About Seychelles > History

Like its neighbouring islands, Mauritius and Reunion Island , the Seychelles were, for a long time, a shelter for Arabic merchants and a nest for pirates. Stories of corsair and hidden treasures are plentiful on these islands. Olivier le Vasseur, also known as 'La Buse' because of his hooked nose, and Jean François Hodoul whose descendants live in Mahe, have marked this archipelago's history.

A treasure never found: If there is a treasure which was ardently researched, it was the one of Olivier le Vasseur, pirate who pillaged ships and accumulated a colossal fortune. He was hanged in 1730 in Reunion Island , but the legend says that he would have given the crowd an enigmatic plan by saying 'Whoever can decipher my code gets the treasure!' Unfortunately nobody ever puts his hand on this fabulous hoard.

Landing of the French: The French arrived on the archipelago in the 18 th century and settled there from 1770 to 1814, at which time the archipelago was assigned to Great Britain . In 1903 the Seychelles became a colony of the Crown, independent of Mauritius . The international airport opened in 1971 and they gained their independence from England in 1976. This archipelago is endowed with multi-party democratic constitution, and the current head of state is the President France Albert René. With the construction of the international airport, the discovery of the famous palm tree 'Coco des Mers', the giant turtles, the fauna and natural resources, the Seychelles are a great destination for nature- and beach-lovers.