Geography of Seychelles
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 land: 455 sq km water: 0 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 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) |
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: 2.17% permanent crops: 13.04% other: 84.79% (2005) |
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, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note: | 41 granitic and about 75 coralline islands |