Some 115 tropical islands form the Republic of Seychelles in the Indian Ocean—independent from Britain since 1976. An international airport opened in 1971 on the largest island, Mahé, increasing tourism, the economic mainstay. An estimated 88 percent of the population live on Mahé. After 15 years of one-party rule, the first elections in the country's history were held in 1993.
ECONOMYIndustry: fishing, tourism, processing of coconuts and vanilla, coir (coconut fiber) rope.
Agriculture: coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes; broiler chickens; tuna fish.
Exports: canned tuna, frozen fish, cinnamon bark, copra, petroleum products (reexports).Text source:
National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition, 2004
