I INTRODUCTION  
Seychelles, republic, consisting of an archipelago of some 115 islands, scattered across the western Indian Ocean, northeast of the island of Madagascar, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The total land area is 454 sq km (175 sq mi).

II LAND AND POPULATION  
The country consists of two distinct island groups: the Mahé group in the north and the low-lying coral islands stretching to the south. The 32 islands of the Mahé group are formed of granitic rocks and have hilly interiors rising to elevations greater than 900 m (greater than 2,950 ft). All the country's principal islands belong to this group; they include Mahé Island (the largest), Praslin, Silhouette, and La Digue. The 83 coral islands are largely without water resources, and most are uninhabited. The population of the Seychelles (1998 estimate) is 78,641. The capital, principal city, and leading port is Victoria (population, 1990 estimate, greater city 35,000), on Mahé Island. About 90 percent of the country's population lives on Mahé. Most people are of mixed French and African descent; Indian and Chinese minorities are also present. The official languages are Creole (a patois based on French), English, and French. Some 98 percent of the population is Christian, most of them Roman Catholics.

III ECONOMY AND GOVERNMENT  
Tourism, agriculture, and fishing are the principal sectors of the economy. Receipts from tourism were $30 million in 1997, when 130,000 tourists visited the country. Trade is dominated by the importation and reexport of petroleum; other exports include fish, copra, and cinnamon bark. Various fruits are grown for domestic consumption, however, the staple food, rice, must be imported. Since the completion of the international airport at Victoria in 1971, tourism has expanded rapidly. Guano is the only mineral product. In 1995 the national budget included $222 million in revenue and $268 in expenditure. The unit of currency is the Seychelles rupee (5.03 rupees equal U.S.$1; 1997 average).

Under the 1993 constitution, executive power is held by a president, who is popularly elected to a five-year term. The president appoints a council of ministers to act as an advisory body. Legislative power is vested in the National Assembly, which has 25 popularly elected members and 9 members selected on a proportional basis. The Seychelles People's Progressive Front (SPPF) is the leading political group; opposition parties were legalized in 1991.

IV HISTORY  
Possibly known to the Arabs as early as the 9th century AD, the Seychelles were visited by the Portuguese in 1502. In 1756 France claimed the islands, which were then uninhabited, and French planters and their slaves settled on them, beginning in 1768. In 1794 Great Britain annexed the Seychelles. The islands were administered from Mauritius during most of the 1800s, and in 1903 they were made a separate British dependency.