A small group of French, along with their slaves, was the first settlers in the Seychelles in the mid 18th century, on 1st November 1756. The French christened Seychelles after a French Chancellor, Viscount Jean Moreau de Sechelles.  First a French colony, Seychelles became a British colony in 1814. Independence came much later on in 1976. 

The Seychelles has a small population of a little over 81,000.  The bulk of the population, over 70, 000 resides on Mahe, the main island.  Most of the remaining people live on Praslin.  The official languages of the Seychelles are Creole, French and English.  The level of literacy amongst the locals is quite high, with a lot of emphasis placed on education; consequently, over 90% of the population is literate.  The predominant religion of the Seychelles is Catholic, although there are various other religion branches.

Mahe, Praslin, and La Digue, three of the largest granite islands, are the most urbanized of the islands.  The capital city, Victoria, and the only international airport are located on Mahe.  The major industries of the Seychelles include tourism, fishing and Coconut and Vanilla processing.