236 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
236 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
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SEYCHELLES
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 455 km2; land area: 455 km2
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Comparative area: slightly more than 2.5 times the size of
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Washington, DC
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Land boundaries: none
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Coastline: 491 km
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Maritime claims:
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Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
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Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Disputes: claims Tromelin Island
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Climate: tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast
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monsoon (late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon
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(March to May)
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Terrain: Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky,
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hilly; others are coral, flat, elevated reefs
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Natural resources: fish, copra, cinnamon trees
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Land use: arable land 4%; permanent crops 18%; meadows and pastures
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0%; forest and woodland 18%; other 60%
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Environment: lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are
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rare; short droughts possible; no fresh water, catchments collect rain;
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40 granitic and about 50 coralline islands
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Note: located north-northeast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean
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PEOPLE
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Population: 68,932 (July 1991), growth rate 0.9% (1991)
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Birth rate: 23 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: - 8 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 15 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 75 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 2.5 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Seychellois (sing. and pl.);
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adjective--Seychelles
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Ethnic divisions: Seychellois (mixture of Asians, Africans,
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Europeans)
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Religion: Roman Catholic 90%, Anglican 8%, other 2%
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Language: English and French (official); Creole
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Literacy: 58% (male 56%, female 60%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1971)
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Labor force: 27,700; industry and commerce 31%, services 21%,
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government 20%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 12%, other 16% (1985);
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57% of population of working age (1983)
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Organized labor: three major trade unions
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Republic of Seychelles
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Type: republic
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Capital: Victoria
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Administrative divisions: 23 administrative districts;
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Anse aux Pins, Anse Boileau, Anse Etoile, Anse Louis, Anse Royale,
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Baie Lazare, Baie Sainte Anne, Beau Vallon, Bel Air, Bel Ombre, Cascade,
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Glacis, Grand' Anse (on Mahe Island), Grand' Anse (on Praslin Island),
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La Digue, La Riviere Anglaise, Mont Buxton, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance,
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Pointe La Rue, Port Glaud, Saint Louis, Takamaka
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Independence: 29 June 1976 (from UK)
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Constitution: 5 June 1979
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Legal system: based on English common law, French civil law, and
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customary law
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National holiday: Liberation Day (anniversary of coup), 5 June
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(1977)
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Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers
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Legislative branch: unicameral People's Assembly (Assemblee
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du Peuple)
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Judicial branch: Court of Appeal, Supreme Court
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Leaders:
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Chief of State and Head of Government--President France Albert
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RENE (since 5 June 1977)
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Political parties and leaders: only party--Seychelles People's
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Progressive Front (SPPF), France Albert RENE
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Suffrage: universal at age 17
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Elections:
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President--last held 9-11 June 1989 (next to be held June 1994);
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results--President France Albert RENE reelected without opposition;
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National Assembly--last held 5 December 1987 (next to be
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held December 1992);
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results--SPPF is the only party;
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seats--(25 total, 23 elected) SPPF 23
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Communists: negligible, although some Cabinet ministers
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espouse pro-Soviet line
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Other political or pressure groups: trade unions, Roman Catholic
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Church
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Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, C, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
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IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD,
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UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO
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Diplomatic representation: Second Secretary, Charge d'Affaires
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ad interim Marc R. MARENGO; Chancery (temporary) at 820 Second Avenue,
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Suite 201, New York, NY 10017; telephone (212) 687-9766;
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US--Ambassador James B. MORAN; Embassy at 4th Floor, Victoria
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House, Victoria (mailing address is Box 148, Victoria, and Victoria
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House, Box 251, Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles, or APO New York 09030-0006);
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telephone (248) 25256
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Flag: three horizontal bands of red (top), white (wavy), and green;
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the white band is the thinnest, the red band is the thickest
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ECONOMY
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Overview: In this small, open, tropical island economy, the tourist
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industry employs about 30% of the labor force and provides the main
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source of hard currency earnings. In recent years the government has
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encouraged foreign investment in order to upgrade hotels and other
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services. At the same time, the government has moved to reduce the high
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dependence on tourism by promoting the development of farming, fishing,
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and small-scale manufacturing.
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GDP: $283 million, per capita $4,100; real growth rate 7.0% (1989)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (1989)
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Unemployment rate: 9% (1987)
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Budget: revenues $180 million; expenditures $202 million, including
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capital expenditures of $32 (1989)
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Exports: $40 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
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commodities--fish, copra, cinnamon bark, petroleum products
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(reexports);
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partners--France 63%, Pakistan 12%, Reunion 10%, UK 7% (1987)
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Imports: $186 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
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commodities--manufactured goods, food, tobacco, beverages,
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machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products;
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partners--UK 20%, France 14%, South Africa 13%, PDRY 13%,
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Singapore 8%, Japan 6% (1987)
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External debt: $171 million (1990 est.)
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Industrial production: growth rate 7% (1987); accounts for
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10% of GDP
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Electricity: 25,000 kW capacity; 67 million kWh produced,
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960 kWh per capita (1989)
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Industries: tourism, processing of coconut and vanilla, fishing,
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coir rope factory, boat building, printing, furniture, beverage
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Agriculture: accounts for 7% of GDP, mostly subsistence farming;
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cash crops--coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla; other products--sweet potatoes,
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cassava, bananas; broiler chickens; large share of food needs imported;
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expansion of tuna fishing under way
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY78-89), $26
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million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1978-88), $310 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $5 million;
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Communist countries (1970-89), $60 million
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Currency: Seychelles rupee (plural--rupees);
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1 Seychelles rupee (SRe) = 100 cents
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Exchange rates: Seychelles rupees (SR) per US$1--5.0878 (January
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1991), 5.3369 (1990), 5.6457 (1989), 5.3836 (1988), 5.6000 (1987), 6.1768
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(1986), 7.1343 (1985)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Highways: 260 km total; 160 km bituminous, 100 km crushed stone or
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earth
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Ports: Victoria
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Merchant marine: 1 refrigerated cargo (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
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1,827 GRT/2,170 DWT
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Civil air: 3 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 14 total, 14 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
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none with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: direct radio communications with adjacent
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islands and African coastal countries; 13,000 telephones; stations--2 AM,
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no FM, 1 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station; USAF tracking station
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Presidential Protection Unit,
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Police Force, Militia
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 17,399; 8,933 fit for military
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service
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Defense expenditures: $12 million, 6% of GDP (1990 est.)
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