In 2009, Seychelles had an estimated population of 88,000 people, with a growth rate of 1.1%. The economy was largely based on tourism and services such as banking. Foreign relations were mainly focused on trade agreements with the African Union, United Nations and other countries in the region. In terms of politics, Seychelles was a republic with a president as head of state. In 2009, James Michel was the president at that time and his party had a majority in both houses of Parliament. See internetsailors for Seychelles in the year of 2011.
Seychelles is an archipelago of the Indian Ocean known to Arab sailors, port of European ships at the beginning of the 16th century, explored by the French (1740) who coined its name and took possession of it (1756). A transit station, it was subjected to brutal deforestation which gave way to plantation (cinnamon) agriculture. Occupied by the United Kingdom (1810-14), it remained its domain until 1976, when it became independent after prolonged negotiations, problematic for the geo-strategic importance of the islands. Democratic Republic in the Commonwealth, saw the seizure of power in 1977 with a coup by F. René, who in 1979 established a one-party socialist system, returning to multi-partyism in 1992 and obtaining re-election until 2004, when he passed the hand to J. Michel. The Seychelles have experienced an economic development centered on tourism. The composite population speaks French-based Creole, which is the official language along with English and French. See ABBREVIATIONFINDER for abbreviation SC which stands for the nation of Seychelles.
Yearbook 2009
Seychelles. In January, Seychelles President James Michel appealed to foreign lenders to write off half of the country’s foreign debt. According to countryaah, already in the spring of 2008, the people of Seychelles had noticed an economic downturn. This was exacerbated by the international financial crisis in the autumn of 2008, which among other things led to reduced tourism. The crisis continued in 2009. At the beginning of the year, the number of tourists was 15 percent lower than in the same period in 2008. After criticizing the fact that arable land is sold to foreign investors to build hotels and other tourist facilities, the government decided in April to prioritize the availability of food over tourism investments. Only about 7 percent of Seychelles’ area consists of arable land and the country relies on imported food. At the same time, the tourism sector is a source of labor and income. Nearly one-third of the country’s workforce is employed in the tourism sector, which also provides over two-thirds of Seychelles’ foreign currency. Seychelles is one of Africa’s richest countries in terms of GDP per capita, but at the same time one of the world’s most indebted.
In 2009, Seychelles asked the international community for help defending its waters against Somali pirates. At first the pirates operated in the Gulf of Aden at the Horn of Africa, but since international naval forces began to patrol the Gulf of Aden, in the fall of 2009, the pirates moved south and moved to attack ships in the Indian Ocean, near the Seychelles. There, for example, a Spanish trawler, including Seychelles crew, was held by pirates for a month before the ship was released against a multimillionaire. The United States helped monitor the waters of Seychelles with spy aircraft. In October, France pledged to help develop the Seychelles’ legal system to ensure that arrested pirates can be brought to justice.
In November, the World Bank granted a US $ 9 million loan to help the country get back on its feet financially.