Seychelles, officially the Republic of Seychelles, is an archipelagic island country consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean at the eastern edge of the Somali Sea. 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 regions of Mayotte and Réunion to the south; and Maldives and the Chagos Archipelago to the east. It is the least populous sovereign African country, with an estimated 2020 population of 98,462.
Lodoicea, commonly known as the sea coconut, coco de mer, or double coconut, is a monotypic genus in the palm family. The sole species, Lodoicea maldivica, is endemic to the islands of Praslin and Curieuse in the Seychelles. It has the biggest seed in a plant. It formerly also was found on the small islets of St Pierre, Chauve-Souris, and Ile Ronde, all located near Praslin, but had become extinct there for a time until recently reintroduced. The name of the genus, Lodoicea, may be derived from Lodoicus, one Latinised form of Louis, in honour of King Louis XV of France. Other sources say that Lodoicea is from Laodice, the daughter of Priam and Hecuba.
Praslin Island Airport also known as Iles des Palmes Airport, is an airport at Grand Anse on Praslin Island in the Seychelles. It is served by Air Seychelles, which flies scheduled flights to Mahé and charters to the other islands in the Seychelles. The airport has the capacity to handle over 1500 passengers daily and over half a million passengers annually.
Praslin is the second largest island (38.5 km2) of the Inner Seychelles, lying 44 km (27 mi) northeast of Mahé in the Somali Sea. Praslin has a population of around 7,533 people and comprises two administrative districts: Baie Sainte Anne and Grand' Anse. The main settlements are the Baie Ste Anne, Anse Volbert and Grand' Anse.
La Digue is the third most populated island of the Seychelles, and fourth largest by land area, lying east of Praslin and west of Felicite Island. In size, it is the fourth-largest granitic island of Seychelles after Mahé, Praslin and Silhouette Island. It has a population of 2,800 people. Most of the inhabitants live in the west coast villages of La Passe and Anse Réunion. There is no airport on La Digue, so to get there from a foreign country, one must fly to Victoria and continue by ferry, usually via Praslin. It has an area of 10.08 km2, which makes it relatively easy to travel around by bike or on foot.
Curieuse Island is a small granitic island 1.13 sq mi (2.9 km2) in the Seychelles close to the north coast of the island of Praslin. Curieuse is notable for its bare red earth intermingled with the unique coco de mer palms, one of the cultural icons of the Seychelles, only growing on the two neighboring islands.
Aride Island is the northernmost granitic island in the Seychelles. A nature reserve, it is leased and managed by the Island Conservation Society of Seychelles.
Cousin Island is a small granitic island of the Seychelles, lying 2 km (1.2 mi) west of Praslin. It is a nature reserve protected under Seychelles law as a Special Reserve. It is managed by Nature Seychelles, a national nonprofit organization and Partner of BirdLife International, by which it has been identified as an Important Bird Area.
The Seychelles black parrot, Praslin parrot or kato nwar is a sombre-coloured, medium-sized parrot endemic to the Seychelles. Historically, it has been treated as a subspecies of the lesser vasa parrot, although it shows morphological, ecological and behavioural differences. Recent phylogenetic research indicates that the Seychelles population has a long history of isolation and may be sister to the rest of Coracopsis. It is the national bird of the Seychelles.
Seychelles is divided into 26 districts. All but one are located on the Inner Islands; the Outer Islands make up the most recent district. Eight districts make up Greater Victoria, 14 make up the rural part of the main island of Mahé, two make up Praslin, and one makes up La Digue.
Grand'Anse Praslin is an administrative district of Seychelles located mostly on the island of Praslin, but also administers Cousin Island, Cousine Island, Booby Island, and Aride Island.
Cousine Island is a small granitic island 30 ha in the Seychelles 6 km (4 mi) west of Praslin Island. It is a combination luxury resort and since 1992 a nature preserve.
The Granitic Seychelles are the islands in Seychelles which lie in central position on the Seychelles Bank and are composed of granite rock. They make up the majority of the Inner Islands, which in addition include the coral islands along of the rim of the Seychelles Bank, namely Bird Island and Denis Island. The Granitic Seychelles contrast with the Coralline Seychelles or the Outer Islands, several island groups made up of low coral islands with dry, infertile soils.
Tourism is the most important nongovernment sector of Seychelles' economy. About 15 percent of the formal work force is directly employed in tourism, and employment in construction, banking, transportation, and other activities is closely tied to the tourist industry. Tourists enjoy the Seychelles' coral beaches and opportunities for water sports. Wildlife in the archipelago is also a major attraction.
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Eve is an island in Seychelles, lying east of Praslin and west of Round Island, Seychelles. It has an area of 0.29 km2.
Round is an island in Seychelles, lying less than a mile southeast of the island of Praslin tilted a little to the southeast of Praslin's easternmost Peninsula and 48 km north-east of the island of Mahe
Ile St. Pierre is an uninhabited island of the Seychelles. It is located north of the island of Praslin in the east of Curieuse Island on the edge of the Curieuse Marine National Park. The distance from the island to Pointe Zanguilles on Praslin is 1.5 km. The waters around Île St. Pierre are a firm favourite with swimmers, snorkellers and yachtsmen for whom the island provides the ideal backdrop to a spectacular Seychelles sunset. One of several islands in the bay of Côte d'Or on Praslin, this tiny islet with its granite profile interspersed with some coconut palms has come, over the years, to represent the quintessential Seychelles island, appearing in numerous advertisement campaigns, posters and evocative photographs. The seventh episode of the American reality show The Amazing Race 16 filmed off its shores.
Chauve Souris is an island in Seychelles, lying 400 m west of Anse La Mouche on the island of Mahé. The island is a rocky granite island covered with tropical forest. There is also a Chauve Souris island near the northern coast of the island of Praslin.
