British Indian Ocean Territory

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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.

	british indian ocean territory Travel Guide : 1 Geography 2 People 3 Government 4 Economy 5 Communications 6 Transportation 7 Military 8 Transnational Issues

Geography

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

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

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 Alan HUCKLE (since 2001); Administrator Louise SAVILL (since NA); note - both reside in the UK
elections: none; the monarch is herary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch
cabinet: NA

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

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

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

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 (2002)

Military

Military - note 

defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016

Transnational Issues

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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