The Republic of Seychelles comprises 115 islands occupying a land area of 455 km² and an Exclusive Economic Zone of 1.4 km² in the western Indian Ocean. It represents an archipelago of legendary beauty that extends from between 4 and 10 degrees south of the equator and which lies between 480km and 1,600km from the east coast of Africa. Of these 115 islands, 41 constitute the oldest mid-oceanic granite islands on earth while a further 74 form the low-lying coral atolls and reef islands of the Outer Islands.
The granitic islands of the Seychelles archipelago cluster around the main island of Mahé, home to the international airport and the capital, Victoria, and its satellites Praslin and La Digue. Together, these Inner Islands form the cultural and economic hub of the nation and contain the majority of Seychelles’ tourism facilities as well as its most stunning beaches.
Climate
The Seychelles’ climate is one which is always warm and does not reach extremes of heat or cold. The temperature rarely drops below 24°C or rises above 32°C. All but the remotest southern islands lie outside the cyclone belt making Seychelles’ a year round destination for sun worshippers and beach lovers.
It is generally cooler when the north-west trade winds blow during the months of November to March. The sea is generally calm and the weather warm and humid, with average winds of 15 - 22 kilometers per hour.
A larger amount of the annual rainfall falls during the months of December to February compared to other months. The average number of rainy days (days with 1 millimeter or more rainfall) in December, January and February are 18, 17 and 11 days respectively. It is also fairly cloudy at times during those months and therefore less sunshine. The weather is hottest from December to April, and the humidity is high - often 80% or higher.
The months of May to October bring drier, cooler weather, and livelier seas - particularly on south-eastern coasts – and winds of 19 -37 kilometers per hour are common.
On average the number of rainy days during this period is 11 with long periods of sunshine.
Dry spells of two weeks or more are fairly common.
Airlines
The following airlines have services to the Seychelles:
Air Seychelles, Etihad, Emirates, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian, SAA, Sri Lankan Airlines, Condor.