British Indian Ocean Territory
Introduction British Indian Ocean Territory
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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
residents 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.
Geography British Indian Ocean Territory
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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
Map references: Political Map of the World
Area: total: 60 sq km
note: includes the entire Chagos
Archipelago
water: 0 sq km
land: 60 sq km
Area - comparative: about 0.3 times the size of
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 698 km
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: NEGL
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
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
People British Indian Ocean Territory
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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 2001, there were
approximately 1,500 UK and US
military personnel and 2,000
civilian contractors living on the
island of Diego Garcia (July 2002
est.)
Government British Indian Ocean Territory
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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
elections: none; the monarch is
hereditary; commissioner and
administrator appointed by the
monarch
cabinet: NA
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation from the none (overseas territory of the UK)
US:
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 British Indian Ocean Territory
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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
Communications British Indian Ocean Territory
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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)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: NA
Internet country code: .io
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Transportation British Indian Ocean Territory
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Highways: total: NA km
paved: short stretch of paved road
of NA km between port and airfield
on Diego Garcia
unpaved: NA km
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Diego Garcia
Airports: 1 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2001)
Military British Indian Ocean Territory
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Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the
UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia
expires in 2016
Transnational Issues British Indian Ocean Territory
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Disputes - international: Mauritius and Seychelles claim the
Chagos Archipelago and its former
inhabitants, who reside chiefly in
Mauritius, but in 2001 were granted
UK citizenship and the right to
repatriation since eviction in 1965;
repatriation is complicated by the
US military lease of Diego Garcia,
the largest island in the chain
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