Victoria, Seychelles
Encyclopedia
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
of the Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
(smallest African capital) and is situated on the north-eastern side of Mahé
Mahé, Seychelles
Mahé is the largest island of the Seychelles, lying in the north east of the nation. The population of Mahé is 80,000. It contains the capital city of Victoria and accommodates 90% of the country's total population...
island, which is the main island of the archipelago. The city was first established as the seat of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
colonial
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
government. As of 2009, the population is 25,000 (for Greater Victoria, which includes the suburbs), out of the population of 87,972. Victoria is served by Seychelles International Airport
Seychelles International Airport
Seychelles International Airport or Aéroport de La Pointe la Rue as it is known locally is located on the island of Mahé, Seychelles near the capital city of Victoria...
(completed in 1971.)
The principal exports of Victoria are vanilla
Vanilla
Vanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, Flat-leaved Vanilla . The word vanilla derives from the Spanish word "", little pod...
, coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
s, coconut oil
Coconut oil
Coconut oil is an edible oil extracted from the kernel or meat of matured coconuts harvested from the coconut palm . Throughout the tropical world, it has provided the primary source of fat in the diets of millions of people for generations. It has various applications in food, medicine, and industry...
, soap
Soap
In chemistry, soap is a salt of a fatty acid.IUPAC. "" Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. . Compiled by A. D. McNaught and A. Wilkinson. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford . XML on-line corrected version: created by M. Nic, J. Jirat, B. Kosata; updates compiled by A. Jenkins. ISBN...
, Fish and guano
Guano
Guano is the excrement of seabirds, cave dwelling bats, and seals. Guano manure is an effective fertilizer due to its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen and also its lack of odor. It was an important source of nitrates for gunpowder...
.
Attractions in the city include a clocktower modelled on that of Vauxhall Clock Tower in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the Courthouse
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
, the Victoria Botanical Gardens
Victoria Botanical Gardens
The Victoria Botanical Gardens in Seychelles was established in 1901 by Mr. Paul Evenor Rivalz Dupont . Today the Ministry of Environment is responsible for the Botanical Gardens and has its headquarters in it...
, the Victoria National Museum of History, the Victoria Natural History Museum and the Sir Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke
Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke
Sir Percy Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke , KBE, CMG, MC, MD, FRCP, DPH, DTM&H, CStJ Barrister at Law, was the Director of Medical Services, Hong Kong, from 1937–1943 and Governor of the Seychelles from 1947–1951.-Biography:...
Market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
.The Victoria market is the local hotspot for the seychellois people and the brighly coloured Fish and Fruit markets are not to be missed, also nearby is the gallery of renown local artist Georges Camille. The city is also home to the national stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
, the International School Seychelles and a polytechnic
Institute of technology
Institute of technology is a designation employed in a wide range of learning institutions awarding different types of degrees and operating often at variable levels of the educational system...
institute, while the inner harbour lies immediately east of the town, around which tuna
Tuna
Tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...
fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
and canning
Canning
Canning is a method of preserving food in which the food contents are processed and sealed in an airtight container. Canning provides a typical shelf life ranging from one to five years, although under specific circumstances a freeze-dried canned product, such as canned, dried lentils, can last as...
form a major local industry. One of the largest bridges in Victoria was destroyed by tsunami waves from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
.
Victoria proper is composed of parts of three Districts of Seychelles
Districts of Seychelles
||Seychelles is divided into 25 districts. All are located on the Inner Islands; the Outer Islands are not part of any district. Eight of the districts make up Greater Victoria, 14 are located in the rural part of the main island Mahé, two on Praslin, and one on La Digue...
:
- English RiverLa Riviere AnglaiseLa Rivière Anglaise is an administrative district of Seychelles located on the island of Mahé....
(La Riviere Anglaise) (the innermost part) - Saint LouisSaint Louis, SeychellesSaint Louis is an administrative district of Seychelles located on the island of Mahé. It is the smallest district of Seychelles with an area slighty more than a square kilometer....
- Mont FleuriMont FleuriMont Fleuri is an administrative district of Seychelles with its main part located on the island of Mahé. It also includes the six islands of the Ste. Anne Marine National Park and two islets further east ....
Greater Victoria encompasses these three, and five more of the 25 Districts of Seychelles
Districts of Seychelles
||Seychelles is divided into 25 districts. All are located on the Inner Islands; the Outer Islands are not part of any district. Eight of the districts make up Greater Victoria, 14 are located in the rural part of the main island Mahé, two on Praslin, and one on La Digue...
as follows:
- Mont BuxtonMont BuxtonMont Buxton is an administrative district of Seychelles located on the island of Mahé....
- Bel AirBel Air, SeychellesBel Air is an administrative district of Seychelles located on the island of Mahé....
- Roche CaimanRoche CaimanRoche Caiman is an administrative district of Seychelles located on the island of Mahé. It is also quite beautiful, densely populated with groves of wine grapes, used in the most coveted wines in all of Australia...
- Les MamellesLes MamellesLes Mamelles is an administrative district of the Seychelles, located in the south of the Greater Victoria area on Mahé, the main island of the archipelago. The district is located inward from the adjacent coastal district of Roche Caiman...
- Au Cap
- PlaisancePlaisance (Seychelles)Plaisance is an administrative district of Seychelles located on the island of Mahé....