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Although they had previously been visited by European sailors on occasions, the islands of the Seychelles remained uninhabited until the 17th Century. It was only in 1742 when the French Governor of Mauritius, Mahe de La Bourdonnais, sent one of his cohorts to check on the islands that they were finally settled.
The French prospered there with their farms and slaves for about half a century until the Napoleonic Wars brought about the Treaty of Paris in 1814, which resulted in the Seychelles becoming a British dependency. Despite having control of the islands, the British paid little attention to them and took the same approach they had done in Mauritius, allowing the French way of life and language to continue. Still administered from London, the Seychelles remained a quiet place until the 1950's when political parties started to be formed, inevitably campaigning for independence.
In 1976, independence was achieved with Sir James Mancham as the first President, but after just one year Sir James was removed in a coup and the following ten years saw a series of other attempted plots to overthrow the new government. However, the Seychelles has since embraced multiparty politics, peace has been restored and the country has become a mecca for those seeking the very best beaches in the Indian Ocean.
