Seychelles' 115 islands fall under two distinct groups. The tall granite, Inner Islands cluster mainly within the relatively shallow Seychelles' plateau, 4° south of the equator and roughly 1800 km. distant from the east coast of Africa while the low-lying coralline cays, atolls and reef islands of the Outer Islands lie mainly beyond the plateau up to 10° south of the equator.




Seychelles Island

Unlike many other tropical islands, the Seychelles were not exploited with much colonistic fervor. It is assumed that early Phoenician and possibly Indonesian traders were the first visitors to these islands. Arab mariners also arrived on these shores, as they had established a complex trading network throughout the Indian Ocean, ranging from the Arabian Peninsula to India and all along the east African coast. But these merchants were not the colonizing type, so they left little mark. Even the Europeans who visited here in early times seemed to take little interest, probably due to the lack of precious metals or natives that could be used as slaves. Old maps indicate that the Portuguese had visited these islands by 1505—led by famed captain Vasco de Gama who named the islands the Amirantes after himself—but they chose not to settle here. Nearly a century and a half after de Gama's visit, the French sent a mission here under the command of the French Governor of Mauritius, another French possession isolated in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Fourteen years later, the French sent a second expedition here, naming the islands for the king's Finance Minister, proving that though they never had as much fun as royals themselves, being an economic chief does have its perks. Though French planters set up some plantations, the lack of trade nearly led to the dissolution of the colony.

During the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, the islands were taken over by the British then once again "freed" by the French, but in 1814, they were officially handed over to the British with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. Since Mauritius was also ceded to the English at this time, the Seychelles became a dependency of Mauritius, dropping its lowly status to colony of a colony. This meager status quo remained for seventy-four years, when the islands were rewarded their own governing councils and governor. By 1903 the Seychelles had become an official colony of the British crown.

Throughout most of the twentieth century, little changed politically. In fact, it wasn't until 1970 that colonial representatives met with local politicians to discuss a possible constitution. While the Seychelles Democratic Party (SDP) led by James Mancham espoused close integration with Britain, France-Albert René and his more radical Seychelles People's United Party (SPUP) were pushing for full independence. Mancham and the SDP won the ensuing elections and soon they too were clamoring for independence. After his re-election, Mancham negotiated with the British, leading the Seychelles to independent republic status within the British Commonwealth. Looking at some of the bloody wars that took place on other tropical islands, we must admit the Seychelles' "battle" for self-rule was quite peaceful – call it Revolution Light.

But the Cold War was underway and even these isolated islands became part of the geo-political chess match. Mancham, who was named President, pushed to develop tourism, offshore financial services and ties with Europe. But when he traveled overseas to attend the 1977 British Commonwealth Conference, the left-wing Prime Minister René staged a coup d'etat. His SPUP took the reins of power and rode the Seychelles into one-party rule, turning the country into a socialist state. Four years later an attempted coup by a team of South African mercenaries was foiled and the SPUP remained in power. But as was happening throughout Africa, aid donor countries, such as Britain and France, were encouraging multi-party politics; their pressure caused René to announce a new round of presidential elections in 1993. Mancham returned from abroad but René won the successive elections to come. As President, René's ability to strengthen the infrastructure—vital for tourism—insulated him from criticism of cronyism and nepotism. After twenty-seven years in power, René stepped down from power in 2004, handing over control to his vice-president James Michel. Many wonder if Michel can lead the Seychelles towards a more open multi-party system, as true democracy has never really taken hold. Though tourism took a big hit after September 11th and the Iraq War, business has picked up once again though it's surprising that such an isolated spot was ever affected by terrorism in the first place.