Detailed interactive map Seychelles
The Seychelles is an archipelago nation of 155 islands in the Indian Ocean, some 1,500 kilometers east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar. The islands are split into three main groups, the Inner Islands in the North, with the Amirantes and Aldabra & the Southern Islands lying to a South Easterly direction. The principal islands are Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue. Seychelles is hot and humid, with an average yearly temperature of 29°C, and average sea temperature rarely dropping below 27°C. However, the heat is usually mitigated by refreshing sea breezes, especially by the beaches.The Seychelles were uninhabited when the British East India Company arrived on the archipelago in 1609. Thereafter, they became a favorite pirate haven. The Seychelles were disputed between France and Great Britain during the age of colonialism, with Britain ending up in control in 1814 after the Napoleonic Wars. The islands became independent on June 29, 1976.The granite islands of Seychelles are home to about 75 endemic plant species, with a further 25 or so species in the Aldabra group. Particularly well-known is the Coco de mer, a species of palm that grows only on the islands of Praslin and neighboring Curieuse. The giant tortoises from Aldabra now populate many of the islands of the Seychelles. Seychelles hosts some of the largest seabird colonies in the world. Visit the Vallee de Mai which is a world heritage site, and home to the world's largest seed: the coco de mer, is one of the main tourist attraction.Yachts, power boats, catamarans or sailboats are for tourists’ pleasure. Windsurfing, surfing, scuba diving, snorkeling, and fishing are extremely popular and can be done almost anywhere in Seychelles. Seychelles also contains numerous markets, art galleries and shops, colonial Creole-style plantation houses, and the main island of Mahé has six museums, a botanical garden, and several national monuments. The Natural History Museum features many displays of the natural wildlife of the Seychelles. Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles islands is one of the smallest capital cities in the world and the only major port in the Seychelles. The capital’s landmark is the silver painted clock tower (a scaled down version of one on London’s Vauxhall Bridge Road) at the centre of the main crossroads.
