Seychelles+Kyle+4A

= Seychelles = Think of a vacation spot in Africa. Pretty hard huh? Maybe you could take a safari in Kenya, look at Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, or visit where FIFA 2010 took place in South Africa. But the place to go in Africa is Seychelles. Seychelles is an archipelago (similar to Hawaii) along with beauteous beaches and cities. This is Seychelles.

**__Quick Facts __** · About 25% of Seychellois have internet access. · Approximately 90% of Seychellois live on Mahé Island (The capital of Seychelles is located here). · The giant tortoise is home to only the Ecuadorian Galapagos Islands and Seychelles. · Seychellois like spicy meals like a minimal amount of piman which is almost always served. · The calling code in Seychelles is 248 · The highest point in Seychelles is Morne Seychellois at 2969 ft. (Do, Du, Du, Dddoooo) The more you know**!**

Seychelles has been discovered numerous times. It is said that Arab sailors knew about Seychelles since the 600's. The sailors of Portugal encountered the islands in 1501. But it wasn't until 1609 when the first Europeans set foot on Seychelles (Mah é Island to be exact). These Europeans were the British crew of Ascension. Years later, pirates used the islands as safe zones because it was so deserted at the time. East of Madagascar, Mauritius was taken under France in 1707. François Mahé de Labourdonnais (French governor) set out his sailors to Seychelles. Two years later when this process was repeated again, the largest island was named after the French ruler Mahé. In 1756, the French finally thought that the United Kingdom would try and take control of Seychelles. In the same year, France officially took the archipelago under their wing which meant that Seychelles was finally permanently inhabited. 14 years later, the first settlers migrated from their homeland to live on Seychelles and France planted a military base on the recently named Mahé Island in 1786. In 1814, the French gave possession of Seychelles to the British in the Treaty of Paris. Mahé Island kept it's name and still owns that name today. In 1814, the British had slavery in their country like the US. Slavery in Britain was no longer in effect in 1835. The African slaves were located to Seychelles. The slaves became laborers and produced coconut oil, cinnamon oil, and vanilla. In the 1900's, some Asian countries like China and India moved down to Seychelles and created the high population density Seychelles that Seychellois live in today. Back in Britain in the 60's, the British people requested independence. In 1964, the SDP (Seychelles Democratic Party) and the SPUP (Seychelles People's United Party) were established. James Mancham (SDP leader) won the two elections in a row. He then created a coalition with SPUP to seek independence for them which was given by Britain on June 29, 1976. Mancham became president of Seychelles and appointed France Albert René (SPUP leader) prime minister of the islands. In 1977, René pretended to overthrow the government while Mancham wasn't in Seychelles and made himself president of Seychelles which was changed into a socialist republic under one party which is called SPPF (Seychelles People's Progressive Front). Seychelles fell into an economic crisis in the 90's partially due to other countries backing wasn't striving (US and Soviet Union) as the Cold War was coming to a close and country location was no longer a valid necessity. With all this pressure coming from around the world, René went back to multiple parties in a democracy in 91. Mancham lost the elections in 1993 to René and held that spot through the presidential elections of 1998 and 2001. René let go of power on April 16, 2004 at age 68 after 27 years so his vice president since 1996, James Michel, could become the 3rd president of Seychelles. Michel won the elections in 2006 and is the current president of Seychelles today.
 * __ History __**

<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">There are 5 bands of color running along the flag of Seychelles. <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Blue represents the sky and ocean. <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Yellow represents the sun. <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Red represents the Seychellois people. <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">White stands for harmony. <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Green stands for the land of Seychelles. //<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">*This flag has only been around for 14 years (1996)! // __**<span style="color: #558ed5; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">National Anthem **__ <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">﻿Here is a link to hear the anthem, "Come Together, All Seychellois []
 * __<span style="color: #558ed5; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Seychelles Flag __**

<span style="color: #558ed5; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">
 * __<span style="color: #558ed5; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Seychelles Political Map __**

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 * __<span style="color: #558ed5; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Seychelles Physical Map __**

Seychelles: 176
 * __<span style="color: #558ed5; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Size of Country (Square Miles) __**

US: 3,794,100

<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Seychelles: 88,340 (Rank 190 in the world)
 * __<span style="color: #558ed5; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Population __**

<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">US: 310,232,863 (Rank 3 in the world)

Seychelles: 501.931818
 * __<span style="color: #558ed5; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Population Density (People per Square Mile) __**

US: 81.7671814 //*If Seychelles were to have the same population density as the US, about 14,391 people would live in Seychelles! //

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Seychelles: $16,394 (Great for African Countries)
 * __<span style="color: #558ed5; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita __**

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">US: $45,592 (Top 10 in the world) //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">*per capita means “per person”. In this case, it is annual personal income. // //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">*The GDP per capita is in US Dollars. //

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Seychelles: 12
 * __<span style="color: #558ed5; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Infant Mortality Rate (per 1,000 Births) __**

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">US: 6 //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">*Infant mortality is death before the age of 2. //

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Seychelles: 15.53
 * __<span style="color: #558ed5; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Birth Rate (per 1,000 People) __**

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">US: 13.83 //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">*Both countries’ birth rates are decreasing every year. // <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">** Net Birth Rate (per 1,000 People) ** <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Seychelles: 3.53

