Seychelles Geography:
Location:
archipelago in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar
Geographic coordinates:
4 35 S, 55 40 E
Map references:
Area:
total:
455 sq km
land:
455 sq km
water:
0 sq km
Area - comparative:
2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
total: 0 km
border countries: NA
Coastline:
491 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 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
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 (not ratified)
Geography - Note:
41 granitic and about 75 coralline islands |
