Location: | Eastern Africa, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar |
| Geographic coordinates: | 4 35 S, 55 40 E |
| Map references: | Africa |
| Area: | total: 455 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 455 sq km |
| Area - comparative: | 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
| Land boundaries: | 0 km |
| Coastline: | 491 km |
| Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm |
| Climate: | tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon (late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon (March to May) |
| Terrain: | Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky, hilly; others are coral, flat, elevated reefs |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Morne Seychellois 905 m |
| Natural resources: | fish, copra, cinnamon trees |
| Land use: | arable land: 2.22%
permanent crops: 13.33%
other: 84.45% (2001) |
| Irrigated land: | NA sq km |
| Natural hazards: | lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare; short droughts possible |
| 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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note: | 40 granitic and about 50 coralline islands
Source: CIA World Factbook
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