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Compare Seychelles (2004) - Southern Ocean (2008)

Compare Seychelles (2004) z Southern Ocean (2008)

 Seychelles (2004)Southern Ocean (2008)
 SeychellesSouthern Ocean
Administrative divisions 23 administrative districts; Anse aux Pins, Anse Boileau, Anse Etoile, Anse Louis, Anse Royale, Baie Lazare, Baie Sainte Anne, Beau Vallon, Bel Air, Bel Ombre, Cascade, Glacis, Grand' Anse (on Mahe), Grand' Anse (on Praslin), La Digue, La Riviere Anglaise, Mont Buxton, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance, Pointe La Rue, Port Glaud, Saint Louis, Takamaka -
Age structure 0-14 years: 26.9% (male 10,987; female 10,717)


15-64 years: 66.9% (male 26,380; female 27,731)


65 years and over: 6.2% (male 1,638; female 3,379) (2004 est.)
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Agriculture - products coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cassava (tapioca), bananas; broiler chickens; tuna fish -
Airports 15 (2003 est.) -
Airports - with paved runways total: 8


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)
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Airports - with unpaved runways total: 7


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)
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Area total: 455 sq km


land: 455 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 20.327 million sq km


note: includes Amundsen Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, part of the Drake Passage, Ross Sea, a small part of the Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, and other tributary water bodies
Area - comparative 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC slightly more than twice the size of the US
Background A lengthy struggle between France and Great Britain for the islands ended in 1814, when they were ceded to the latter. Independence came in 1976. Socialist rule was brought to a close with a new constitution and free elections in 1993. The most recent presidential elections were held 31 August-2 September 2001. President RENE, who has served since 1977, was re-elected. On 14 April 2004 RENE stepped down and Vice President James MICHEL was sworn in as president. A large body of recent oceanographic research has shown that the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), an ocean current that flows from west to east around Antarctica, plays a crucial role in global ocean circulation. The region where the cold waters of the ACC meet and mingle with the warmer waters of the north defines a distinct border - the Antarctic Convergence - which fluctuates with the seasons, but which encompasses a discrete body of water and a unique ecologic region. The Convergence concentrates nutrients, which promotes marine plant life, and which in turn allows for a greater abundance of animal life. In the spring of 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization decided to delimit the waters within the Convergence as a fifth world ocean - the Southern Ocean - by combining the southern portions of the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean. The Southern Ocean extends from the coast of Antarctica north to 60 degrees south latitude, which coincides with the Antarctic Treaty Limit and which approximates the extent of the Antarctic Convergence. As such, the Southern Ocean is now the fourth largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean, but larger than the Arctic Ocean). It should be noted that inclusion of the Southern Ocean does not imply recognition of this feature as one of the world's primary oceans by the US Government.
Birth rate 16.55 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) -
Budget revenues: $338.7 million


expenditures: $323.3 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)
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Capital Victoria -
Climate tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon (late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon (March to May) sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees Celsius; cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on Earth; in winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius; at some coastal points intense persistent drainage winds from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter
Coastline 491 km 17,968 km
Constitution 18 June 1993 -
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Seychelles


conventional short form: Seychelles
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Currency Seychelles rupee (SCR) -
Death rate 6.41 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) -
Debt - external $213 million (2003 est.) -
Diplomatic representation from the US the US does not have an embassy in Seychelles; the ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to the Seychelles -
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Claude Sylvestre MOREL


chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400C, New York, NY 10017


telephone: [1] (212) 972-1785


FAX: [1] (212) 972-1786
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Disputes - international together with Mauritius, Seychelles claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory) Antarctic Treaty defers claims (see Antarctica entry), but Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and UK assert claims (some overlapping), including the continental shelf in the Southern Ocean; several states have expressed an interest in extending those continental shelf claims under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to include undersea ridges; the US and most other states do not recognize the land or maritime claims of other states and have made no claims themselves (the US and Russia have reserved the right to do so); no formal claims exist in the waters in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west
Economic aid - recipient $16.4 million (1995) -
Economy - overview Since independence in 1976, per capita output in this Indian Ocean archipelago has expanded to roughly seven times the old near-subsistence level. Growth has been led by the tourist sector, which employs about 30% of the labor force and provides more than 70% of hard currency earnings, and by tuna fishing. In recent years the government has encouraged foreign investment in order to upgrade hotels and other services. At the same time, the government has moved to reduce the dependence on tourism by promoting the development of farming, fishing, and small-scale manufacturing. A sharp drop illustrated the vulnerability of the tourist sector in 1991-92 due largely to the Gulf war, and once again following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the US. Other issues facing the government are the curbing of the budget deficit, including the containment of social welfare costs, and further privatization of public enterprises. Growth slowed in 1998-2002, due to sluggish tourist and tuna sectors. Also, tight controls on exchange rates and the scarcity of foreign exchange have impaired short-term economic prospects. The black market value of the Seychelles rupee is half the official exchange rate; without a devaluation of the currency the tourist sector should remain sluggish as vacationers seek cheaper destinations such as Comoros, Mauritius, and Madagascar. Fisheries in 2003-04 landed 136,262 metric tons, of which 87% (118,166 tons) was krill and 8% (11,182 tons) Patagonian toothfish, compared to 142,555 tons in 2002-03 of which 83% (117,728 tons) was krill and 12% (16,479 tons) Patagonian toothfish (estimated fishing from the area covered by the Convention of the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which extends slightly beyond the Southern Ocean area). International agreements were adopted in late 1999 to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, which in the 2000-01 season landed, by one estimate, 8,376 metric tons of Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish. In the 2004-05 Antarctic summer, 28,202 tourists, most of them seaborne (approximately 97%), visited the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, compared to 14,762 in 1999-2000.
Electricity - consumption 148.8 million kWh (2001) -
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) -
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) -
Electricity - production 160 million kWh (2001) -
Elevation extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: Morne Seychellois 905 m
lowest point: -7,235 m at the southern end of the South Sandwich Trench


highest point: sea level 0 m
Environment - current issues water supply depends on catchments to collect rainwater increased solar ultraviolet radiation resulting from the Antarctic ozone hole in recent years, reducing marine primary productivity (phytoplankton) by as much as 15% and damaging the DNA of some fish; illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in recent years, especially the landing of an estimated five to six times more Patagonian toothfish than the regulated fishery, which is likely to affect the sustainability of the stock; large amount of incidental mortality of seabirds resulting from long-line fishing for toothfish


note: the now-protected fur seal population is making a strong comeback after severe overexploitation in the 18th and 19th centuries
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
the Southern Ocean is subject to all international agreements regarding the world's oceans; in addition, it is subject to these agreements specific to the Antarctic region: International Whaling Commission (prohibits commercial whaling south of 40 degrees south [south of 60 degrees south between 50 degrees and 130 degrees west]); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (limits sealing); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (regulates fishing)


note: many nations (including the US) prohibit mineral resource exploration and exploitation south of the fluctuating Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence), which is in the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and serves as the dividing line between the cold polar surface waters to the south and the warmer waters to the north
Ethnic groups mixed French, African, Indian, Chinese, and Arab -
Exchange rates Seychelles rupees per US dollar - 5.4007 (2003), 5.48 (2002), 5.8575 (2001), 5.7138 (2000), 5.3426 (1999) -
Executive branch chief of state: President James MICHEL (since 14 April 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President James MICHEL (since 14 April 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 31 August-2 September 2001 (next to be held NA 2006)


election results: France Albert RENE re-elected president; percent of vote - France Albert RENE (SPPF) 54.19%, Wavel RAMKALAWAN (UO) 44.95%, Philippe BOULLE 0.86%; note - the first time that presidential elections have been held separately from legislative elections; France Albert RENE stepped down 14 April 2004 and Vice President James MICHEL was sworn in as president
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Exports NA (2001) -
Exports - commodities canned tuna, frozen fish, cinnamon bark, copra, petroleum products (reexports) -
Exports - partners UK 38.8%, France 31.8%, Italy 14.5%, Germany 7.5% (2003) -
Fiscal year calendar year -
Flag description five oblique bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, red, white, and green (bottom) radiating from the bottom of the hoist side -
GDP purchasing power parity - $626 million (2002 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 2.8%


industry: 28.7%


services: 68.9% (2003)
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GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $7,800 (2002 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 1.5% (2002 est.) -
Geographic coordinates 4 35 S, 55 40 E 60 00 S, 90 00 E (nominally), but the Southern Ocean has the unique distinction of being a large circumpolar body of water totally encircling the continent of Antarctica; this ring of water lies between 60 degrees south latitude and the coast of Antarctica and encompasses 360 degrees of longitude
Geography - note 40 granitic and about 50 coralline islands the major chokepoint is the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica; the Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) is the best natural definition of the northern extent of the Southern Ocean; it is a distinct region at the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that separates the cold polar surface waters to the south from the warmer waters to the north; the Front and the Current extend entirely around Antarctica, reaching south of 60 degrees south near New Zealand and near 48 degrees south in the far South Atlantic coinciding with the path of the maximum westerly winds
Highways total: 373 km


