115 islands and lots of water
The Seychelles archipelago is located between the 4th and 11th degrees south latitude and between 46th and 57th degrees east longitude. The main island, Mahé, is located 2,800 km southwest of Bombay (India), 1,580 km east of Mombasa (Kenya) and 950 km north of Madagascar. While the marine territory covers an area of about 1,300,000 km2, the land area is only 455 km2 , and even 277 km2 if the lagoons are eliminated. The percentages are significant: the surface area of the national territory (almost three times the size of France) is made up of 99.997% water and 0.003% land (roughly the size of the city of Paris).
In all, just about thirty of these 115 islands and islets are inhabited. In some of them, the population can be counted on the fingers of one hand! Formed some 650 million years ago, the granitic, i.e. mountainous, islands are located in the north of the archipelago. The Morne seychellois (907 m), in Mahé, is the highest point of the territory. Scattered to the south and south-west, the coral islands are only a few metres above sea level.From inland to remote islands
The interior islands, the Seychelles group, comprises 43 islands or islets (all granite except the two coral reefs Bird and Denis), the bits of land on which you will walk your flip-flops and flippers on your first trip in general. First on Mahé and its neighbours (Anonymous, Sainte-Anne, Ile au Cerf, Long, Medium, Round, Thérèse, Conception) then around Praslin (Aride, Cousin, Curieuse, Ronde, Saint-Pierre) and La Digue (Cocos Island, Félicité, Big Sister), two cousin islands, since they are separated only by an inlet of barely 6 km and located on the same granite bank. It is on these inland islands that nearly 95% of the Seychelles population is found.
Further on, the outer islands, 72 in number, are all coral and are called the zil elwannyen. Largely distant indeed from the central group of Mahé, the furthest of these islands are closer to the African and Malagasy coasts than to Victoria. They are divided into three groups: Amirantes, Farquhar and Aldabra. For a long time isolated, as access required several days by boat, they are now much more accessible, as the State has built many airstrips, on Desroches, D'Arros, Marie-Louise, Farquhar, Astove and Assomption.
Seychelles Group. Mahé, Praslin, La Digue, Sainte-Anne, Île au Cerf, Île Longue, Île Moyenne, Île Ronde, Île Sèche, Île Cachée, Grand Rocher, Anonyme, Île Hodoul, Île aux Rats, Île Souris, Thérèse, Conception, L'Islette, Chauve-Souris (Mahé), L'Îlot, Cousin, Cousin, île Ronde, Chauve-Souris (Praslin), île aux Fous, Aride, Zavé, Félicité, Marianne, Grande Sœur, Petite Sœur, île aux Cocos, La Fourche, Silhouette, North, Mamelles, île aux Récifs, Frégate, Frégate Islet, Bird, Île Denis, Île Plate and Coëtivy.
Group of Lovers. Remire: Étoile, D'Arros, Boudeuse, Desnœufs, Desroches, Marie-Louise. African Banks: African Bank, South Island. Saint-Joseph Atoll: Saint-Joseph, Fouquet, Ressource, Petit Carcassaye, Grand Carcassaye, Benjamin, Ferrari Bank, Dog, Pelican, Vars, Paul Island, Sable Bank, Cocos Bank. Pepper Atoll: Pepper, Florentine, South Island. Atolls of Alphonse and Saint-François: Alphonse, Jeweller, Saint-François.
Group of Farquhar. Saint-Pierre. Providence Atoll: Providence, Providence Banks, Saint-Pierre, Deer. Farquhar Atoll: North Island, South Island, North Manaha, Middle Manaha, South Manaha, Schooner, Rabbit, Middle Island, Depot, Sable Bank.
Aldabra Group. Astove, Assomption. Aldabra Atoll: Grand Terre, Picard, Polymnie, Malabar, Cedar Island, Michel Island, Esprit Island, Mosquito Island, Parc Islet, Emile Islet, Yangue Islet, Dubois Islet, Magnan Islet, Lanier Island. Cosmoledo Atoll: Menai, North Island, Northeast Island, Hole Island, Schooner, Great Polyte, Little Polyte, Big Island, Pagoda, Southwest Island, Mosquito Island, Whale Island, Bat Island.
A little history..
Until 1881, the Seychelles consisted only of granite islands and three small coral islands (Denis, Bird and Plate Island).
At this date, the islands of the Amirantes group, Alphonse, Providence and Aldabra, were detached from the administration of Mauritius and attached to that of the Seychelles. Coëtivy, an isolated Madreporic (coral) island, and the islands of the Farquhar group, until then in the orbit of Mauritius, joined the archipelago in 1908 and 1932 respectively. On the other hand, Desroches Island (Amirantes Group), the Farquhar Group Islands and Aldabra (Aldabra Group), detached from the Seychelles in 1965 (to form, together with the islands of the Chagos Group, the British Indian Ocean Territory), were returned in 1976 to the newly created State of Seychelles, which became independent on 29 June of the same year.Beautiful national parks
On the main islands, there are several national parks: three terrestrial and five marine
Morne Seychellois National Park. It covers 3,045 ha on the island of Mahé. A national park since 1979, it offers superb hikes through a lush jungle. The summit, at 905 m of altitude, is the highest point within a radius of 1,600 km and offers a breathtaking view.
Praslin National Park (Vallée de Mai). Became a national park in 1979 and since 1983 on the Unesco World Heritage list, the Vallée de Mai offers an atmosphere worthy of Jurassic Park on 675 hectares and will delight botany lovers.
Silhouette Island. On August 7, 2010, President Michel officially designated 93% of the island as a national park. This mountainous island has an abundance of vegetation and offers superb walks in the middle of the equatorial forest.
There are fivemarine national parks throughout the archipelago. They are Baie Ternay and Port Launay, on Mahé in Beau Vallon. But also Sainte-Anne, a neighboring island of Mahé, became a marine national park in 1973. The island is said to have 150 varieties of fish. Also Curieuse, known for its sea turtles, and Silhouette, for diving among corals and multicolored tropical fish.
