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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:

In the English translation:

And in the English translation:

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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