The Maldives are low lying coral islands that just barely break through the waters, the highest point only one meter above sea level. The Seychelles are the opposite, a series of mountainous islands rising up from the sea. It reminds me of Canada’s west coast. To add to the comparison, we are heading for Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles. It is a town of about 25,000 people. The total Seychelles population is 84,000. Victoria is on the largest island, Male.
The Seychelles is made up of 115 islands, most of them granite with about 42 being coral. The difference is that the granite islands were pushed up through the water and the coral islands did not rise above the water level and coral built up creating the low lying coral islands. Only the granite islands are occupied.
Gary went to a coral reef to snorkel with the rest of our group and I went on a tour to the north part of the Island.
This country is a sharp contrast to every place we have visited so far – it is lush green with dense growth, it is clean and tidy, everything is well maintained, the roads are in good shape. Victoria is busy with Christmas shoppers.
We started with a visit to the botanical gardens where we saw Coco De Mer palms (the largest nut in the world), star fruit trees, huge fruit bats and giant tortoises. There are numerous spice plantations on the island as well. Drinking water comes from rain water that is captured and a desalination plant.
Next we had a walk through the downtown and on of the markets. Most of the produce is grown on the island and of course there was lots of fish. Many merchants sell the spices. Apparently the first spice plantation was started by Pierre Poivre (the famous Peter Pepper). We drove around one of the peninsulas, passing many white sandy beaches, large granite boulders and beach resorts. Tourism is the main industry and some of the islands are privately owned. It was one of those islands where Kate and William spent their honeymoon.
The island was first occupied in the 1700s by settlers from France, Asia and Africa. The British took control and made it a colony in 1812. Independency was declared in 1961. While there are elections for the President and members of Parliament, it sounds as though these are predetermined. An Emir from one of the Arab countries provides considerable financial assistance to the current government, including paying people to vote, as a result the current President and government has been in control for over 35 years. The Emir lives in a castle built on a mountain overlooking Victoria.
The locals refer to themselves as Creole and speak a Creole language which is a mixture of French
and one of the Indian languages. The schools teach French, English and Creole. Education is mandatory from age 4 to age 16. There is free medical care and if the hospital in Victoria cannot handle a situation they are flown to a nearby country for treatment, most of that cost is absorbed by the government. They say they are all a mixture of European, African and Asian.
There is a replica of Big Ben on one of the round-abouts, an Indian temple, a Mosque and Christmas decorations.