Seychelles
Seychelles: Political System
The Seychelles archipelago is a republic. At the head of the state is a
president who is directly elected by the people every five years. The
legislature rests with the National Assembly, which has 34 seats. 25 seats are
determined by popular vote, nine are distributed according to proportional
representation. There is a 10% hurdle. The members are elected for 5 years.

According to Digopaul.com,
the official name of the country is:
National anthem
The national anthem of the Seychelles was written and set to music by David
François Marc André and George Charles Robert Payet. It became the country's
official anthem in 1966.
In Creole it reads:
Sesel ou menm nou sel patri
Kot nou viv dan larmoni
Lazwa lanmour ek lape
Nou remersye Bondye.
Prezerv laboté nou pei
Larises nou losean.
En leritaz byen presye
Pour boner nou zanfan.
Rester touzour dan linité
Fer monte mou paviyon.
Ansanm pour tou leternité,
Koste Seselwa. |
In the English translation:
Seychelles, our homeland.
Where we live in harmony.
Joy, love and peace,
We thank God.
Let us preserve the beauty of our country
And the wealth of our oceans,
Which are both precious heritages
For the future of our children.
Let us stay in unity always
Under the colors of our new flag,
And toghether for eternity
Seychellois, Unite! |
And in the English translation:
Seychelles, our home country.
Where we live in harmony,
as well as in joy, love and peace.
We thank God for that.
Let us preserve the beauty of our land
and that of the ocean,
both of which are a glorious inheritance
for our children's future.
Let us always
stand together in unity under the colors of our flag.
Together for all eternity
Seychelles in unity. |
National flag
The national flag (national flag) of the Seychelles was introduced on June
18, 1996. Based on flag descriptions by
Countryaah.com, the colors of the five diagonal stripes are interpreted as follows:
- Blue stands for the sky and the sea
- Yellow symbolizes the sun
- Red symbolizes the Mechen of the Seychelles
- White stands for social justice
- Green stands for the land and the vegetation

Seychelles: Known People
Joseph Belmont (born 1947)
This Seychellois politician, born in Grand Anse on the island of Mahé in 1947,
was Vice-President of his country from 2004 to 2010.
Danny Fauré (born 1962)
Since July 1, 2010, Danny Fauré has been the Vice President of the
Seychelles. The politician originally came from Kilembe, Uganda. Before his
Vice-Presidency, Fauré was Minister of Education and Finance.
Gérard Hoarau (1950–1985)
The Seychelles opposition leader, murdered in London in 1985, was once at the
head of his country's national movement, which wanted to end the regime of
France-Albert René in a peaceful way.
Eddy Maillet (born 1967)
Born in 1967 as Eddy Allen Maillet Guyto, the Seychellois FIFA football referee
(since 2001) has so far participated in three African football championships,
the 2007 Asian football championships and two U-17 world championships. He was
also one of the referees for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
James Richard Marie Mancham (born 1939)
Mancham was the first President of the Seychelles from 1976 to 1977. The founder
of the conservative Seychelles Democratic Party (SDP) was deposed on June 5,
1977 by France-Albert René, whom he himself had appointed as Prime
Minister. After that he was opposition leader against René for a long time.
James Alix Michel (born 1944)
The current President of the Republic of Seychelles, born in 1944 in the
Seychelles (since 2004), succeeds France-Albert René. His policies are
characterized by a slow process of democratization, which, however, is
repeatedly hampered by restrictions on freedom of the press and election
manipulation.
Guy Morel (1933-2006)
The Seychellois businessman and economist played an important political role in
the government of his country in the 1970s and 1980s.
Wavel Ramkalawan (born 1961)
The Mahé-born Seychelles politician is the longtime leader of the Seychelles
National Party (SNP) and faced the presidential election in 2006, which he lost
to James Michel.
