An island country in the western Indian Ocean north of Madagascar. Previously uninhabited, the islands were explored by Vasco da Gama in the early 1500s and colonized by the French in the mid-1700s. They were taken by the British in 1794, and Britain gained permanent control of them in 1814. The Seychelles were a crown colony from 1903 until 1975, when they became self-governing. Independence as a Commonwealth nation was achieved in 1976. Victoria, on Mahé Island, is the capital. Seychelles is world’s only granite islands in mid-ocean, the world’s largest raised coral atoll and a whole host of attractions make up what is surely the world’s ultimate tropical paradise. Situated just 4 degrees south of the equator and a thousand miles off the East coast of Africa, the Seychelles are a group of some 115 islands scattered across over 500,000 square miles of ocean. Even though they are so close to the Equator they have a surprisingly mild and sub- tropical climate which is moderated by the oceanic influences and trade winds. A unique range of endemic species has evolve in the archipelago. Two UNESCO world heritage sites, the Vallee de Mai in Praslin and Aldabra, as well as Nature reserves and National Parks covering 46% of the total land area contribute to the active preservation and monitoring of the Seychelles bio-diversity. Each island has indeed a distinct character and attraction of its own. Seychelles has a population of 80000 people living mostly on three main inner islands: Mahé, Praslin and La Digue. The major sources of revenue are the tourism and the fishing industries.