Area:

455 km2

Population:

86 000

Climate:

Temperature and humidity remain generally high throughout the year with a mean temperature of 26.9°C, and humidity of 80%. Daytime maximum is about 5°C. warmer than night minimum temperatures. The period October to May is considered as the cyclone season for the Southwest Indian Ocean. The tropical cyclones are usually formed within the ITCZ, where the sea surface temperature is at least 28 °C.

The length of the dry season also varies significantly throughout the Seychelles archipelago. During May to October drier conditions exist in most of the Seychelles archipelago. However, in the northeast atolls of Bird Island (1973 mm) and Denis Island, the mean annual rainfall is twice as high (1973 mm & 1730 mm respectively) as in the Southwest atolls of Aldabra (984.5 mm). Both spatial and temporal precipitation variability is affected by tropical cyclones.

Natural Resources:

The major source of economic activity is the tourist industry and tourist-related services in terms of employment, foreign earnings, construction, and banking. The industrial sector accounts for 18% of GDP, employs roughly 20% of the domestic workforce and generating around 94% of revenues from Domestic export. Manufacturing is responsible for 16% of GDP .Agriculture, forestry, and fishing account for about four percent of GDP. Service sector contributes the bulk of the GDP at 62%.

Agriculture:

Farming and fishing continue to employ people, as do industries that process coconuts and vanilla. The prime agricultural products currently produced in the Seychelles include sweet potatoes, vanilla, coconuts, and cinnamon. These products provide much of the economic support of the locals. Seychelles has a total of 6000 hectares of potential agricultural land of which only about 600 hectares are under arable agriculture. Land for agriculture in Seychelles is limited to the narrow coastal strip and the steep hillsides.

Climate Vulnerabilities:

The main direct effect will is through changes in temperature, rainfall and timing of extreme or critical threshold events related to crop development. A rise in sea level will contaminate coastal land and thus render the soil unsuitable for cultivation. Other effects are expected to include, the potential detrimental changes in diseases, pests, and weed propagation. Anomalies in climatic conditions, such as prolonged periods of drought and abnormal high quantity of rainfall, had been experienced, and these had brought much economic cost to the country.

Source:

http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/natc/seync1.pdf

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