Seychelles is composed of two main island groups: the Mahé group of 40 central, mountainous granitic islands, and a second group of over 70 outer, flat, coralline islands. The islands of the Mahé group are rocky and typically have a narrow coastal strip and a central range of hills. The overall aspect of these islands, with their lush tropical vegetation, is that of high hanging gardens overlooking silver-white beaches and clear lagoons. The coralline islands, rising only a few feet above sea level, are flat with elevated coral reefs at different stages of formation. These islands are largely waterless, and very few have a resident population.

The climate is tropical-oceanic, with little temperature variation during the year. Daily temperatures rise to about 86 °F (30 °C) in the afternoon and fall to about 73 °F (23 °C) at night. Rainfall varies greatly from island to island; on Mahé, the annual rainfall ranges from 90 inches (2,300 mm) at sea level to 140 inches (3,560 mm) on the mountain slopes. Humidity is persistently high but is ameliorated somewhat in locations windward of the prevailing southeast trade winds. Wildlife includes giant tortoises and green sea turtles.

The original French colonists on the previously uninhabited islands, and their black slaves, were joined in the 19th century by deportees from France. Asians from China, India, and Malaya arrived later in smaller numbers. Widespread intermarriage has resulted in a population of mixed descent. Nearly 90 percent of the people live on Mahé, a great number of them in the capital city, Victoria. Emigration has kept the annual population growth rate to a minimum. More than one-third of the population is less than 15 years old, and about nine-tenths is Roman Catholic. As of July 1981, Creole, also called Seselwa, the mother tongue of most Seychellois, replaced English and French as the prescribed national language, but all three are considered official languages.

Seychelles has a mixed, developing economy that is heavily dependent upon tourism. Despite a visible trade deficit and high inflation rates, the economy has experienced steady growth. The gross national product (GNP) is growing more rapidly than the population. The GNP per capita is significantly higher than those found in most of the nearby continental African countries.

Agriculture accounts for less than one-tenth of the gross domestic product (GDP) and employs about one-tenth of the workforce. Arable land is limited and the soil is generally poor, but coconuts, cinnamon bark, vanilla, and essential oils are produced for export. Seychelles has a modern fishing industry that supplies both domestic and foreign markets. The extraction of guano for export has also become an established economic activity. The nation's relatively small manufacturing sector is composed largely of food-processing plants. Services account for the largest share of the GDP and employ the largest proportion of the workforce. Since the opening of Mahé international airport in 1971, the tourism industry has grown rapidly, currently providing almost three-fourths of all foreign exchange. Seychelles' main imports are petroleum products, machinery, and foodstuffs. Canned tuna, copra, frozen fish, and cinnamon are the most important exports, together with the reexport of petroleum products.

Under the 1993 constitution, Seychelles is a republic with a president who is elected by universal suffrage and serves as the head of state and government, is commander in chief, and is limited to no more than three five-year terms. A 1996 constitutional amendment created the position of vice president, who is appointed by the president. The president also appoints the Council of Ministers to assist him in an advisory capacity. The legislature, the National Assembly, is unicameral; its members serve five-year terms. The judicial branch consists of Magistrate's Courts, subordinate to the Supreme Court; the Supreme Court, which has jurisdiction over civil and criminal matters and also hears appeals from the Magistrate's Courts; and the Court of Appeals, which hears appeals from the Supreme Court.

The basis of the school system is a free, compulsory, ten-year education. Education standards have risen steadily, and nearly all children of primary-school age attend school. The government operates the only radio station, television station, and daily newspaper in Seychelles. There are several independent weekly and monthly publications.

The first recorded landing on the uninhabited Seychelles was made in 1609 by an expedition of the British East India Company. The archipelago was explored by the Frenchman Lazare Picault in 1742 and 1744 and was formally annexed to France in 1756. The archipelago was named Séchelles, later changed by the British (British Empire) to Seychelles. War between France and Britain led to the surrender of the archipelago to the British in 1810, and it was formally ceded to Great Britain by the Treaty of Paris in 1814. The abolition of slavery in the 1830s deprived the islands' European colonists of their labour force and compelled them to switch from raising cotton and grains to less labour-intensive crops such as coconut, vanilla, and cinnamon. In 1903 Seychelles became a British crown colony. A Legislative Council with elected members was introduced in 1948. In 1970 Seychelles obtained a new constitution, universal adult suffrage, and a governing council with an elected majority; self-government was granted in 1975 and independence in 1976 (within the Commonwealth of Nations). In 1975 a coalition government, with James R. Mancham as president and France-Albert René as prime minister, was formed. In 1977 René became president in a coup d'état.

In 1979 a new constitution transformed Seychelles into a one-party socialist state, with René's Seychelles People's Progressive Front (SPPF) designated the only legal party. This change was not popular with many Seychellois, and during the 1980s there were several coup attempts.

Buckling under pressure from their primary sources of foreign aid, the SPPF began moving toward more democratic rule in the early 1990s, with the promulgation of a new constitution and the return of multiparty politics. The country also gradually abandoned its socialist economy and began to follow market-based economic strategies by privatizing most parastatal companies, encouraging foreign investment, and focusing efforts on marketing Seychelles as an offshore business and financial hub.

As Seychelles entered the 21st century, the SPPF continued to dominate the political scene. After the return of multiparty elections, René was reelected three times before eventually resigning in 2004 to allow Vice President James Michel (SPPF) to succeed him as president. In late 2004 some of Seychelles' islands were hit by a tsunami (Indian Ocean tsunami), which severely damaged the environment and the country's economy.