France-Albert René (born 1935)
The acting President of the Seychelles from 1977 to 2004, born in 1935 on the
main island of Mahé, was the founder of the Seychelles People's United Party
(SPUP) - renamed the Seychelles People's Progressive Front (SPPF) in 1978. At
the beginning of his reign, which was riddled with coup attempts, he followed a
socialist course and invested a lot of money in the areas of the environment,
education and health care. He also promoted tourism in the Seychelles. His long
term in office fell into disrepute for corruption, torture and human rights
violations.
Percy Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke (1893-1976)
The British colonial official served as governor of the Seychelles from 1947 to
1951. The trained doctor and lawyer followed an equality-based policy in the
Seychelles and implemented reforms in the education and tax sectors.
Kantilal Jivan Shah (d. 2010)
Known simply as “Kanti”, the cook, photographer, actor, artist, guru and
intellectual is by far the most famous Seychellois in the world. He has been
featured in more than a hundred newspapers, magazines, radio and television
shows in over 30 countries throughout his life, and has been visited by such
celebrities as Mother Teresa, Ian Fleming and Queen Elizabeth II. He inspired a
character in James Bond and played side by side with Omar Sharif. Kanti got rich
thanks to an export and import company that his father founded in 1895.
Seychelles: animals
General information
The Seychelles were the first state in the world to include nature
conservation in its constitution.
13 different amphibians, 30 reptiles and 220 bird species live on the
Seychelles, of which 17 species are enemic, i.e. only occur here. Overall, there
are more sea and wading birds among the bird species than birds that live and
breed on land.
There are also over 1,000 different species of invertebrates on the islands.
Mammals
Seychelles fruit bats
The only mammals that were already at home here before humans arrived are the
endemic Seychelles fruit bats, whose favorite food is mangoes. Its head is
reminiscent of that of a dog - hence its name. With their wingspan of up to 1 m,
they remind a little of vampires when they join, especially in the evening sky.
Great Tenrek
The people brought the hedgehog-like Great Tenrek, which before that only lived
in Madagascar. Adult animals have a body length of up to 40 cm. Their fur is
bristly and gray-brown in color on the back. These animals are usually
nocturnal, but can rarely be observed during the day. They live mainly in
forests, but also in areas with dense vegetation. If you disturb them in their
search for food, they get frightened and can then react aggressively.
Other animals Other animals
introduced are cattle, pigs, goats, chickens and ducks.
Birds
The following birds can be found in the Seychelles:
Black parrots with their dark, shiny plumage. You can find them in the Vallée de
Mai, an almost mystical forest. Other birds that can only be found on La Digue
island blackbirds, cattle egrets, sunbirds, paradise flycatcher and widow birds
on the island of Frégate is the rare Magpie Robin at home, a small bird with
black and white feathers, which one of the well in the hedgerows Gardens
finds. The Seychelles reed warbler lives on the islands of Cousin, Aride and
Denis Island. The birds are colored green-yellow-white and have a blue beak.
Frigate birds with a wingspan of up to 2 m, white-tailed tropical birds, Toc-Toc
and a number of species of tern - such as the black tern or fairy tern - also
fly around. The tern is the heraldic bird of the Seychelles, which, among
others, the state airline has depicted on its machines.
Other more common birds are - in alphabetical order:
blue Seychelles pigeons, thick-billed bulls, common terns, owls, fairy terns,
gray herons, greenshanks, shepherd's mainland, owls, Madagascar turtle doves,
Madagascar weavers, mangrove herons, various types of seagulls, Seychelles'
pigeons, vase pigeons, passerines only occurs on the Comoros and Madagascar,
numerous species of pigeons, such as blue Seychelles pigeons or snow-white
lovebirds and white-tailed tropical birds.
Reptiles, amphibians
There are around 30 terrestrial reptile species and 13 amphibian species on
the islands of the Seychelles. The amphibians include the up to 7.5 cm long,
endemic Seychelles tree frog and the Ptychadena mascareniensis. The local
reptiles include the imposing giant tortoises, which have been placed under
protection on the Aldabra Atoll. The Aldabra giant tortoises are found on Bird
Island.
