Information about British Indian Ocean Territory

British Indian Ocean Territory
Flag of British Indian Ocean Territory
Motto "In tutela nostra Limuria"  (Latin) "Limuria is in our charge"
Anthem God Save the Queen
Location of British Indian Ocean Territory
Capital		Diego Garcia
Largest city		Diego Garcia
Official languages		English
Government		British Overseas Territory
-	Commissioner	Leigh Turner
-	Administrator	Tony Humphries
Created		1965
-	Water (%)	0
Population
-	estimate	3,500 (n/a)
Currency		Pound sterling1 (GBP)
Time zone		(UTC+6)
-	Summer (DST)	(UTC+?)
Internet TLD		.io
Calling code		+246
1	U.S. dollar also accepted.
2

The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom situated in the Indian Ocean, halfway between Africa and Indonesia. The territory comprises the six atolls of the Chagos Archipelago with over 1,000 individual islands.

The largest island is Diego Garcia, the site of a joint military facility of the United Kingdom and the United States.

History

The Islands of Chagos Archipelago were discovered by Vasco da Gama in the early sixteenth century, then claimed in the eighteenth century by France as a possession of Mauritius. However, in 1810, Mauritius was captured by the United Kingdom, and France ceded the territory in the Treaty of Paris. Agricultural workers migrated to the Islands in the late nineteenth century, settling on the main island of Diego Garcia and establishing copra plantations.

In 1965, the United Kingdom split the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius, and the islands of Aldabra, Farquhar and Desroches (Des Roches) from the Seychelles to form the British Indian Ocean Territory. The purpose was to allow the construction of military facilities for the mutual benefit of the United Kingdom and the United States. The islands were formally established as an overseas territory of the United Kingdom on November 8, 1965. On June 23, 1976, Aldabra, Farquhar and Desroches were returned to Seychelles as a result of it attaining independence. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago.

The creation of BIOT has been subject to legal controversy, as some legal opinions from international law experts say that the decision to separate the BIOT from Mauritius was illegal because international law does not allow the dismembering of a country before independence. However the decision was taken with the full agreement of the Mauritius Council of Ministers.

In 1966, the British Government purchased the privately owned copra plantations, and closed them down, and removed the entire population (known as the Chagossians, or Ilois) of Diego Garcia to Mauritius. In 1971, the United Kingdom and the United States signed a treaty, leasing the island of Diego Garcia to the American military for the purposes of building a large air and naval base on the Island. The deal was important to the United Kingdom, as the United States agreed to give them a substantial discount on the purchase of Polaris nuclear missiles in return for the lease. The strategic location of the Island was also significant at the centre of the Indian Ocean, and to counter any Soviet threat in the region.

Work on the military base commenced in 1971, with a large airbase with several long range runways constructed, as well as a harbour suitable for large naval vessels. Although classed as a joint UK/US base, in practice it is mainly staffed by the American military, although a British garrison is maintained at all times, and Royal Air Force long range patrol aircraft are deployed there. The United States Air Force used the base during the 1991 Gulf War and the 2001 war in Afghanistan, as well as the 2003 Iraq War.

During the 1980s, the Mauritian Government asserted a claim to sovereignty for the territory, citing the 1965 separation as illegal under international law, despite their apparent agreement at the time. The Seychelles also launched a sovereignty claim on several of the Islands.

The Ilois, who now reside in Mauritius and the Seychelles have continually asserted their right to return to Diego Garcia, winning an important legal victory in the English High Court of Justice in 2000. This judgment was not appealed by the British Government, who subsequently, however, attempted to reverse the effect of the judgment by a new Order-in-Council in June 2004.

On 11 May 2006 the High Court ruled that the Order-in-Council was unlawful, and consequently that the Ilois were entitled to return to the Chagos Archipelago.^[1][2] On 23 May 2007, this was confirmed by the Court of Appeal, who refused permission to appeal to the House of Lords. It is not yet known if the Government will seek permission to appeal directly from the House of Lords.^[3]

The Ilois were granted the right to visit Diego Garcia on April 3, 2006 for humanitarian purposes, including the tending of the graves of their ancestors.^[4]

Politics and law

Main article: Government of British Indian Ocean Territory

As a territory of the United Kingdom, the head of state is Queen Elizabeth II. There is no Governor appointed to represent the Queen on the territory, as there are no native inhabitants. The head of government is the Commissioner, currently Leigh Turner (since July 2006, replacing Tony Crombie) and Administrator Tony Humphries (since February 2005, replacing Charles A. Hamilton), all of whom reside in the UK.

The laws of the territory are based on the constitution, set out in the British Indian Ocean Territory (Constitution) Order 2004. Applicable treaties between the United Kingdom and the United States govern the use of the military base. The United States is required to ask permission of the United Kingdom to use the base for offensive military action.

The UK has an agreement with Mauritius to return the territory in the event that they are no longer required for defence purposes.