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">US: 7.83 //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">*Seychelles may be a more densely populated country but the US has more successful population growth. //


 * __<span style="color: #558ed5; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Life Expectancy __**
 * **<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Country ** || **<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Male Life Expectancy ** || **<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Female Life Expectancy ** ||
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Seychelles || <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">68 || <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">78 ||
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">United States || <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">77 || <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">81 ||

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Seychelles: Three official languages are in Seychelles: Creole, English, and French. Creole happens to be the most commonly used language. English is used mainly for business and items such as a stop sign. Creole is a language that structured off of 17th century French. Instead of “bonjour”, it would be “bonzour”. That’s because Creole makes k and z and obviates c and j, respectively. The point of creating Creole is so that African and French slaves can converse with their masters. Though Creole is a foundation of French from the 1600’s, it is not rare to see/hear English words in Creole.
 * __<span style="color: #558ed5; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Languages Spoken __**

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">US: The United States is primarily English. The US’s English is called American English not to be confused with British English because of different pronunciations in the same word. Spanish is also spoken in the US along with hundreds of Native American languages.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Seychelles: Seychelles runs government through a democracy even though it is the Republic of Seychelles. This means that the government belongs to the people. There are still political leaders but it is given to the people a lot more than communism. In the Seychellois democracy, there is a president (James Michel 2004-present) and a National Assembly that consists of 34 members (like the House of Representatives) who act as legislators. Both the president and the National Assembly receive 5-year-terms but an early vote can be ordered. The national voting age here is 17.
 * __<span style="color: #558ed5; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Government __**

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">US: The US is a democratic federal republic that is under the US Constitution. The 50 states of the US have their own individual power with rights that aren’t controlled by the US government. The states have their own legislative structures. In the US government, there is the president (Barack Obama 2009-president), the Senate (100 members) and the House of Representatives (435 representatives). The president is elected by an electoral college that represents each state in the country. This election is held every 4 years (Leap years on the Tuesday following the first Monday of November) and the president gets 2 terms. The Senate gets a 6 year term (No limit on terms) and the House of Representatives get a 2 year term (No limit on terms). The Senate and House together form Congress which is in the Legislative Branch. The president and vice president form the Executive Branch. Lastly, the Supreme Court forms the Judicial Branch and the justices are chosen by the president but approved by the Senate. Laws are passed in the US by passing 50% of the Senate and House. It is then the president’s decision. If the president is to veto the law, it has to go through the Senate and House again except with a 66.6% (recurring) passing rate then becomes law. If the president agrees the first time, it is also law. The legal voting age is 18. //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">*As you can see above, the American government is a way more complex government system. Seychelles’ is simpler and effective. //

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">2011 Currency Conversion <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">1 USD = 12 Seychelles Rupee <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">1 Seychelles Rupee = 8 US Cents (.0833 USD) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">
 * __<span style="color: #558ed5; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Monetary Unit __**

Seychelles is currently in an economic crisis but is nowhere near the crisis in the US. As of December 31, 2010 estimations, Seychelles is in debt 1.374 billion USD. This means that each person in Seychelles is in debt $15,553.54. Luckily for Seychelles, inflation is at -2.2% (est. 2010) means store items are pretty inexpensive. Compare this to Seychelles 2009 which was at 31.8%. The unemployment rate in Seychelles is also pretty low at 2%. Seychelles' agriculture is made up of coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cassava (tapioca), copra, bananas, poultry, and tuna. Of most of these agriculture products, Seychelles exports canned tuna, frozen fish, cinnamon bark, copra, and petroleum products. These exports mostly go to the UK, France, Italy, Mauritius, Japan, and Spain as of 2009.
 * __ Economy __**
 * //Economic Inflation is a rise in the level of prices over time.//


 * __<span style="color: #558ed5; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Adult Literacy Rate __**
 * **Country** || **Male** || **Female** ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Seychelles || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">91% || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">92% ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">United States || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">99% || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">99% ||

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Seychelles: Seychelles is essentially a Christian country. 85% of Seychellois are Roman Catholic, 6% Anglican, while 2% follow other branches in Christianity such as Lutheran, Methodist or Evangelical. Hinduism and Islam are barely a percent of the Seychellois population but are growing. There is a Hindu Temple along with a Muslim Mosque in Victoria (The capital of Seychelles).
 * __<span style="color: #558ed5; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Religion __**

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">US: The US doesn’t have an official religion because only 85% of the United States has speculations on religion meaning that they worship a specific religion. Approximately 79% of the US is Christian with 24% being affiliated with Roman Catholicism. 51% of Americans follow Protestant associations like Methodists and Lutheran. 3 to 5% of the US population follows other Christian branches. Judaism belongs to 1-2% of the US, Muslims get 1% of Americans, and Buddhism along with other large religion groups receive the rest of the percentage of religious followers in the United States.

**__<span style="color: #558ed5; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Around Seychelles in About 2 Minutes __**
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">CultureGrams World Edition: Seychelles (For almost everything) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">CIA - The World Factbook: Africa :: Seychelles (For economic standings) <span style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The University of Texas at Austin Online Library (For maps) <span style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">FlickrCC - Seychelles (For Bird Island and Seychelles flag image) <span style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Wikimedia Commons (Seychelles Rupee and James Michel images)
 * __ References __**