The Republic of Seychelles (pronounced Say-shells) includes several groups of islands (115 in all) scattered across the western part of the South Indian Ocean north of Madagascar. The Mahé group consists of rocky, fairly substantial islands and forms the core of the country; the other islands are mostly coral atolls and reefs. The first European settlements in the islands were by the French in the 1700s. The islands seesawed back and forth between Britain and France during the wars between those countries, finally landing in British hands for good in 1814. They were administered from Mauritius until 1903, when Seychelles became a separate colony. The country has been an independent republic and a member of the British Commonwealth since 1976. The population of the country is about 100,000. English and French are official languages in Seychelles, and a French-based creole language is commonly spoken. There are two historic lighthouses in Seychelles, the Denis Island Light seen at right and the Port Victoria Light shown below. Aids to navigation in Seychelles are maintained by the Seychelles Port Authority. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume D of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112.
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Adjoining pages: East: British Indian Ocean Territory | South: Madagascar
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Posted November 15, 2005. Checked and revised April 16, 2025. Lighthouses: 10. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.