With over 90% of the Seychelles' population of 81,000 congregated on Mahe Island, it is the best representative of the area's culture. The islands, when first had no original native inhabitants, though it is almost certain that Polynesian and Arab explorers at least passed by as early as the third century AD.

The French were the first to settle the islands in the 18th century, bringing along with them, slaves from East Africa. It is from these French and slave settlers that most of today's Mahe Island residents descend (called Creoles), though there are some Arab and Chinese descendents of immigrants who settled there in the late nineteenth century. Roman Catholicism is the reigning religion in the Seychelles, though there is a smattering of Muslims and Hindus. Despite its Catholic claims, the islands are ridden with traditional African superstition and black magic.

The Seychelles Islands' culture is a blend of French and African, though the younger generation is taking its cues from the West, and has a decidedly European flavor. This trend is widespread on Mahe and the Seychelles Islands and, as it continues, you can expect to see the homogenization of its culture. Tourism is the major industry on Mahe Island and employs over 30% of the workforce.