|
|
Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
|
Background:
|
Formerly administered as part of the British Crown Colony of Mauritius, the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) was established as an overseas territory of the UK in 1965. A number of the islands of the territory were later 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. Between 1967 and 1973, former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius, but also to the Seychelles. Negotiations between 1971 and 1982 resulted in the establishment of a trust fund by the British Government as compensation for the displaced islanders, known as Chagossians. Beginning in 1998, the islanders pursued a series of lawsuits against the British Government seeking further compensation and the right to return to the territory. In 2006 and 2007, British court rulings invalidated the immigration policies contained in the 2004 BIOT Constitution Order that had excluded the islanders from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia. In 2008, the House of Lords, as the final court of appeal in the UK, ruled in favor of the British Government by overturning the lower court rulings and finding no right of return on the part of the Chagossians.
|
|
Location:
|
archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about halfway between Africa and Indonesia
|
|
Geographic coordinates:
|
6 00 S, 71 30 E; note - Diego Garcia 7 20 S, 72 25 E
|
|
Map references:
|
Political Map of the World
|
|
Area:
|
total: 54,400 sq km
land: 60 sq km; Diego Garcia 44 sq km
water: 54,340 sq km
note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands
|
|
Area - comparative:
|
land area is about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
|
|
Land boundaries:
|
0 km
|
|
Coastline:
|
698 km
|
|
Maritime claims:
|
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
|
|
Climate:
|
tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds
|
|
Terrain:
|
flat and low (most areas do not exceed two 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%
other: 100% (2005)
|
|
Irrigated land:
|
0 sq km
|
|
Natural hazards:
|
NA
|
|
Environment - current issues:
|
NA
|
|
Geography - note:
|
archipelago of 55 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility
|
|
Military - note:
|
defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016
|
|
Disputes - international:
|
Mauritius claims the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia; in 2001, the former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago, evicted in 1967 and 1973 and now residing chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation; in May 2007, the UK Court of Appeals upheld the May 2006 High Court of London judgment reversing the UK government's 2004 Orders of Council that banned habitation on the islands; a small group of Chagossians visited Diego Garcia in April 2006; repatriation is complicated by the exclusive US military lease of Diego Garcia that restricts access to the largest viable island in the chain
|
This page was last updated on 14 May 2009
|
