Seychelles

Seychelles, officially the Republic of Seychelles is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean. The 115-island country, whose capital is Victoria, lies 1,500 kilometres (932 mi) east of mainland Southeast Africa. Other nearby island countries and territories include Zanzibar to the west and Comoros, Mayotte, Madagascar, Réunion and Mauritius to the south. Seychelles, with a population of 90,024, has the smallest population of any African state.Seychelles is a member of the African Union.

Victoria

Victoria is the capital city of the Seychelles and is situated on the north-eastern side of Mahé island, the archipelago's main island. The city was first established as the seat of the British colonial government. In 2009, the population of Greater Victoria (including the suburbs) was 25,000 out of the country's total population of 87,972. Victoria is served by Seychelles International Airport, completed in 1971.The principal exports of Victoria are vanilla, coconuts, coconut oil, fish and guano. Attractions in the city include a clocktower modelled on that of Vauxhall Clock Tower in London, England, the Courthouse, the Victoria Botanical Gardens, the Victoria National Museum of History, the Victoria Natural History Museum and the Sir Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke Market. Victoria market is the local hotspot for the Seychellois people and the brightly coloured Fish and Fruit Markets are not to be missed, also nearby is the gallery of the renowned local artist Georges Camille. The city is also home to the national stadium, the International School Seychelles and a polytechnic. The inner harbour lies immediately east of the town, where tuna fishing and canning forms a major local industry. One of the largest bridges in Victoria was destroyed by tsunami waves from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.

Praslin

Praslin is the second largest island (38 km²) of the Seychelles, lying 44 km (27 mi) northeast of Mahé. Praslin has a population of around 6,500 people and comprises two administrative districts: Baie Sainte Anne and Grand' Anse (Praslin). The main settlements are the Baie Ste Anne, Anse Volbert and Grand' Anse. It was named Isle de Palmes by explorer Lazare Picault in 1744. During that time it was used as a hideaway by pirates and Arab merchants. In 1768 it was renamed Praslin in honor of French diplomat César Gabriel de Choiseul, duc de Praslin. Praslin is known as a tourist destination with several hotels and resorts, as well as a number of beaches such as Anse Lazio and Anse Georgette. It has substantial tracts of tropical forests with birds such as the endemic Seychelles Bulbul and the Seychelles Black Parrot. The beautiful Vallée de Mai Nature Preserve is known for the unique coco de mer and vanilla orchids. It has been reported that General Charles George Gordon of Khartoum (1833-1885) was convinced that Vallée de Mai was the Biblical "Garden of Eden". Praslin is home to Praslin Island Airport, while surrounding islands include Curieuse Island, La Digue, Cousin Island, Cousine Island and Aride Island. There are a few near offshore islets including Round Island (.193 km²) and Chauve Souris (.007 km²), both of which have hotel accommodations. Twice in two weeks in August 2011 bull sharks entered the so-called 'safe bathing' area inside the coral reef of Anse Lazio and attacked and killed swimmers less than 100 ft (30 m) from shore. However, to put this in perspective, these were the first recorded fatal shark attacks in Seychelles for 50 years and none have been recorded since 2011.

Praslin Island Airport

Praslin Island Airport also known as Iles des Palmes Airport, is an airport located at Grand Anse on Praslin Island in the Seychelles. The airport is currently only serviced by Air Seychelles, who fly scheduled flights to Mahé and charters to the other islands off the Seychelles. The airport has the capacity to handle over 1500 passengers daily and over half a million passengers annually

Vallée de Mai

Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve is a nature park and UNESCO World Heritage Site on the island of Praslin, Seychelles. It consists of a well-preserved palm forest, flagship species made up of the island endemic Coco de Mer, as well as five other endemic palms. The Coco de Mer , a monocot tree in the Arecaceae (palm family), has the largest seeds (double nut seed) of any plant in the world. Also unique to the park is its wildlife, including birds such as the rare Seychelles Black Parrot, mammals, crustaceans, snails, and reptiles. There has been a determined effort to eliminate all the introduced exotic species of plants from the area but this has not been successful in eliminating coffee, pineapple, and ornamental palms thus far. This forest, with its primitive plant and animal species, is a relict from the time when the supercontinent of Gondwana was divided into smaller parts, leaving the Seychelles islands between the present day Madagascar and India

Seychelles bulbul

The Seychelles bulbul is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. The species is related to the Grand Comoro bulbul and the Moheli bulbul. It is a common endemic species of the Seychelles, breeding on Mahé, Praslin, La Digue and Silhouette as well as some smaller islands. The Seychelles bulbul is social, living in pairs, family groups or small flocks in forest and woodland from the sea to the mountains on granitic mountains. The species is omnivorous, taking fruit, flowers, eggs, and insects gleaned from foliage or hawked during short flights. They are very aggressive towards other birds species, chasing away birds as large as green-backed herons from areas that they are feeding in. The breeding season of the Seychelles bulbul usually begins at the start of the monsoon, around October to January, although breeding can occur at any time. It builds a circular nest out of palm fibres, leaves, twigs and moss in a forked tree branch, usually 10 m or more above the ground. Two whitish eggs with spots are usually laid per season, although in most cases only one chick is successfully raised to fledging age. Incubation lasts for 15 days and fledging occurs 21 days after hatching, but young fledglings will accompany adults after fledging, possibly to learn foraging skills.

Seychelles International Airport

Seychelles International Airport or Aéroport de la pointe Larue as it is known locally is on the island of Mahé, Seychelles near the capital city of Victoria. It forms part of the administrative districts of La pointe Larue and Anse aux pins (in the south and military base). The airport is 11 km southeast of the capital and is accessible by the Victoria-Providence Highway. There is frequent service from the bus station in Victoria, with taxi ranks outside the terminal available to all locations on Mahé Island and several tour operator's coach services – namely Creole Travel Services and Mason's travel – which also links passengers to the ferry terminal at the Old Port (Vieux port) for inter-island ferry services and to the New Port (Nouveau port) for cruise holidays. A domestic terminal is a short walking distance north of the international terminal and offers inter-island flights with a peak of a departure every 10–15 minutes at busy times which corresponds with international arrivals/departures and every 30 minutes at other times. There is plan to link the airport with a light railway/tram system which will run along the east coast of Mahé island due to the high transportation density of this area. Companies were invited to tender in 2007 by the government. A cargo terminal is situated south of the international terminal and handles freight from all international and domestic movements; it is run by the national airline Air Seychelles. A military base of the Seychelles Public Defence Force (SPDF) exists at the southeastern end of runway 13 in the south on an island joined with Mahé at the construction of the airport.

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