The final stop on our glorious expedition was the island of Mahé, the most populous of the Seychelles archipelago, containing the capital Victoria and serving as the cultural and economic hub of the Seychelles. It is only 16 miles long and 6 miles wide, with a mountainous interior covered by tropical forests. It also houses the Seychelles International Airport, the primary entry point to the country. It also is home to almost 90% of the entire Seychelles’ population, approximately 80-95,000 people.
Mahé Island began as an uninhabited hiding spot for pirates, developing into a hotly fought over European colony until its modern version as an independent African nation. It was named Mahé to honor the French Governor of Mauritius (Isle de France).France took possession of the island in 1756 and a permanent settlement was established in 1770 using enslaved labor on plantations developing spices, timber and cotton.
Then the British took over the Seychelles on 1810, abolished slavery and shifted the plantations toward vanilla and coconuts. They also used the island as an exile site for political prisoners.
Mahé finally achieved independence from the British in 1976 and became q republic and the island moved from a plantation economy to luxury eco-tourism. The culture is now a vibrant melting pot of African, European, and Asian influences, celebrated through Creole cuisine which fuses all the above.
The capital, Victoria was first settled by French colonists around 1778, was originally known as L’Établissement du Roy. It was renamed Victoria by the British in 1841 to honor Queen Victoria. Victoria is often cited as the smallest capital in the world – housing about 25-30,000 people – one third of the country’s entire population. It only has two traffic lights! It is the only major port in the Seychelles.
Despite its smallness, Victoria’s topography is quite diverse. It has steep tropical mountain slopes and lush grounds:
Priest House
Colorful streets:
Bustling Market:
Sir Selwyn-Clarke Market
And a “major” landmark:
Clock Tower – This is a replica of the Little Ben clock in London, erected in the center of town in 1903 to mark Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee.
The main post office was a delightful surprise – it contains a stunning mosaics collection crafted by a local artist named Egbert Marbay. Installed in 2008, the pieces depicts many of the Seychelles’ cultural and historical scenes, postage stamp designs as well as showcasing endemic wildlife: Sadly many of the the mosaics were obstructed by people so I could only get a few pics of the stamps and a few of the ones on the floor:
Even though a tiny town, Victoria has more fascinating places – more to come in next week’s post!
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