Page last updated on February 15, 2013

Location:
archipelago in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar

Geographic coordinates:
4 35 S, 55 40 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 455 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 199
land: 455 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]

Coastline:
491 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

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

Climate:
tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon (late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon (March to May)
More Climate Details

Terrain:
Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky, hilly; others are coral, flat, elevated reefs

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
[see also: Elevation extremes - lowest point country ranks ]
highest point: Morne Seychellois 905 m

Natural resources:
fish, copra, cinnamon trees

Land use:
arable land: 2.17%
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 13.04%
other: 84.79% (2005)

Irrigated land:
3 sq km
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Natural hazards:
lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare; occasional short droughts

Environment - current issues:
water supply depends on catchments to collect rainwater

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
41 granitic and about 75 coralline islands