Seychelles, officially the Republic of Seychelles, is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 155 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, is 1,500 kilometres east of mainland Africa. Nearby island countries and territories include the Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, and the French overseas departments of Mayotte and Réunion to the south; and the Chagos Archipelago and Maldives to the east and borders Kenya to the far east. Seychelles is the smallest country in Africa as well as the least populated sovereign African country, with an estimated population of 100,600 in 2022.
Seychelles is a small island country east of the African continent located in the Sea of Zanj due north of Madagascar, with Antsiranana as its nearest foreign city. Seychelles lies between approximately 4ºS and 10ºS and 46ºE and 54ºE. The nation is an archipelago of 155 tropical islands, some granite and some coral, the majority of which are small and uninhabited. The landmass is only 452 km2 (175 sq mi), but the islands are spread wide over an exclusive economic zone of 1,336,559 km2 (516,048 sq mi). About 90 percent of the population of 100,000 live on Mahé, 9 percent on Praslin and La Digue. Around a third of the land area is the island of Mahé and a further third the atoll of Aldabra.
Aldabra, the world's second-largest coral atoll, is located southeast of the continent of Africa. It is part of the Aldabra Group of islands in the Indian Ocean that are part of the Outer Islands of the Seychelles, with a distance of 1,120 km (700 mi) southwest of the capital, Victoria on Mahé Island. Initially named by Arab seafarers for its harsh environment, Aldabra became a French colony dependency in the 18th century, leading to the exploitation of its natural resources, particularly giant tortoises. After passing through British hands, Aldabra faced potential military use in the 1960s, but international protests resulted in its protection. The atoll boasts unique geography, featuring the world's largest raised coral reef and a large shallow lagoon. Aldabra's history involves human impact, including failed agricultural ventures.
Seychelles International Airport, or Aéroport de la Pointe Larue in French, is the international airport of the Seychelles located on the island of Mahé near the capital city of Victoria. The airport is the home base and the head office of Air Seychelles and features several regional and long-haul routes due to its importance as the gateway to a major international leisure destination.
Cosmoledo Atoll is an atoll of the Aldabra Group and belongs to the Outer Islands of the Seychelles, and is located 1,029 km (639 mi) southwest of the capital, Victoria, on Mahé Island.
The Farquhar Atoll is part of the Farquhar Group of islands in the Seychelles, part of the Outer Islands chain. It is located 770 kilometres southwest of Mahé Island and the capital, Victoria, 258 km (160 mi) north of Madagascar, and around 1,000 km (621 mi) from the East African mainland.
Mahé is the largest island of Seychelles, with an area of 157.3 square kilometres (60.7 sq mi), lying in the northeast of the Seychellois nation in the Somali Sea part of the Indian Ocean. The population of Mahé was 77,000, as of the 2010 census. It contains the capital city of Victoria and accommodates 86% of the country's total population. The island was named after Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais, a French governor of Isle de France.
Alphonse Atoll is one of two atolls of the Alphonse Group, the other being St. François Atoll — both in the Outer Islands coral archipelago of the Seychelles.
Assumption Island is a small island in the Outer Islands of Seychelles north of Madagascar, 1,135 km (705 mi) southwest of the capital, Victoria.
Providence Atoll is part of the Farquhar Group of islands in the Seychelles that are part of the Outer Islands. It lies 710 km southwest of the capital city, Victoria, on Mahé Island. The atoll consists of Providence Island in the north, Bancs Providence in the south, and an intervening fringing reef. Bancs Providence comprises four large and about six very small islands, but its size and shape appear to be dynamic. In 1967, it was said to be a single large cay with four smaller ones, in 1905 there were seven small islands and in 1882 it comprised three small islets.
Astove Atoll is a large atoll, part of the Aldabra Group, lying in the Outer Islands of Seychelles, 1,041 km (647 mi) southwest of the capital, Victoria, on Mahé Island. Alphonse Fishing Company and Blue Safari Seychelles operate from the atoll, offering packages to sustainably fly-fish and dive the Astove Wall.
Cerf Island (1.31 km2) lies 4 km off the northeast coast of Mahé in the Seychelles.
Desroches Island or Île Desroches is the main island of the Amirante Islands, part of the Outer Islands of the Seychelles.
The Outer Islands or Coralline Seychelles (archipelago) is a collective term for those islands of the Seychelles that are not on the shallow Seychelles Bank which defines the location of the granitic Inner Islands archipelago to the east. The local Seychellois Creole name for the outer islands is Zil Elwannyen Sesel, while the French name is Îles Eloignées. They are all of coral formation, and in the western Indian Ocean.
St. François Atoll is one of two atolls of the Alphonse Group in the Seychelles that are part of the Outer Islands.
The Alphonse Group belong to the Outer Islands of the Seychelles, lying in the southwest of the island nation, 403 kilometres southwest the capital, Victoria, on Mahé Island. The closest island is Desnœufs Island of the Amirante Islands, 87 km (54 mi) further north.
Articles related to Seychelles include:
Bird Island Airport serves Bird Island, a small island 100 kilometres (62 mi) northwest of Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles.
Desroches Airport is an airport serving Desroches Island in the Seychelles.
D'Arros Island Airport is an airstrip serving D'Arros Island in the Seychelles. The airport is 255 kilometres (158 mi) west-southwest of the Seychelles capital of Victoria on Mahé Island.
