Seychelles - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Seychelles. The smallest African country in terms of both area and population; the constitution of the Republic of Seychelles lists 155 islands, including 42 granitic and 113 coralline; the largest island by far is Mahe, which is home to about 90% of the population and is the site of the capital city of Victoria. Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 42 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Geographical data of Seychelles
Location archipelago in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar
Geographic coordinates 4 35 S, 55 40 E
Map references Africa
Tarrain Mahe Group is volcanic with a narrow coastal strip and rocky, hilly interior; others are relatively flat coral atolls, or elevated reefs; sits atop the submarine Mascarene Plateau
Natural Resources fish, coconuts (copra), cinnamon trees
Natural Hazards lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare; occasional short droughts
Irrigated Land 3 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 0 km
Border Countries
Coastline 491 km
Climate tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon (late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon (March to May)
Area
Total Area
Land Area 455 sq km
Water Area 0 sq km
comparative Area 2.5 times the size of Washington, D.C.
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Contiguous zone 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Continental shelf 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Elevations
Highest point Morne Seychellois 905 m
Lowest point Indian Ocean 0 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 3.4% (2022 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 0.3% (2022 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 3% (2022 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 0% (2022 est.)
Forest 73.3% (2022 est.)
Other 23.4% (2022 est.)
Population Distribution

More than three quarters of the population lives on the main island of Mahe; Praslin is home to less than 10%, and a smaller percentage is on La Digue and the outer islands, as shown in this population distribution map

People and Society

In Seychelles, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Predominantly Creole (mainly of East African and Malagasy heritage); also French, Indian, Chinese, and Arab populations

Population
Pop growth rate 0.56% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 11.8 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 7 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 3.2 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Total fertility rate 1.81 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 0.89 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
Est married women (ages 15-49) 45% (2023 est.)
Literacy
Education expenditures
Net Migration rate 0.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Seychellois | Seychellois (singular and plural)
Languages Seychellois Creole (official) 89.1%, English (official) 5.1%, French (official) 0.7%, other 3.8%, unspecified 1.4% (2010 est.)
Religions Roman Catholic 76.2%, Protestant 10.5% (Anglican 6.1%, Pentecostal Assembly 1.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.2%, other Protestant 1.7%), other Christian 2.4%, Hindu 2.4%, Muslim 1.6%, other non-Christian 1.1%, unspecified 4.8%, none 0.9% (2010 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 17.7% (male 8,912/female 8,439)
15-64 years 72.4% (male 37,841/female 33,210)
65 years and over 10% (2024 est.) (male 4,220/female 5,565)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 38.2 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio 24.4 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio 13.8 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio 7.3 (2024 est.)
Median Age
Total 38.7 years (2024 est.)
Male 38.2 years
Female 39.4 years
Urbanization
Urban population 58.8% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 0.99% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 28,000 VICTORIA (capital) (2018).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1.14 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.76 male(s)/female
Total population 1.08 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 10.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 12.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 7.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 76.6 years (2024 est.)
Male 72.2 years
Female 81.1 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: total total: 96.4% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: total total: 3.6% of population (2022 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: total total: 100% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: total total: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 9.48 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 4.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.49 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 4.62 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.25 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 20.5% (2025 est.)
Male 34.2% (2025 est.)
Female 5.2% (2025 est.)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Seychelles

Want to know more about Seychelles? Check all different factbooks for Seychelles below.

Seychelles is found in Eastern Africa