Geography of Seychelles

The Inner Islands is the collective term for 45 islands with a total area of 247.2 km², 54% of the Seychelles area but with more than 99% of the population.

The Granitic Group consists of 45 granite islands, all within a 56 km (35 mi) radius of the main island of Mahé. These islands are rocky, and most have a narrow coastal strip and a central range of hills rising as high as 914 metres (2,999 ft). The most important islands of this group are:

• Mahé is the largest island, with a size of 156.7 km² (61 sq mi). Victoria, the capital, is on Mahé.
• Praslin Island,
• Silhouette Island,
• La Digue.

Two coralline islands, at 90 km to the north, make up the remainder of the Inner Islands:

• Bird Island
• Denis Island

There are also a number of artificial islands, including Romainville Island.

The Outer Islands consist of five groups of coralline islands:

• Southern Coral Group, a collective term for Île Platte and Coëtivy Island
• Amirante Islands
• Alphonse Group (Alphonse Atoll and St. François Atoll)
• Aldabra Group (Aldabra Atoll, Assumption Island, and the Cosmoledo Group, consisting of Cosmoledo Atoll and Astove Island)
• Farquhar Group (Farquhar Atoll, Providence Atoll and St. Pierre Island)

The Outer Islands comprise 211.3 km² (46% of the Seychelles), but less than 1% of the population.

The coral islands are flat with elevated coral reefs at different stages of formation. They have no fresh water and can sustain human life only with difficulty.

The Seychelles is part of the granitic Mascarene Plateau which broke off from the Indian Plate about 66 mya. This rift formation is associated with the Réunion hotspot which is also responsible for Réunion Island and the Deccan Traps in India. Because of its long isolation, the Seychelles hosts several unique species including the coco de mer, a palm which has the largest seeds of any plant and the world's largest population of giant tortoises.

The climate is equable and healthy, although quite humid, as the islands are small and subject to marine influences. The temperature varies little throughout the year. Temperatures on Mahé vary from 24 to 30 °C (75.2 to 86.0 °F), and rainfall ranges from 2,900 mm (114.2 in) annually at Victoria to 3,600 mm (141.7 in) on the mountain slopes. Precipitation is somewhat less on the other islands. During the coolest months, July and August, it drops to as low as 24 °C (75.2 °F). The southeast trade winds blow regularly from May to November, and this is the most pleasant time of the year. The hot months are from December to April, with higher humidity (80%). March and April are the hottest months, but the temperature seldom exceeds 31 °C (87.8 °F). Most of the islands lie outside the cyclone belt, so high winds are rare.

The Island Mahé

White beach on the island La Digue

The uniqueness of the Seychelles' ecology is reflected in the US$1.8 million project of the Global Environment Trust Fund of the World Bank (see Glossary) entitled Biodiversity Conservation and Marine Pollution Abatement, that began in 1993. The World Bank study for this project states that the islands contain, out of a total of 1,170 flowering plants, "at least 75 species of flowering plants, 15 of birds, 3 of mammals, 30 of reptiles and amphibians, and several hundred species of snails, insects, spiders and other invertebrates" found nowhere else. The diversity of species in the islands is being assessed by the Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles. In addition, the waters contain more than 1000 kinds of fish, of which more than one-third are associated with coral reefs. Specific examples of unique birds are the black paradise flycatcher, the black parrot, the brush warbler, and a flightless rail. Most famous of all the Seychelles animals are the giant tortoises of the genus Aldabrachelys.

Detailed map of Seychelles

Geographic coordinates: 4°35′S 55°40′E

Area:
total: 459 km²
land: 459 km²
water: 0 km²

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 491 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi) or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 1,336,559 km² (516,048 sq mi) with 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi)
territorial sea: 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi)

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Morne Seychellois 905 m

Natural resources: fish, copra, cinnamon trees

Land use:
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 13%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 11%
other: 74% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 0 km²

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

This is a list of the extreme points of Seychelles, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.

• Northernmost point – Bird Island, Outer Islands district
• Easternmost point – Coëtivy Island, Outer Islands district
• Southernmost point - Goelette Island, Farquhar Group, Outer Islands district
• Westernmost point - West Island, Aldabra Islands, Outer Islands district

• Seychelles Plate
• Mascarene Plateau

• http://www.seychelles.com
• Seychelles travel guide from Wikivoyage

•  This article incorporates public domain material from the Library of Congress Country Studies website http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/.