"Mauritius Seychelles Guest Books
Compare..."

Seychelles and Mauritius are often compared
by the uninformed. Let's shed some light on
those two neighbouring island countries
of the Indian Ocean

Mauritius Seychelles guest books often compare these two countries. Let's do our own side-by-side comparison of Mauritius and Seychelles. Although 1000 miles apart those two island countries in the middle of the Indian Ocean, have more similarities than differences.

First, Seychelles and Mauritius have a shared history of colonization by both the French and the English. They have common languages though slightly different dialects of Creole. English and French are still the main languages used in both countries with English being the medium of education in both.

While in Seychelles French has taken a back seat, as Creole has been on the ascendancy in recent years, in Mauritius French is more widely used perhaps even more so than English. In Seychelles, Creole is a written language while in Mauritius ethnic languages from India are taught in schools instead.

The people:
Mauritius Seychelles ties have been very close throughout their history although they are relatively distant neighbours with different roots...

The people of Mauritius are mostly of South Asian extraction. Although these have settled in Mauritius for two centuries they still adhere strongly to the customs, beliefs, traditions and languages of their ethnic roots.

In Seychelles it's a true "melting pot" of the races and customs and traditions. While the vast majority here would have some African blood coursing through their veins the ties are much weaker, so the customs and traditions here have evolved in its own unique way, to embrace a more global outlook.

The Weather:
Seychelles is more tropical. It has a more stable warm climate the whole year, more like the Maldives and the Galapagos in the Pacific. There is no winter in Seychelles. Mauritius has a hot summer and warm to cool winter (almost sub tropical) very similar to the Caribbean.

Best Seychelles beach - Ptit Anse La Digue

There are no hurricanes in Seychelles while terrible cyclones hit Mauritius several times a year in keeping with its Caribbean similarities. More about the differences between Mauritius Seychelles weather here...

The Countries Geography:
Mauritius Island is 720 sq miles; Mahe Island is 55 sq miles while the total land area of Seychelles is about one fifth that of Mauritius.

When people talk of Mauritius they really mean the Island of Mauritius. They do not think of the dependencies, which are hundreds of miles away. These are 4 islands: Rodrigues, Agalega Islands (comprising 2 islands) and St Brandon, which form part of the territory of Mauritius.

When you think or talk of Seychelles it is the whole group of 155 islands that make up the Seychelles wherever they may be, scattered over one million square kilometres of ocean. There is no Seychelles ISLAND (singular) like there is Mauritius Island (one).

Elevation and Geology:
The hills of Mahe in Seychelles are higher than Mauritius. Mahe Seychelles has lots of steep hills with little flat land, while Mauritius has mostly flat to rolling land. The highest point in Mauritius is only 2700ft while Mahe is 3000ft.

This you may think is not a big difference but it is when you consider that Mahe is only 3 miles wide while Mauritius is 12 miles across. Incidentally the even much smaller 5000-acre Silhouette Island in Seychelles has an elevation as high as Mauritius!

The rocks of Seychelles are very hard ancient granite - grey and pink. In Mauritius the rocks are not so hard. They are black and volcanic in origin.

Praslin's northwest - the 3 beaches of Lemuria Hotel plus fabulous Anse Lazio Beach and Anse Kerlan

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But as we talk of Seychelles you must not forget the 113 coral islands that are as flat as the Maldives. Seychelles is made up of two distinct groups of islands - the granite islands, which are somewhat like Mauritius and the coral islands that are like the Maldives.

Population:
With a population of 1.5 million in Mauritius Seychelles appears tiny with the latest head count at less than 90,000... That's 16 times. The Island of Mauritius is also 15 times the size of the main island of Seychelles - Mahe.

The Cities:
In Mauritius there are several large population centres of 100,000. The capital city, Port Louis, has a population of 150,000. In Seychelles there are no cities. The capital, Victoria, is a small town with 10,000 only.

Together with the suburbs you are looking at no more than 24,000. The remainder of Seychelles is just villages, or small districts or islands. Some of the islands have much less than 100 people, and some have no permanent settlement at all.

Politics and Government:
Since independence Mauritius has seen a more favourable political climate with regular elections and some continuity in government. The people have forced frequent changes through the ballot box, while political parties formed new alliances to govern their land.

But, alas, the people of Seychelles seem to have had much less say in the affairs of their own country as one political party established a one-party state shortly after independence, after a coup d'etat that brought them to power.

 

But this seemed to have turned around after two decades. Now there are free elections in the Seychelles but, still, the same party has been governing the country for 33+ years, since 1977.

Most observers believe the Seychelles would have been so much better off had they followed the example of Mauritius. Perhaps?

Mauritius or Seychelles? See the rocks? Granite boulders of La Digue Island
beach in the Seychelles

The Beaches:
Generally speaking the beaches of Seychelles are far more beautiful. But there are nice family-friendly beaches in Mauritius too.

After all that's the least you can expect from any tropical island, right? And Mauritius has its fair share of nice beaches. You can see more of Seychelles beaches here.

Costs:
In Mauritius your money goes further. And generally costs are lower than Seychelles. In recent years the more affluent in Seychelles have been going to Mauritius on day-trips or for the weekend. That's been mainly for shopping because of the difference in prices and the greater availability of goods and services there.

You can see the Mauritius Seychelles guest books don't always get it right. For visitors the 4 major differences between Mauritius and Seychelles are...

• Seychelles is smaller and more beautiful than Mauritius
• Mauritius has a more fertile soil than Seychelles
• The cost of living in Seychelles is higher than in Mauritius
• Seychelles is a more expensive destination than Mauritius

But the cost difference is getting less. As of 2009 holiday prices have tumbled in Seychelles after currency devaluation. Now more Mauritians are travelling to Seychelles. Now you can buy a Seychelles holiday at a 60% discount. But this won't last forever. In 2010 prices seem to be heading back up, albeit slowly.

If you come that far it's always a good idea to visit both countries. After you have a Mauritius Seychelles holiday you'll probably detect other differences. We invite you to come back to this website and tell us about them. We would love to hear from you...

Then, give us your opinion. Compare Mauritius and Seychelles. Which do you prefer? Mauritius or Seychelles? Why?

Use the form below and leave us your own comments and comparisons... Or go read what others are saying. Ready? Tell us...

Which is Your Favourite,
Seychelles or Mauritius?

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