British Indian Ocean Territory Country Guide
Explore British Indian Ocean Territory in Asia
British Indian Ocean Territory with the capital city Diego Garcia is located in Asia. It covers some 61 square kilometres with 0 citizens.
About the flag and history of British Indian Ocean Territory
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 (the symbols of the territory) centered on the outer half of the flag; the wavy stripes represent the Indian Ocean; although not officially described, the six blue stripes may stand for the six main atolls of the archipelago.
Formerly administered as part of the British Crown Colony of Mauritius, the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) was established as an overseas territory of the UK in 1965. A number of the islands of the territory were later 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. Between 1967 and 1973, former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius, but also to the Seychelles. Negotiations between 1971 and 1982 resulted in the establishment of a trust fund by the British Government as compensation for the displaced islanders, known as Chagossians. Beginning in 1998, the islanders pursued a series of lawsuits 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 Government by overturning the lower court rulings and finding no right of return for the Chagossians.
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: Asia Capital: Diego Garcia |
| Size | 60 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 23 square miles (mi² or sqmi) |
| Population | 0 |
| Currency | Name: Dollar, Currency Code: USD |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .io |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +246 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 0 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 0 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 54,400 (sq km) | 128 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Internet hosts | 75,006 | 85 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 1 | 220 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases