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The Seychelles After God had finished creating the world, he had a handful of diamonds left over. He came upon a place just east of Africa where he thought to himself, 'Here I can create something marvelous', and so he scattered the remaining diamonds in the ocean. Thus the 'Seychelles' were born... The Seychelles, the name alone conjures up images of hidden treasure and tropical paradise. The myths still exist; are they just the jewel-like scattered remnants of a forgotten continent, or simply the original 'Garden of Eden', and what arcane mysteries are locked inside of those 650 million year old rocks. Whatever, one thing is certain; you will never find such a unique paradise anywhere else on Earth.  Seychelles is a nation comprising numerous small islands scattered across the Indian Ocean south of the equator. Only a handful of these islands are permanently inhabited while accommodation can be found on only a few more.     GEOGRAPHY The Seychelles form a widely scattered archipelago of over 100 islands, in the Indian Ocean Northeast of Madagascar. Geographic coordinates: 4' 35" S, 55' 40" E The islands fall in two main physical types. The islands of the central group, including the main island Mahe, are formed from granite, and consist of a mountainous heart surrounded by a flat coastal strip. The outer islands are made up of coral accretions at various stages of formation, from reefs to atolls. These are generally smaller and almost entirely flat, lying only a few meters above sea level. Most of these islands have no water, and only a few are inhabited.  The main islands enjoy high humidity and rainfall, feeding the lush tropical rain forest. Wildlife includes a rare giant land turtle and colourful reef animals such as the Green Sea Turtle.     CLIMATE Seychelles enjoys a pleasant tropical marine climate all year long. The cooler season is during the southeast monsoon (late May to September). The warmer season is during the northwest monsoon (March to May). Temperatures at sea level vary from 24°C to 31°C. Rainfall varies from 60 mm in June to 350 mm in January. The Seychelles lie outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare; short droughts possible     CURRENCY The local currency is the Seychelles Rupee (SCR) which consists of 100 cents. There is a bureau de change at the airport. Banks open from 08.30 to 14.00 hours (11.00 hours on Saturdays). Banks include: Barclays Bank plc, Mauritius Commercial Bank, Nouvobanq, Habib Bank, Bank of Baroda and Seychelles Savings Bank. Travelers cheques and foreign currencies can be changed at banks or hotels.  Visitors are required to use only foreign currency when making payments in hotels or when paying other hospitality related expenses such as hiring of boats or cars etc. Currency must only be exchanged at authorised places.   Approximate Exchange Rates: Euro (EUR) - 7 Seychelles Rupees US Dollar (USD) - 6 Seychelles Rupees Pound Sterling (GBP) - 11 Seychelles Rupees  TIME Seychelles time is 4 hours ahead of GMT (GMT +0400). The time difference between night and day throughout the year hardly changes. Sunset is between 6:00 and 6:30pm, and sunrise usually around 6:00am.   Unlike in the European countries night falls very fast, within a matter of minutes the sun has set and darkness has fallen. The Seychelles are within the southern hemisphere offering a totally different night sky, which will amaze and fascinate European visitors.     PEOPLE Regardless of which island you visit, one thing is assured, the warm and friendly welcome you will receive from the local people emanating from their unique lifestyle. The inhabitants of today are a mixture of African, Asian and European. The attitude of the inhabitants is very relaxed, enjoying life in paradise to the full, the way life was intended to be spent.     CUISINE Seychellois cuisine has been influenced by the islands' many different cultures. Creole cooking, varied seafood dishes, coconuts and curries are all there to tempt the palate. It is said that visitors eating breadfruit are guaranteed to return to Seychelles.