wsuits against the British Government seeking further compensation
and the right to return to the territory. In 2006 and 2007, British
court rulings invalidated the immigration policies contained in the
2004 BIOT Constitution Order that had excluded the islanders from
the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego
Garcia. In 2008, the House of Lords, as the final court of appeal in
the UK, ruled in favor of the British Goverment by overturning the
lower court rulings and finding no right of return on the part of
the Chagossians.
Geography
British Indian Ocean Territory
Location:
archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about halfway
between Africa and 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 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
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 sq km
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
People
British Indian Ocean 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 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, approximately 4,000 UK and US military personnel and
civilian contractors were living on the island of Diego Garcia
Government
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