Why it's the capital
French colonists settled the area in 1778. The town was first set up as the seat of the British colonial government, and it stayed the capital when Seychelles became independent from the United Kingdom in 1976.
Victoria
Capital of SeychellesSeychelles is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean about 1,500 km east of mainland Africa, and Victoria sits on the north-eastern side of Mahé, the largest of them.
Fun facts
- It was first called L'Établissement. In 1841 the British renamed it after Queen Victoria.
- The city has a clock tower modelled on Little Ben in London.
- The Botanical Gardens, founded in 1901, keep giant Aldabra tortoises and coco de mer palms.
Finding it on the globe
Go northeast from Madagascar into the open Indian Ocean until you reach the small Seychelles islands, then tap the north-east side of Mahé, the biggest one.
Easy to mix up
Do not confuse it with Victoria in Canada, the capital of British Columbia on Vancouver Island. This Victoria is in the Indian Ocean.
Sources: Wikipedia: Victoria, Seychelles, Wikipedia: Seychelles, Wikipedia: Victoria Botanical Gardens, Wikipedia: Victoria, British Columbia