British Indian Ocean Territory

§1. British Indian Ocean Territory 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 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 that had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld
  the special military status of Diego Garcia.

§2. British Indian Ocean Territory Geography

Location:
  archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about one-half the way
  from Africa to 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 kmē
  land: 60 kmē; Diego Garcia 44 kmē
  water: 54,340 kmē
  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 kmē (1998 est.)

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

§3. British Indian Ocean Territory 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 in the 1960s and 1970s; in
    November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a British High
    Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; in November 2004, there
    were approximately 4,000 UK and US military personnel and civilian
    contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2006 est.)

§4. British Indian Ocean Territory 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 Tony CROMBIE (since January 2004);
    Administrator Tony HUMPHRIES (since February 2005); 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

§5. British Indian Ocean Territory 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

§6. British Indian Ocean Territory 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)

Television broadcast stations:
  1 (1997)

Internet country code:
  .io

Internet hosts:
  49 (2005)

§7. British Indian Ocean Territory Transportation

Airports:
  1 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 1
  over 3,047 m: 1 (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Diego Garcia

§8. British Indian Ocean Territory Military

Military - note:
  defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia
  expires in 2016

§9. British Indian Ocean Territory Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago including Diego
  Garcia; in 2001 the former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago, evicted
  in 1965 and now residing chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship
  and the right to repatriation; the UK resists the Chagossians' demand for
  an immediate return to the islands; repatriation is complicated by the
  exclusive US military lease of Diego Garcia that restricts access to the
  largest island in the chain;


<Factbook 2006>