paved: 315 km


unpaved: 58 km (1997 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
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Imports NA (2001) -
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals -
Imports - partners Saudi Arabia 15.7%, South Africa 10.9%, Spain 10.4%, France 9.7%, Italy 9.2%, Singapore 7%, UK 6.8% (2003) -
Independence 29 June 1976 (from UK) -
Industrial production growth rate NA -
Industries fishing; tourism; processing of coconuts and vanilla, coir (coconut fiber) rope, boat building, printing, furniture; beverages -
Infant mortality rate total: 15.97 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 20.2 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 11.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.3% (2003 est.) -
International organization participation ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) -
Irrigated land NA sq km -
Judicial branch Court of Appeal; Supreme Court; judges for both courts are appointed by the president -
Labor force 30,900 (1996) -
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 10%, industry 19%, services 71% (1989) -
Land boundaries 0 km -
Land use arable land: 2.22%


permanent crops: 13.33%


other: 84.45% (2001)
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Languages English (official), French (official), Creole -
Legal system based on English common law, French civil law, and customary law -
Legislative branch unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (34 seats - 25 elected by popular vote, 9 allocated on a proportional basis to parties winning at least 10% of the vote; members serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 4-6 December 2002 (next held by 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - SPPF 54.3%, SNP 42.6%, DP 3.1%; seats by party - SPPF 23, SNP 11


note: the 9 awarded seats are apportioned according to the percentage that each party won of the total vote
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Life expectancy at birth total population: 71.53 years


male: 66.1 years


female: 77.14 years (2004 est.)
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Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 58%


male: 56%


female: 60% (1971 est.)
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Location Eastern Africa, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar body of water between 60 degrees south latitude and Antarctica
Map references Africa Antarctic Region
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
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Merchant marine total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 42,223 GRT/63,538 DWT


by type: cargo 4, chemical tanker 3, container 1


foreign-owned: Bulgaria 1, Cyprus 1, Nigeria 1, South Africa 2 (2004 est.)
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Military branches Army, Coast Guard (including Navy Wing, Air Wing), National Guard, Presidential Protection Unit (includes Presidential Guard), Seychelles National Police (includes Police Mobile Unit) -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $11.6 million (2003) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.8% (2003) -
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 23,661 (2004 est.) -
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 11,712 (2004 est.) -
National holiday Constitution Day (National Day), 18 June (1993) -
Nationality noun: Seychellois (singular and plural)


adjective: Seychellois
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Natural hazards lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare; short droughts possible huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred meters; smaller bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5 to 1 m thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with large annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf floored by glacial deposits varying widely over short distances; high winds and large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially May-October; most of region is remote from sources of search and rescue
Natural resources fish, copra, cinnamon trees probable large and possible giant oil and gas fields on the continental margin, manganese nodules, possible placer deposits, sand and gravel, fresh water as icebergs; squid, whales, and seals - none exploited; krill, fish
Net migration rate -5.69 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) -
Political parties and leaders Democratic Party or DP [James MANCHAM, Daniel BELLE]; Mouvement Seychellois pour la Democratie [Jacques HODOUL]; Seychelles National Party or SNP (formerly the United Opposition or UO) [Wavel RAMKALAWAN]; Seychelles People's Progressive Front or SPPF [France Albert RENE, James MICHEL] - the governing party -
Political pressure groups and leaders Roman Catholic Church; trade unions -
Population 80,832 (July 2004 est.) -
Population below poverty line NA -
Population growth rate 0.45% (2004 est.) -
Ports and harbors Victoria -
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 2 (1998) -
Religions Roman Catholic 86.6%, Anglican 6.8%, other Christian 2.5%, other 4.1% -
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/female


total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
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Suffrage 17 years of age; universal -
Telephone system general assessment: effective system


domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands in the archipelago


international: country code - 248; direct radiotelephone communications with adjacent island countries and African coastal countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
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Telephones - main lines in use 21,700 (2002) -
Telephones - mobile cellular 54,500 (2003) -
Television broadcast stations 2 (plus 9 repeaters) (1997) -
Terrain Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky, hilly; others are coral, flat, elevated reefs the Southern Ocean is deep, 4,000 to 5,000 m over most of its extent with only limited areas of shallow water; the Antarctic continental shelf is generally narrow and unusually deep, its edge lying at depths of 400 to 800 m (the global mean is 133 m); the Antarctic icepack grows from an average minimum of 2.6 million sq km in March to about 18.8 million sq km in September, better than a sixfold increase in area; the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (21,000 km in length) moves perpetually eastward; it is the world's largest ocean current, transporting 130 million cubic meters of water per second - 100 times the flow of all the world's rivers
Total fertility rate 1.77 children born/woman (2004 est.) -
Transportation - note - Drake Passage offers alternative to transit through the Panama Canal
Unemployment rate NA -
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