Location
The Seychelles are located about 1500 km off the coast of East Africa in the Indian Ocean, between 4-11 degrees South in latitude and 46-57 degrees East in longitude.The 115 islands that make up the Seychelles comprise of 455 square kilometers. Of the 115 islands, 42 of them are granitic. The granitic islands are located towards the interior of the archipelago, and are geologically older with a higher topography. While the remaining 73 coralline islands make up the outer Islands of the Seychelles. The Seychelles are believed to have separated from the ancient supercontinent Gondwana about 75 million years ago.
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The Major Islands
Mahé
Mahé is the largest island in the Seychelles at 145 square kilometers and also the tallest, with a peak at 905 meters. The capital city of the Seychelles Islands, Victoria, is located on Mahé, where 86% of the country's population lives. Mahé is also the place where one will find many of the countries national parks including Baie Ternay Marine National Park, Port Launay Marine National Park, and the Morne Seychellois National Park which basically separates the island into east and west. The economics of the island revolves completely around the tourism, which never seems to be low.
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Praslin
Praslin is the second largest island in the Seychelles and is home to over seven thousand people. Praslin is a bith northeast of Mahé, but only a mere twenty-seven miles. During the mid eighteenth century, Praslin was actually used as a hideout for pirates, but is today an extremely popular tourist destination. Praslin is also home to the Val Vallée de Mai Nature Preserve. As could be guessed, the Praslin National Park is also found on Praslin which is described in further detail under the conservation efforts tab.
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Silhouette Island
Silhouette is the third largest island in the Seychelles at 20.1 square kilometers and is a bit northwest of Mahé. It contains five mountain peaks over 500 m, the largest being Mont Dauban at 751 m. Silhouette is the only island in The Seychelles with surface volcanic ash and is home to about two-hundred people. Silhouette Island used to be privately owned until 1983 when it was purchased by the Seychelles government. Silhouette Island is considered one of the richest biodiversity hotspots in the Indian Ocean and the majority of the plants endemic to the Seychelles Islands can be found on Silhoutte Island making it an incredible place to visit.
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Sources
- Sayer, Jeffrey. The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests: Africa. Springer, 1992.
- Wong, Jean, et. al. Granitic Seychelles. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2016. <granitic-seychelles.weebly.com>