British Indian Ocean Territory

   Introduction British Indian Ocean Territory
   -------------------------------------------
                            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
   ----------------------------------------
                              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
   -------------------------------------
                            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
   -----------------------------------------
                          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
   --------------------------------------
                    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
   ---------------------------------------------
         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
   ---------------------------------------------
                               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
   ---------------------------------------
                       Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the
                                        UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia
                                        expires in 2016
  
   Transnational Issues British Indian Ocean Territory
   ---------------------------------------------------
              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