In the wetlands of La Digue you can find the around 20 cm tall pond turtles,
especially in the forests you can encounter the many different species of
lizards. You can get to know the up to 10 cm large geckos on the walls and
ceilings in the accommodation.
In addition to lizards and geckos - such as the little Seychelles day gecko -
there are two species of chameleon, the Seychelles skinks and the Wrights
skinks, and some small, non-poisonous snakes. There are also several species of
turtles that live in the sea
Underwater world
A highlight par excellence - especially for divers - are the harmless whale
sharks up to 20 m in size. Several species of sea turtles as well as over 1,000
different fish species have their home on the coral reefs and in the deep
sea. These include in alphabetical order:
frogfish, clown fish that live in a symbiosis with sea anemones, doctor fish
whose names come from the scalpel-like appendages on its tail, angelfish that
impress with their colors, box fish, sea goldlings, Prussian fish that are also
in symbiosis with Live sea anemones.
Other fish are perch, including red-dotted peacock bass and grouper, flying
fish, parrot fish, tweezer fish, cleaner fish, lion fish, although it is
life-threatening to touch their fins, mud chingers, stingrays, trumpet fish or
white tip sharks on the reefs.
Seychelles: plants
Trees
African tulip tree
The up to 20 m high African tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata) with its
beautiful flowers is relatively common in the Seychelles.
Avicennia marina
The up to 30 m high and evergreen Avicennia marina is a mangrove species. They
are found on the coasts of the Red Sea, on the coasts of East Africa and on the
tropical and subtropical coasts of the Indian Ocean. The salt on the leaves
comes from the fact that the plant excretes the salt from the sea water through
the leaves.
Breadfruit
Tree The breadfruit tree (Artocarpus altilis) is evergreen and belongs to the
mulberry family (Moraceae). Because of its nutritious fruits, the originally
native tree has been settled in many parts of the world. The starchy fruits can
weigh up to approx. 2 kg. For example, their taste is reminiscent of
potatoes. The tree reaches a height of up to 20 m - with a diameter of the trunk
between 80 to 100 cm.
Bruguiera gymnorrhiza
The Bruguiera gymnorrhiza reaches a height of up to approx. 10 m. It occurs in
the floodplain areas of mangrove swamps. The distribution area of this species
extends over a large part of the East African coast as well as over large
sections of the coast of Madagascar. It is also found on the islands of the
western Indian Ocean, and is also found in southern India, the Maldives and
Southeast Asia, as well as on the coasts of some Pacific islands.
Cassytha filiformis
The Cassytha filiformis climbs up other plants and sometimes even overgrows
them. The tendrils are often very twisted and twisted, making it difficult to
determine their length. The plant grows in the Seychelles in the upper area of
the beaches, but also in the interior of the islands.
Ceylon cinnamon trees
The evergreen Ceylon cinnamon tree Cinnamomum verum) - also known as the real
cinnamon tree - comes from Sri Lanka and reaches a height of up to about 10
m. In the Seychelles, the dried and ground cinnamon bark is used less, instead
the leaves of the tree are cooked directly with the food. In the Seychelles they
often displace the native species.
Rose apple tree
The up to 20 m high and endemic rose apple tree (Dillenia ferruginea) can be
found on Mahé, Praslin, Silhouette and Curieuse.
Fragrant frangipani
The fragrant frangipani (Plumeria obtusa) reaches a height between 5 to 15 m.
The color of the leaves varies from white to yellow to pink. The flowers smell
extremely intense and varied. The scent of the frangipani in perfumes is often
mixed with other tropical fruits such as coconut.
Originally the plants come from the Bahamas, Belize, the Greater Antilles, as
well as from Guatemala and Mexico.
Ironwood trees
The 10 to 12 m high ironwood tree (Parrotia persica) is one of the introduced
plants and originally comes from the Middle East.
Fish
poison tree The up to 20 m high fish poison tree or putat tree (Barringtonia
asiatica) opens its white-pink colored flowers only for one night. Its name
comes from the fact that parts of the trees used to be dried and ground by the
locals and the resulting powder was poured into the water between the
rocks. This made the fish dazed that they became easy prey.
