Republic of Seychelles
Member
The Republic of Seychelles
Demographic Features and Population
Seychelles is the smallest African country in terms of both area and population; the constitution of the Republic of Seychelles lists 155 islands: 42 granitic and 113 coralline; by far the largest island is Mahe, which is home to about 90% of the population and the site of the capital city of Victoria. The population is estimated to be about 97,017 ethnic communities that are predominantly Creole (mainly of East African and Malagasy heritage);
also French, Indian, Chinese, and Arab populations.
The climate is typically tropical marine; humid; cooler season during the southeast monsoon (late May to September); a warmer season during the northwest monsoon (March to May). The land terrain of Seychelles has the Mahe Group which is volcanic with a narrow coastal strip and rocky, hilly interior; others are relatively flat coral atolls or elevated reefs; sitting atop the submarine Mascarene Plateau.
Ongeza Title
Economic overview
Since independence in 1976, per capita output in this Indian Ocean archipelago has expanded to roughly seven times the pre-independence, near-subsistence level, moving the island into the high-income group of countries. Growth has been led by the tourism sector, which directly employs about 26% of the labor force and directly and indirectly accounts for more than 55% of GDP, and by tuna fishing. In recent years, the government has encouraged foreign investment to upgrade hotels and tourism industry services. At the same time, the government has moved to reduce the dependence on tourism by promoting the development of the offshore financial, information, and communication sectors and renewable energy.
Agricultural products surpluses such as coconuts, vegetables, bananas, fruit, eggs, poultry, tomatoes, pork, tropical fruit, and cassava are used for commercial. Other natural resources in the country are fish, coconuts (copra), and cinnamon trees.
Governance Structure
The Executive: The president is both the head of the state and the head of government. He is deputized by the deputy president who is his assistant in running government affairs. A cabinet of ministers is appointed by the president to run various ministries within the government.
The Legislature: The parliament is a unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (35 seats in the 2020 -2025 term; 26 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and up to 9 members elected by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)
The Judiciary: In Seychelles, there are two categories of courts with one being the highest court(s) made of Seychelles Court of Appeal which consists of the court president and 4 justices; the Supreme Court of Seychelles composed of the chief justice and 9 puisne judges and the Constitutional Court made up of 3 Supreme Court judges. The second category is the subordinate courts formed of Magistrates’ Courts of Seychelles; Family Tribunal for issues such as domestic violence, child custody, and maintenance; Employment Tribunal for labor-related disputes.
Safety and Security
Other than the transnational disputes involving Mauritius and Seychelles over claims of the Chagos Islands (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory), the country reports peace and stability.
Membership to Regional Blocs
The Republic of Seychelles belongs to a number of regional and international blocs namely: UN, AU, RECSA, SADC and COMESA just to mention.