Formal Name: Republic of Seychelles.

Short Name: Seychelles.

Term for Citizens: Seychellois.

Capital: Victoria.

Date of Independence: June 29, 1976 (from Britain).

GEOGRAPHY

Size: Approximately 444 square kilometers.

Topography: Archipelago consists of 115 islands, of which some forty are granitic, within ninety kilometers of Mahé, and remainder coralline, stretching over 1,200 kilometers from northeast to southwest. Major islands are Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue. Granitic islands have hills up to 940 meters high, some narrow coastal plains, and coral reefs on east coasts. Coralline islands are flat with no fresh water.

Climate: Tropical with high humidity but breezy. Cooler weather brought by southeast monsoon from late May to September northwest monsoon from March to May brings warmer weather. Mean average annual rainfall in Mahé 2,880 millimeters at sea level and 3,550 millimeters on slopes.

Data as of August 1994