British Indian Ocean Territory

Internet country code

.io

Internet hosts

65 (2006)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)

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)

Telephones - main lines in use

NA

Television broadcast stations

1 (1997)

Currency (code)

both the British Pound (GBP) and the US Dollar (USD) are accepted

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. The country makes money by selling fishing licenses and postage stamps.

Electricity - consumption

NA kWh

Electricity - production

NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military

Area

total: 54,400 sq km land: 60 sq km; Diego Garcia 44 sq km water: 54,340 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands

Area - comparative

land area is about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC

Climate

tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds

Coastline

698 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m

Environment - current issues

NA

Geographic coordinates

6 00 S, 71 30 E; note - Diego Garcia 7 20 S, 72 25 E

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

Irrigated land

0 sq km

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)

Location

archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia

Map references

Political Map of the World

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Natural hazards

NA

Natural resources

coconuts, fish, sugarcane

Terrain

flat and low (most areas do not exceed two meters in elevation)

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas territory of the UK)

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

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

Legal system

the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply

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.

Military - note

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

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.)

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;

Airports

1 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006)

Ports and terminals

Diego Garcia

Roadways

total: NA paved: short section of paved road between port and airfield on Diego Garcia