The diversity of Paradise

The Seychelles lie out in the Indian Ocean, 4 to 10 degrees south of the equator, and since 1976 have been a democratic republic with 90,000 inhabitants. The national languages are Creole, English and French. The Seychelles consist of 115 islands. Thirty-two of these, including the main islands on the Seychelles Bank (Inner Islands), are primarily granite mountainous islands and there are numerous smaller coral islands, the so-called Outer Islands, scattered across an area of over 400,000 km². These special geographical and geological conditions are the breeding grounds for a unique diversity of flora and fauna, both above and under water. The most famous examples of this diversity of species are the “coco de mer” nut and Aldabra giant tortoises, found only on the Seychelles.