Joanna James
Seychelles is an archipelago of many little islands scattered across the remote reaches of the Indian Ocean. It is considered part of Africa and has been a member of the Commonwealth since 1976. Three-fourths of the population of the islands which numbers to about 96,000 people reside on the main island. Here are some interesting facts about Seychelles.
Did you know that Seychelles consists of the only granite islands in the world? It can be traced back to volcanic eruptions that resulted in the formation of the islands all those centuries ago. It is a characteristic that is unique to Seychelles. The islands centre toward the middle of the Seychelles bank and you can find granite rocks on the beach.
Seychelles, as mentioned above is located northeast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The republic consists of one hundred and fifty-five islands as listed in their constitution. However, there are truly about a hundred and fifteen. Of these, 42 are granite inner islands while the remaining 113 are coralline. Not all of these islands are inhabitable.
Victoria, the capital of Seychelles and has a population of 30,000 residents and an area of 20.1 square km making it the smallest capital city in the world. You can explore the entire island in under 24 hours and still have time to spare. It wouldn't take you long to take a boat in from your hotel in the resort islands like Berjaya Praslin Resort. The most popular attraction in the city is Victoria Clock Tower, named for Queen Victoria and built to mirror London's, Little Ben.
Seychelles is home to an endangered species of owl known as the Scops Owl that is endemic to the islands. It was believed until the late 1800s that the birds had gone extinct due to deforestation. But researchers in the 21st century discovered about 300 owls are still living. They are placed in the Morne Seychellois National Park on Mahe island.
Go to the window of one of the Seychelles hotel rooms you are staying at and you might be looking out at scenery that was once teeming with pirate ships. During the golden age of piracy, it is a known fact that pirates used Seychelles as their hideouts. There are tales that in 1721, the legendary pirate captain La Busse, or Olivier la Vasseur hid his horde of one of the biggest stolen treasures valued around a billion dollars on Mahe Island.
Seychelles was completely uninhabited until the coming of the French in the 1700s. The earliest record of the islands and their existence was made in March of 1503. While the first to land were the British in 1609, it was the French who settled the islands in 1756. The islands were named Seychelles after Louis XV's Finance Minister.
Once they gained independence from the British, Seychelles used three different national flags. The new governments kept changing the flags until the third flag which was created in 1996 adopted colours from all the major political parties. That is the flag used today.
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