British Indian Ocean Territory (overseas territory of the UK)

§1. British Indian Ocean Introduction Territory

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.

§2. British Indian Ocean Geography Territory

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:
  World

Area:
  total: 60 kmē
  land: 60 kmē
  water: 0 kmē
  note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago

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: 0%
  permanent crops: 0%
  permanent pastures: 0%
  forests and woodland: NA%
  other: NA%

Irrigated land:
  0 kmē (1993)

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

§3. British Indian Ocean People Territory

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

§4. British Indian Ocean Government Territory

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

§5. British Indian Ocean Economy Territory

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 Communications Territory

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)

§7. British Indian Ocean Transportation Territory

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 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)

§8. British Indian Ocean Military Territory

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

§9. British Indian Ocean Transnational Issues Territory

Disputes - international:
  the Chagos Archipelago is claimed by Mauritius and Seychelles
