Seychelles

Seychelles is an archipelago of with 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, about 1 600 km east of Kenya. It has the smallest population of any sovereign African country. The highest point is Morne Seychellois (905 m) on the largest island, Mahé. The Seychelles are composed of two island groups, the central Mahé group of over 40 mountainous granite islands, and a second group of more than 70 outer, flat, coralline islands. These outer islands rise only a few feet above sea level and are very sparsely populated.

The climate is quite humid in the small islands that are classified as tropical rain forest. The temperature varies little throughout the year. Average annual rainfall in the Seychelles is 1 600 mm, varying by location with around 2 900 mm at Victoria to 3 600 mm in the mountains. Monthly average temperatures vary very little within 27‐28 °C. The coolest months are July and August. -—
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—- The most pleasant time of the year is from May to November, when the southeast trade winds blow regularly. The hot season lasts from December to April, with a high humidity of about 80 per cent. While March and April are the hottest months, the temperature seldom exceeds 31 °C. Most of the islands lie outside the cyclone belt. However, in January 2013, Seychelles declared a state of emergency when tropical cyclone, Felleng, caused torrential rain, flooding and landslides that destroyed hundreds of houses.

While Seychelles does produce agricultural goods for export, such as sweet potatoes, vanilla, coconuts and cinnamon, agriculture makes a modest contribution to GDP. The main exports products include tuna, skipjack and bonito, motorboats and petroleum oil. The main export partners include the United Arab Emirates, France, the British Virgin Islands and the United Kingdom. Since the 1970s, services, including tourism, have become a significant industry for the country, accounting for over 80 per cent of GDP -—
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—-. Recently, Seychelles have attracted foreign investment in hotels and other services. In 2019, Seychelles attracted 428 thousand tourist arrivals with an inbound tourism expenditure of 36 per cent over GDP -—
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—-. Government incentives have also given rise to increasing investment in real estate and new resort properties. The government has also promoted the development of farming, fishing, small‐scale manufacturing and offshore finance to reduce dependence on tourism. At over US$17 thousands, Seychelles had the highest GDP per capita in Africa in 2019 -—
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—-, but income inequality remains significant.

Seychelles is a small country, but has a vibrant art scene with artisans, dancers, musicians, painters, poets, sculptors and writers. Painters take inspiration from the rich nature of Seychelles and sculptors produce works in wood, stone, bronze and cartonnage.

The lively Sega dance, with hip‐swaying and shuffling of the feet, is still popular, as is the traditional Moutya, a mysterious, traditional dance. Music played in the country is varied, reflecting the fusion of cultures through the history of Seychelles.

Fish dishes are typical in the country and are cooked in several ways ‐ baked, grilled, steamed, wrapped in banana leaves, salted and smoked. Curry with rice is also a significant part of the country's cuisine. People also consumer a lot of breadfruit, coconut, mangoes and kordonnyen fish and garnish their food with fresh flowers.