| Seychelles |  |  | | Basic facts | | | The country | |
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| | Capital: Victoria | | Area: 454 sq km; 175 sq miles | | Population: 79,672 (2000 Estimate) | | Urbanisation: Urban 57 per cent (1998 Estimate); Rural 43 per cent (1998 Estimate) | |
Economy
| Exports: Fish, cinnamon bark, copra, petroleum products (re-exports)
| Industry: Tourism, coconut and vanilla processing, fishing, coir rope, boat-building, printing, furniture, beverages
| Agriculture: Cash crops: coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla; other products: sweet potatoes, cassava, bananas, chickens
| Currency: 1 Seychelles rupee (SRe), consisting of 100 cents
| Natural resources: Fish, copra, cinnamon trees
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The people
| Ethnic: Seychellois (mixture of African, European and Asian) 90 per cent, Indian 5 per cent, Chinese and other 5 per cent
| Language: Creole, French, English. The official languages are English, French and Creole, which is a dialect based on French.
| Religion: Roman Catholic 90 per cent, Anglican 8 per cent, Other 2 per cent. Almost all the population is Christian and most are Roman Catholic.
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The history
| Independence: 29 June 1976 (from the United Kingdom).
| Government: Under the 1993 constitution, a President, who is popularly elected to a five-year term, holds executive power. The President appoints a council of ministers to act as an advisory body. Legislative power is vested in the National Assembly, which has 22 popularly elected members and 11 members selected on a proportional basis. Opposition parties were legalised in 1991.
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