The Republic of Seychelles is an archipelago nation of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, 1,500 kilometres) east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island Other nearby island countries and territories include Zanzibar to the west, Mauritius and Réunion to the south, Comoros and Mayotte to the southwest. Seychelles, with an estimated population of 84,000, has the smallest population of any African state. There are 42 granitic islands, in descending order of size, Mahe' the largest island. There are two coral sand cays north of the granitics, Denis and Bird.

 The climate is equable although quite humid, as the islands are small and subject to marine influences. The temperature varies little throughout the year. Temperatures on Mahé vary from 24 to 30 °C and rainfall ranges from 2,900 mm. Precipitation is somewhat less on the other islands. The southeast trade winds blow regularly from May to November, and this is the most pleasant time of the year. The hot months are from December to April, with higher humidity but the temperature seldom exceeds 31 °C. Most of the islands lie outside the cyclone belt, so high winds are rare.

 As the islands of Seychelles had no indigenous population, the current Seychellois are composed of people who have emigrated to the island. The largest ethnic groups are those of French, African, Indian, and Chinese descent. French and English are official languages along with Seychellois Creole, which is primarily based upon French. According to the 2002 census, most Seychellois are Christians: 82.3%. There are also small minorities that practice Hinduism (2.1%) and Islam (1.1%).