Seychelles

The Seychelles, formally the Republic of Seychelles, is an archipelagic island republic comprising of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean near the eastern boundary of the Somali Sea. Its capital and biggest city, Victoria, is located 1,500 kilometres (800 nautical miles) east of the continent of Africa. To the south, there are the Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, and the French overseas territory of Mayotte and Réunion; to the east, there are the Maldives and the Chagos Archipelago (which is managed by the United Kingdom as the British Indian Ocean Territory). It is the least populated sovereign African nation, with an anticipated 2020 population of 98,462.

Prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century, the Seychelles was an uninhabited island. It was a battleground between opposing French and British interests until it came under complete British control in the late 18th century. Since declaring independence from the United Kingdom in 1976, it has evolved from a mostly agrarian community to a market-based diversified economy typified by significant growth in service, public sector, and tourist industries. Between 1976 and 2015, nominal GDP increased by about 700 percent, while purchasing power parity increased by nearly 1600 percent. Since the late 2010s, the government has made initiatives to promote international investment.

Today, the Seychelles has the greatest nominal per capita GDP of any African country. It has the second-highest Human Development Index of any African nation, after only Mauritius. It is one of just two African nations designated as a high-income economy by the World Bank (the other being Mauritius).

Seychellois culture and civilization is a mash-up of French, British, and African traditions, with more recent infusions of Chinese and Indian components. The country is a member of many international organisations, including the United Nations, the African Union, the Southern African Development Community, and the Commonwealth of Nations.