Gliricidia sepium
The Gliricidia sepium belongs to the legume family (Fabaceae) and reaches a
height of 10 to 12 m. Their leaves are up to 30 cm long and their flowers are
pink to purple in color - with a yellow area at the base. They originally come
from the volcanic floors of Central America
Indian tamarind
The evergreen Indian tamarind (Tamarindus indica), also known as the tamarind
tree, reaches a height of approx. 25 m. Their leaves can be 12 cm long. Its
flowers, standing in clusters together, are yellowish to whitish in color. The
pods of the brown seed capsules formed after fertilization are used as a spice
or even eaten raw. This plant originally comes from East Africa, from where it
reached India, among others.
Jellyfish trees
The jellyfish tree (Medusagyne oppositifolia) occurs only in the Seychelles and
here in the mountain forests of Mahé, the evergreen tree reaches a height of up
to 10 m
Seychelles palm
The Seychelles palm (Lodoicea maldivica) is the best known of the six endemic
palm species of the Seychelles, where it occurs on Praslin and Curieuse.
It forms the largest seeds in the plant world and impresses with its unusual
double nut shape.
Crops
A large number of crops were introduced by the French colonial rulers of the
time during the 18th century. These were:
Pineapple
The pineapple plant (Ananas comosus) is a herbaceous plant with a trunk up to 50
cm in length. Their leaves are up to 120 cm long and 3 to 7 cm wide. Their fruit
is the popular and well-known pineapple. It originally comes from America but is
now grown in numerous countries in the tropics.
Avocado
The avocado tree (Persea americana) is a type of plant from the laurel family
(Lauraceae). The tree reaches a height of about 20 m. The avocado fruit - a
single-seeded berry - with a mostly pear-shaped shape and a length of 10 to 20
cm is known. It is usually medium to dark green. Inside is the inedible core,
which makes up between 15 to 18% of the fruit. The fruits offered in Europe
usually weigh between 500 and 800 g. It is rich in unsaturated fatty acids and
potassium. The plant has its origins in the rainforests of Central America
including Mexico.
Bananas
The bananas (Musa) belong to the genus Musa in the banana family (Musaceae), of
which there are around 70 different species. The most common banana offered in
Europe is the dessert banana (Musa paradisiaca), whose plant reaches a height of
3 to 8 m.
Cashew
The evergreen cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale) belongs to the sumac family
(Anacardiaceae). He is known for the cashew nuts. The tree reaches a height
between 10 to 12 m - rarely more. The tree originally comes from the northeast
of Brazil
Eucalyptus trees
The eucalyptus trees are around 600 different evergreen species from the genus
Eucalyptus in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae). The trees reach a very high height,
for example a specimen of the giant eucalyptus (Eucalyptus regnans) in Tasmania
reached a height of 97 m - with a trunk circumference of 20 m. It is known that
the koalas and some other marsupials in Australia feed on their leaves. A
strongly smelling essential oil is distilled from the leaves and branches of
over 50 types of eucalyptus. The eucalyptus sweets are also known.
Coconut palms
The widespread evergreen coconut palms (Cocos nucifera) play a special role. The
nuts of the coconut palm currently cover around 8% of the world's vegetable
oil. But it is also eaten and its juice is drunk. Coconut palms reach a height
between about 20 and 25 m high and are unbranched to the top. The five largest
exporters of coconuts are Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Brazil and Sri
Lanka.
Mangos
The evergreen mango tree (Mangifera indica) is a species of the genus Mangos
(Mangifera) in the sumac family (Anacardiaceae). It can reach a height of over
30 m - with a diameter of the crown 30 m. Its very sweet and yellowish fruits
are known and popular, and are either consumed directly or into The fruits are
made into juice, compote, jam or even ice cream. The six largest producers of
the mango fruit are India, China, Thailand, Mexico, Indonesia, Pakistan and
Brazil.
