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Background:
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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 that had excluded them from
the archipelago, but upheld the special military status
of Diego Garcia. |
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Location:
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archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about
one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia |
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Geographic coordinates:
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6 00 S,
71 30 E |
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Map references:
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Political
Map of the World |
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Area:
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total:
60 sq km
land: 60 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago |
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Area - comparative:
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about 0.3
times the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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698 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
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Climate:
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tropical
marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds |
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Terrain:
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flat and
low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation)
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia
15 m |
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Natural resources:
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coconuts,
fish, sugarcane |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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0 sq km
(1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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NA |
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Environment - current issues:
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NA |
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Geography - note:
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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 |
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Population:
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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 2001, there were approximately 1,500 UK and US
military personnel and 2,000 civilian contractors living
on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2005 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: British Indian Ocean
Territory
conventional short form: none
abbreviation: BIOT |
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Dependency status:
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overseas
territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner,
resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in
London |
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Legal system:
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the laws
of the UK, where applicable, apply |
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Executive branch:
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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
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none
(overseas territory of the UK) |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none
(overseas territory of the UK) |
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Flag description:
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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 |
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Economy - overview:
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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. |
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Electricity - production:
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NA kWh;
note - electricity supplied by the US military |
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Electricity - consumption:
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NA kWh
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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NA |
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Telephone system:
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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) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 1, FM
2, shortwave 0 (1998) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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1 (1997)
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Internet country code:
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.io |
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Airports:
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1 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2005 est.) |
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Ports and terminals:
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Diego
Garcia |
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Military - note:
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defense
is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego
Garcia expires in 2016 |
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Disputes - international:
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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; 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 |
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