 1979 gave 98% approval to René as only presidential candidate on yes/no ballot
Political parties and leaders: René, who heads the Seychelles People's Progressive Front, came to power by a military coup in June 1977. Until then he had been Prime Minister in an uneasy coalition with then President James Mancham, who headed the Seychelles Democratic Party. René banned the Seychelles Democratic Party in mid-March 1978 and announced a new constitution in March 1979 that turned the country into a one-party state
Communists: negligible, although some Cabinet Ministers espouse pro-Soviet line
Other political or pressure groups: trade unions
Member of: G-77, GATT (de facto), IAEA, ICAO, IFAD, ILO, IMCO, IMF, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

### ECONOMYECONOMY

GDP: $90 million (1978 est.); $1,330 per capita; 6% growth rate (1980)
Agriculture: islands depend largely on coconut production and export of copra; cinnamon, vanilla, and patchouli (used for perfumes) are other cash crops; food crops—small quantities of sweet potatoes, cassava, sugarcane, and bananas; islands not self-sufficient in foodstuffs and the bulk of the supply must be imported; fish is an important food source
Major industries: processing of coconut and vanilla, fishing, small-scale manufacture of consumer goods, coir rope factory, tea factory, tourism
Electric power: 16,000 kW capacity (1980); 45 million kWh produced (1980), 703 kWh per capita
Exports: $5.2 million (f.o.b., 1980); cinnamon (bark and oil) and vanilla account for almost 50% of the total, copra accounts for about 40%, the remainder consists of patchouli, fish, and guano
Imports: $74.0 million (c.i.f., 1980); food, tobacco, and beverages account for about 40% of imports, manufactured goods about 25%, the remainder consists of machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products, textiles
Major trade partners: exports—India, US; imports—UK, Kenya, South Africa, Burma, India, Australia
External debt: $22 million (1980); external service payment (1980), $245,000
Aid: economic commitments—Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF (1970-79), $110 million; US (FY70-80), $2.7 million; OPEC, ODA (1974-79), $1.2 million
Budget: (1979) revenue $42.0 million, current expenditure $35.0 million, development expenditure $15.6
Monetary conversion rate: 6.39 Seychelles rupees=US$1 (1981)

### COMMUNICATIONSCOMMUNICATIONS

Railroads: none
Highways: 215 km total; 145 km bituminous, 70 km crushed stone or earth
Ports: 1 small port (Victoria)
Civil air: no major transport aircraft
Airfields: 7 total, 7 usable (on Praslin Island, Astove Island, Bird Island, Mahe Island); 1 with permanent-surface runways 2,440-3,659 m
Telecommunications: direct radiocommunications with adjacent island and African coastal countries; 5,970 telephones (9.6 per 100 popl.); 2 AM, no FM, and no TV stations; Indian Ocean satellite station

### DEFENSE FORCESDEFENSE FORCES

Military manpower: males 15-49, 13,000; 7,000 fit for military service
Supply: infantry-type weapons and ammunition from Tanzania, USSR, and the PRC