Aldabra Atoll, a remote coral formation in the outer Seychelles, hosts the world's largest population of giant tortoises — roughly 100,000 individuals, outnumbering the entire human population of the Seychelles archipelago. The atoll's relative inaccessibility is the primary reason the species survived at all; hunting pressure eliminated every other Indian Ocean giant tortoise population by the 19th century.
Seychelles has issued wildlife-themed circulating coinage intermittently since the 1970s, but the 2024 series marks a return to domestic minting priorities after years of outsourcing production.
Aldabra Atoll, a remote coral formation in the outer Seychelles, hosts the world's largest population of giant tortoises — roughly 100,000 individuals, outnumbering the entire human population of the Seychelles archipelago. The atoll's relative inaccessibility is the primary reason the species survived at all; hunting pressure eliminated every other Indian Ocean giant tortoise population by the 19th century.
Seychelles has issued wildlife-themed circulating coinage intermittently since the 1970s, but the 2024 series marks a return to domestic minting priorities after years of outsourcing production.