And don't forget the local star fruits, papayas, passion fruits and
pumpkins. Tea also grows on the islands.
More plants
Albizien
The Schirmalbizie (Albizia) - also called the Silk Tree - belongs to the genus
Albizia in the subfamily Mimosa Family (Mimosoideae) in the legume family
(Fabaceae). There are up to 150 different species of the genus.
Asystasia gangetica
The low and herbaceous growing Asystasia gangetica is found relatively
frequently in the tropics. Single flowers grow on their inflorescences and their
petals are yellow or white. The leaves are processed and eaten here and there as
vegetables.
Arabica coffee
The evergreen Arabica coffee plant (Coffea arabica) originally comes from the
highlands of Ethiopia. Since the well-known coffee beans grow on it, it was
cultivated in a number of countries, but in the Seychelles the shrub grows to a
height of 5 m in its wild form and is not used to produce coffee beans.
Banyan fig trees
The banyan fig trees (Ficus benghalensis) are a species from the genus of figs
(Ficus). As a rule, the trees reach a height of around 20 m. The tree initially
grows on another tree (epiphytic) until its roots reach the ground. Then he
crushes his host tree.
It should be mentioned that the tree in India is the banyan tree, especially by
Hindus, is revered as a sacred tree.
Cotton
This kind of the cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) is a nearly 50 kinds from the kind
Gossypium and can grow up to about 1,50 m high. It originally comes from the
American continent, where there were huge cotton plantations on which slaves had
to toil. Cotton is obtained from the hairy seeds. However, only the wild plant
occurs in the Seychelles.
Boat fern
The boat or giant fern (Angiopteris evecta) belongs to the Marattiaceae
family. This plant species originally comes from Australia. The plant reaches a
height of about 8 m, but they are usually smaller in the Seychelles.
Brachiaria umbellata
The plant species Brachiaria umbellata is a species of grass from the sweet
grass family (Poaceae). Their stems are between 8 to 15 cm long, while their
opposite leaves are about 3 cm long and 2 to 6 mm wide. It is typical of the
species that the leaf covers have fine hairs.
Bottle tree
The bottle tree (Jatropha podagrica), despite its name as a tree, only reaches a
height of less than 1 m - rarely even around 3 m. In the Seychelles it usually
grows in gardens with its orange colored flowers and is also widespread as an
ornamental plant worldwide. The bottle tree belongs to the milkweed family
(Euphorbiaceae). The plant has its origin in Central America. It is also popular
all over the world as an ornamental plant. Like all milkweed plants, parts of
the plant - and especially the seeds - are poisonous.
Dracaena reflexa
The up to 4 m high plant Dracaena reflexa belongs to the asparagus family
(Asparagaceae) and is often kept as a houseplant.
Torch ginger
The torch ginger (Etlingera elatior) is a popular source of food for the local
nectar birds. The birds drink the nectar of the approx. 10 cm large red to
scarlet colored flowers. The plant reaches a height of about 6 m. It is mostly
planted as an ornamental plant worldwide. In the Seychelles it mainly grows in
parks and gardens and only rarely in the "open" nature.
Guinea grass Panicum maximum)
The guinea grass (Panicum maximum) belongs to the sweet grass family
(Poaceae). Their stalks reach a height of up to about 2 m. The inflorescences
and later the seeds form at the top.
Hippobroma longiflora
The under one meter tall Hippobroma longiflora belongs to the bellflower family
(Campanulaceae). It grows in forests, but often also on roadsides. Its white, 4
cm large and sometimes greenish flowers are striking. The plant contains a milky
liquid that is very irritating and, if it gets into the eyes, can lead to
blindness. You can find them on Mahé, Praslin, La Digue, Silhouette, Denis and
D'Arros.
Licorice plant
The roots of the licorice plant (Glycyrrhiza glabra) are used in the manufacture
of various medicinal preparations, for example in traditional Chinese medicine.
Ornamental plants
Some ornamental plants such as bougainvillea, the flame tree or hibiscus can
also be found in the Seychelles.
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