| Background: |
Established as a
territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian
Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the
Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976.
Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island
groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and
most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a
joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining
islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers,
earlier resident in the islands, were relocated primarily to
Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973.
In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local
immigration order which had excluded them from the
archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego
Garcia. |
| Location: |
Southern Asia,
archipelago in the Indian Ocean, about one-half the way from
Africa to Indonesia |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
6 00 S, 71 30 E |
| Area: |
total:
60 sq km
land: 60 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago |
| Area
- comparative: |
about 0.3 times
the size of Washington, DC |
| Maritime
claims: |
exclusive
fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM |
| Climate: |
tropical marine;
hot, humid, moderated by trade winds |
| Terrain: |
flat and low
(most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation) |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia
15 m |
| Natural
resources: |
coconuts, fish,
sugarcane |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: NA% |
| Irrigated
land: |
0 sq km (1993) |
| Environment
- current issues: |
NA |
| Geography
- note: |
archipelago of
2,300 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost
island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean;
island is site of joint US-UK military facility |
| Population: |
no indigenous
inhabitants
note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural
workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred
to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and
the Seychelles around the time of the construction of UK-US
military facilities; in 1995, there were approximately 1,700
UK and US military personnel and 1,500 civilian contractors
living on the island of Diego Garcia |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: British Indian Ocean Territory
conventional short form: none
abbreviation: BIOT |
| Dependency
status: |
overseas
territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner,
resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London |
| Legal
system: |
the laws of the
UK, where applicable, apply |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Commissioner John WHITE
(since NA); Administrator Louise SAVILL (since NA); note -
both reside in the UK
cabinet: NA
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary;
commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
none (overseas
territory of the UK) |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
none (overseas
territory of the UK) |
| Flag
description: |
white with six
blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the
upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm
tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag |
| Economy
- overview: |
All economic
activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego
Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located.
Construction projects and various services needed to support
the military installations are done by military and contract
employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the
US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on
the islands. When the Ilois return, they plan to reestablish
sugarcane production and fishing. |
| Electricity
- production: |
NA kWh; note -
electricity supplied by the US military |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
NA kWh |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
NA |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: separate facilities for military and
public needs are available
domestic: all commercial telephone services are
available, including connection to the Internet
international: international telephone service
is carried by satellite (2000) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 1, FM 2,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
1 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.io |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
| Highways: |
total:
NA km
paved: short stretch of paved road of NA km
between port and airfield on Diego Garcia
unpaved: NA km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Diego Garcia |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Military
- note: |
defense is the
responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia
expires in 2016 |
| Disputes
- international: |
the Chagos
Archipelago is claimed by Mauritius and Seychelles |
|
