What in the World? Giant Tortoises

What in the World is the Indian Ocean country with several nature reserves — most notably Aldabra Atoll and Moyenne island — that serve as protective environments for giant tortoises? Choose an option and find out below!

A — SEYCHELLES
B — MADAGASCAR
C — MALDIVES





















Answer:
A . . . . . Seychelles

Independence Day Recently Celebrated in Seychelles

People all across SEYCHELLES celebrated their country's Independence Day yesterday on Monday, June 29th. This East African island country in the Indian Ocean achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1976. Happy belated Independence Day!

Seychelles is Known for...

●    Granite boulders
●    Giant and oil tortoises
●    Oceanside palm trees
●    Coups d’état, unfortunately
●    White-sand beaches

Most items were listed in The Africa Book; the MLA citation is below. What are other "trademarks" of this African country? Feel free to share your thoughts with a comment!

Phillips et al. The Africa Book: A Journey through Every
          Country in the Continent. Lonely Planet, 2007.

— #AfricaWeek —

Seychelles Exports

According to National Geographic MapMaker (mapmaker.nationalgeographic.org), the following items are major exports of the SEYCHELLES: bananas, beverages, boats, canned tuna, cassava, cinnamon bark, coconut fiber (coir), coconuts, copra, frozen fish, furniture, handicrafts, petroleum products re-exported from other countries, sweet potatoes, and vanilla. According to the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports (February 2017 statistics) include the United Arab Emirates (top importer), France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Japan, the United States, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Germany, Belgium, South Africa, Indonesia, Thailand, Malta, the Netherlands, Australia, Switzerland, Chile, Myanmar, and Mozambique.

Cities in the Seychelles

According to the United Nations Data (↗) website, the SEYCHELLES in East Africa features a population where 53.9% of people live in urban areas (2015 data). Mostly designated as districts, cities in this country are low-populated compared to metropolitan areas in other countries. For example, Seychelles' national capital and most-populated city — Victoria — has a population of about 32,000 residents (GeoFact of the Day's 2017 estimate). Victoria and most other cities are located on the largest island, Mahé. These communities include Anse aux Pines (Cove of Pines; 4,000), Anse Boileau (4,400), Anse Etoile (5,200), Anse Royale (4,200), Au Cap (Cape; 4,500), Baie Lazare, Beau Vallon (Beautiful Valley; 4,300), Bel Air, Cascade (4,500), Grand'Anse Mahé, Les Mamelles, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance (4,000), Port Glaud, Saint Antoine, and Takamaka. Baie Sainte Anne (St. Anne Bay; 7,000) and Grand'Anse Praslin (4,200) are located on Praslin island. La Passe and La Réunion are two small communities (~2,000 population each) on Seychelles' third largest inhabited island, La Digue.

Seychelles Endangered Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for The SEYCHELLES in East Africa lists 98 critically endangered species and 166 endangered species. Critically endangered species include the Hawksbill Turtle, Jellyfish Tree, Largetooth Sawfish, Mahé Boulder Cricket, Patu silho spider, Saaristo's Giant Mite, Scott's Stick Insect, Seychelles Bizzie Lizzie flower, Seychelles Black Paradise Flycatcher bird, Seychelles Crested Groundhopper grasshopper, Seychelles Palm Frog, Seychelles Sheath-Tailed Bat, Seychelles Shortwinged Groundhopper, Seychelles Blind Harvestman butterfly, Seychelles Forest Scorpion, Silhouette Giant Mite, Thomasset's Seychelles Frog, and Wright's Gardenia plant. Endangered species include the Abbott's Booby bird, Brauer's Burrowing Skink, Brauer's Giant Mite, Cooper's Black Caecilian worm-like amphibian, Double Coconut Palm tree, Gardiner's Seychelles Frog, Madagascar Sacred Ibis bird, Mahé Caecilian, Seychelles Crow, Seychelles Frog, Seychelles Giant Millipede, Seychelles Gray White-Eye bird, Seychelles House Skink, Seychelles Magpie Robin, Seychelles Palm Cricket, Seychelles Palm Grasshopper, Seychelles Pill Millipede, Seychelles Predatory Bush Cricket, Seychelles Scops Owl, Seychelles Tiger Chameleon, Seychelles Wolf Snake, and Vesey-Fitzgerald's Burrowing Skink.

Seychelles Extinct Species

Due to the SEYCHELLES' extensive biodiversity and biological study, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ lists a whopping 22 (twenty-two) extinct species that formerly lived on the islands of this Indian Ocean country in East Africa. These species are extinct in the Seychelles: Aldabra Banded Snail, Aldabra Bush Warbler bird, Centrobunus braueri spider (confirmed since 2014), Eucarlia alluaudi millipede, Gardiner's Giant Mite, Hirstienus nanus spider, Margatteoidea amoena cockroach, Metazalmoxis ferruginea spider, Oeceoclades seychellarum orchid, Orthomorpha crinita millipede, Pachnodus curiosus land snail, Pachnodus ladiguensis land snail, Pachnodus velutinus land snail, Peromona erinacea spider, Pleorotus braueri spider, Seychelles Parrot bird, Seychelles Terrapin aquatic turtle, Sitalcicus gardineri spider, Spirobolellus praslinus millipede, Stipax triangulifer spider, Thomasettia seychellana spider, and Vernonia sechellensis plant.

5 Smallest African Countries

Each of the five smallest countries in Africa are island countries and are less than 1,000 square miles in area. The smallest African country is SEYCHELLES, which is located north of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The second smallest is SÃO TOMÉ AND PRÍNCIPE, an Atlantic Ocean island country located south of Nigeria and west of Gabon in Western Africa. The third smallest, MAURITIUS is found east of Madagascar and Réunion in the Indian Ocean. The fourth smallest is COMOROS, a Muslim country (98% of the people worship Islam) located in the Mozambique Channel between Mozambique and Madagascar. Lastly, the fifth smallest African country is CAPE VERDE, which you would find west of Northern Africa and countries like Mauritania and Senegal. Below are the area stats for the five smallest African countries & convenient links to their posts.

     1. SEYCHELLES - 176 sq. mi / 455 sq. km

     2. SÃO TOMÉ AND PRÍNCIPE - 371 sq. mi / 960 sq. km

     3. MAURITIUS - 788 sq. mi / 2,040 sq. km

     4. COMOROS - 838 sq. miles / 2,170 sq. km

     5. CAPE VERDE - 1556 sq. miles / 4,030 sq. km

Source for area stats: Hammond World Atlas. Sixth Edition. Hammond World Atlas Corporation, 2010.

Seychelles

SEYCHELLES (pronounced "say shells") is a country with more than 100 islands in Eastern Africa and is located in the Indian Ocean. Seychelles, which is the smallest country in Africa, is northeast of Madagascar and southeast of Somalia. Seychelles' official languages are Seychellois Creole, English, and French, and Roman Catholicism is the largest religion. The major island is Mahé, where the capital Victoria resides. Other islands include Curieuse, La Digue, Praslin, Recife, and Silhouette. The currency is the Seychelles Rupee, and its ISO 4217 currency code is SCR.