British Indian Ocean 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 Colin ROBERTS (since July 2008);
Administrator Joanne YEADON (since December 2007); note - both
reside in the UK and are represented by the officer commanding
British Forces on Diego Garcia
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

Economy
British Indian Ocean Territory

Economy - overview:

All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego
Garcia, where a joint UK-US military facility is located.
Construction projects and various services needed to support the
military installation are performed 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 native Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane
production and fishing. The territory earns foreign exchange by
selling fishing licenses and postage stamps.

Electricity - production:

NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military

Electricity - consumption:

NA kWh

Currency (code):

US Dollar (USD)

Communications
British Indian Ocean 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: country code (Diego Garcia) - 246; international
telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios