Seychelles is an independent nation in Eastern Africa. With the capital city of Victoria, Seychelles 2020 population is estimated at 98,358 according to countryaah. The Seychelles were for a long time a collection of uninhabited islands far out in the Indian Ocean. Around 1770 the first French settlers arrived with slaves from Africa. From 1814 the islands were under British control. During World War II, the Seychelles were an important base for the British Navy and the Air Force.
The first known visit to the formerly deserted islands was made in 1609 by the British East India Company. The Europeans did not show any real interest in the islands until 1756 when France claimed them. The archipelago was named after a French minister, Jean Moreau de Séchelles. To secure shipping from India, the British wanted to conquer the islands used as a base for French pirates’ attacks on British merchant ships. For a few decades, power shifted between French and British before Britain finally took over.
- AbbreviationFinder.org: Comprehensive guide to and popular abbreviations of Seychelles, covering history, economy, and social conditions.
When slavery was abolished in the 1830s, 6,500 of the 7,500 residents were slaves. Many of them now became fishermen, craftsmen or farmers. Cultivation of coconut trees became of great importance, and coconut oil became the Seychelles’ main export commodity. For Seychelles political system, please check cancermatters.
The British administered the Seychelles and the island of Mauritius as a joint unit until 1903, when the islands became a British crown colony.
After the Second World War, the first steps were taken to give the islands a government that represented the people. But in the first proper elections to the colony’s legislative council in 1948, only ten percent of the population was allowed to vote.
2017
June
Meriton new leader for Parti Lepep
June 5
Former President James Michel resigns as leader of Party Lepep and is replaced by Vice President Vincent Meriton. Faure chooses not to participate on the grounds that he does not believe that a head of state would lead a political party.
January
Ex-President Mancham dies
January 8
Independent Seychelles First President James Mancham dies at the age of 77.