Geography and communications

Main article: Geography of British Indian Ocean Territory

The territory is an archipelago of 2,300 islands, the largest being Diego Garcia. The total area of the territory is 60 km². The terrain is flat and low, with a typical elevation of 4 metres. The climate is tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds.

With the exception of one four-lane motorway, the only one of its kind in the South Indian Ocean, most of the islands in the territory have no roads of any sort. Diego Garcia has a short stretch of paved road between the port and airfield; otherwise most transport is by bicycle.

Diego Garcia's military base is home to the territory's only airport (one paved runway over 3000 metres long) and only major port.

Economy

All economic activity is concentrated on Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located. Approximately 2,000 native inhabitants, known as the Chagosians or Ilois, were removed to Mauritius before construction of UK-US military facilities; in 1995, there were approximately 1700 UK and US military personnel and 1500 civilian contractors living on the island. 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. The licensing of commercial fishing provides an annual income of about one million dollars for the Territory.^[5] Separate telephone facilities for military and public needs are available, providing all standard commercial telephone services, including connection to the Internet. International telephone service is carried by satellite. The Territory has three radio broadcast stations, one AM and two FM, and one television broadcast station. Its Internet country code (top-level domain) is .io.

Postage stamps have been issued for British Indian Ocean Territory since 17 January 1968.

See also

• Chagos Archipelago
• Indian Ocean states

References

External links

• Diego Garcia Online: Information for the Diego Garcia, BIOT population.
• UK Foreign Office- profile
• [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/io.html CIA World Factbook Entry]
• Diego Garcia timeline posted at the History Commons
• US Military Site on Diego Garcia
• A Return from Exile in Sight? The Chagossians and their Struggle, from the Northwestern Journal of International Human Rights

Geographic locale

•  • [ e] Countries of Africa Sovereign states Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Comoros Cte d'Ivoire Djibouti Egypt1 Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea-Bissau Guinea Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa Sudan Swaziland So Tom and Prncipe Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe Dependencies    •  • [ e] Countries and territories bordering the Indian Ocean Africa Comoros Djibouti Eritrea Kenya Madagascar Mauritius Mayotte Mozambique Seychelles Somalia Somaliland South Africa Sudan Tanzania Asia Bahrain Bangladesh Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands India Indonesia Iran Iraq Kuwait Malaysia Maldives Myanmar Oman Pakistan Qatar Saudi Arabia Sri Lanka Thailand United Arab Emirates Yemen Oceania Australia Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Islands Bahrain British Indian Ocean Territory Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Madagascar Maldives Mauritius Mayotte Seychelles Sri Lanka Coordinates:  •  • [ e] Countries of South Asia Bangladesh Bhutan India Maldives Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka Sometimes included:  Afghanistan • Iran • Myanmar • British Indian Ocean Territory • Tibet

International membership

•  • [ e]  British overseas territories and crown dependencies Overseas territories Anguilla Bermuda British Antarctic Territory British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Falkland Islands Gibraltar Montserrat Pitcairn Islands Saint Helena (includes Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha) South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Turks and Caicos Islands Crown dependencies Guernsey Jersey Isle of Man Sovereign base areas Akrotiri and Dhekelia  •  • [ e] Outlying territories of European countries Territories under European sovereignty but closer to or on continents other than Europe (see for further information) Denmark Greenland France Clipperton Island French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern and Antarctic Lands (Amsterdam • Saint-Paul • Crozet • Kerguelen • Adlie Land1 • Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean: Bassas da India • Europa Island • Glorioso Islands • Juan de Nova Island • Tromelin Island) Guadeloupe Martinique Mayotte New Caledonia Runion Saint Barthelemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Wallis and Futuna Italy Pantelleria Pelagie Islands (Lampedusa • Lampione • Linosa) Netherlands Aruba Netherlands Antilles (Bonaire • Curaao • Saba • Sint Maarten • Sint Eustatius) Norway Bouvet Island Peter I Island1 Queen Maud Land1 Portugal Azores Islands Madeira Islands Russia Khabomai Ratmanov Island Shikotan Spain Canary Islands CeutaIsla de Alborn Isla Perejil Islas Chafarinas Melilla Pen de Alhucemas Pen de Vlez de la Gomera United Kingdom Anguilla Ascension Island Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Falkland Islands Montserrat Saint Helena Tristan da Cunha Turks and Caicos Islands British Antarctic Territory1 British Indian Ocean Territory Pitcairn Islands South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 1 Claims to sovereignty over territories in Antarctica are currently suspended under the Antarctic Treaty System.

•  • [ e] Countries and Territories of the Indosphere
South Asia	Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan British Indian Ocean Territory India Maldives Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka Tibet
Southeast Asia	Brunei Cambodia Indonesia Laos Malaysia Myanmar Thailand East Timor
Others	Baluchistan Yunan