Seychelles
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Seychelles
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Geography
Situated in the North of Madagascar, the archipelago of Seychelles counts 115 islands. 4 main clauses, grouped around Mahé, are granitic and hilly. The majority of islands are of coral origin and uninhabited.
The climate is tropical wet, with a rainy season which extends from December till May.
Population
Seychellois arises from numerous interbreedings between the African, European, Indian and Chinese populations. They are catholic in 90 %. The rate of fertility is little raised "a little more than 2 children by woman".
The capital, Victoria, is on Mahé. It is the only port and the main city of the archipelago, with 88 % of the total population of the country.
History
Between IXth and Xth centuries, Arabic navigators-traders make short stopovers on islands. The Portuguese lands in 1502, but do not stay. Islands are annexed by France in 1756, and the first colonists arrive from Mauritius and from Reunion in 1770.
The end of the XVIIIth century is marked by the French-British rivalry about Seychelles. In 1814, islands pass officially under the supervision of the British, who connect them in Maurice.
In the 1960s, the SPUP "Party unified by the people of Seychelles" and the SDP "Left democratic Seychelles" dash into the fight for the independence. They form in 1975 a coalition government.
The independence is proclaimed in 1976. The first free elections took place in 1992.