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Guide
Introduction
| |
| 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 |
|
