Statistical information British Indian Ocean Territory 2024
British Indian Ocean Territory in the World
British Indian Ocean Territory - Introduction 2024
top of pageBackground:
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 in the territory were later transferred to the Seychelles when it gained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted of the six main island groups that make up the Chagos Archipelago. Only Diego Garcia, the largest and most southerly of the islands, is inhabited. It contains a joint UK-US naval support facility and hosts one of four dedicated ground antennas that assist in the operation of the Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation system -- the others are on Kwajalein (Marshall Islands); at Cape Canaveral, Florida (US); and on Ascension Island (Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha). The US Air Force also operates a telescope array on Diego Garcia as part of the Ground-Based Electro-Optical Deep Space Surveillance System (GEODSS) for tracking orbital debris, which can be a hazard to spacecraft and astronauts.
Between 1967 and 1973, the former agricultural workers who lived on the islands were relocated, primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles. Negotiations with the UK between 1971 and 1982 resulted in the establishment of a trust fund to compensate 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. British court rulings in 2006 and 2007 invalidated immigration policies that had excluded the islanders from the archipelago, but in 2008, the House of Lords -- 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. In 2015, the Permanent Court of Arbitration unanimously held that the marine protected area that the UK declared around the Chagos Archipelago in 2010 violated the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
In 2019, the International Court of Justice ruled in an advisory opinion that Britain’s decolonization of Mauritius was not lawful because of continued Chagossian claims. A non-binding 2019 UN General Assembly vote demanded that Britain end its “colonial administration” of the Chagos Archipelago and that it be returned to Mauritius. UK officials continue to defend Britain's sovereignty over the islands and argue that the issue is a bilateral dispute between Mauritius and the UK that does not warrant international intervention.
Between 1967 and 1973, the former agricultural workers who lived on the islands were relocated, primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles. Negotiations with the UK between 1971 and 1982 resulted in the establishment of a trust fund to compensate 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. British court rulings in 2006 and 2007 invalidated immigration policies that had excluded the islanders from the archipelago, but in 2008, the House of Lords -- 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. In 2015, the Permanent Court of Arbitration unanimously held that the marine protected area that the UK declared around the Chagos Archipelago in 2010 violated the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
In 2019, the International Court of Justice ruled in an advisory opinion that Britain’s decolonization of Mauritius was not lawful because of continued Chagossian claims. A non-binding 2019 UN General Assembly vote demanded that Britain end its “colonial administration” of the Chagos Archipelago and that it be returned to Mauritius. UK officials continue to defend Britain's sovereignty over the islands and argue that the issue is a bilateral dispute between Mauritius and the UK that does not warrant international intervention.
British Indian Ocean Territory - Geography 2024
top of pageLocation: 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 reference: Political Map of the World
Area
Total: 60 km²
Land: 60 km² (44 Diego Garcia)
Water: 54,340 km²
Note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands
Comparative: land area is about one-third the size of Washington, DC
Country comparison total: 0 km
Land boundaries
Total: 0 km
Coastline: 698 km
Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Environment protection and preservation zone: 200 nm
Climate: tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds
Terrain: flat and low coral atolls (most areas do not exceed two m in elevation); sits atop the submarine volcanic Chagos-Laccadive Ridge
Elevation
Highest point: ocean-side dunes on Diego Garcia 9 m
Lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
Natural resources: coconuts, fish, sugarcane
Land use
Land use
Agricultural land: 0% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 0% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land forest: 0% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land other: 100% (2018 est.)
Irrigated land
Major rivers
Major watersheds area km²
Total water withdrawal
Total renewable water resources
Natural hazards: none; located outside routes of Indian Ocean cyclones
Geography
Note 1: archipelago of 55 islands; Diego Garcia, the largest and southernmost island, occupies a strategic location in the central Indian Ocean; the island is the site of a joint US-UK military facility
Note 2: Diego Garcia is the only inhabited island of the BIOT and one of only two British territories where traffic drives on the right, the other being Gibraltar
British Indian Ocean Territory - People 2024
top of pagePopulation
Total: 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; approximately 3,000 UK and US military personnel and civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (2018)
Nationality
Ethnic groups
Languages
Religions
Demographic profile
Age structure
Age structure
Dependency ratios
Median age
Population growth rate
Birth rate
Death rate
Net migration rate
Population distribution
Urbanization
Major urban areas
Environment
Current issues: wastewater discharge into the lagoon on Diego Garcia
Air pollutants
Sex ratio
Mothers mean age at first birth
Maternal mortality ratio
Infant mortality rate
Life expectancy at birth
Total fertility rate
Contraceptive prevalence rate
Drinking water source
Current health expenditure
Physicians density
Hospital bed density
Sanitation facility access
Hiv/Aids
Major infectious diseases
Obesity adult prevalence rate
Alcohol consumption
Tobacco use
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
Education expenditures
Literacy
School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Youth unemployment
British Indian Ocean Territory - Government 2024
top of pageCountry name
Conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory
Conventional short form: none; abbreviation: BIOT
Etymology: self-descriptive name specifying the territory's affiliation and location
Government type
Capital
Name: administered from London; often regarded as being on Diego Garcia
Geographic coordinates: 7 18S, 12 24E
Time difference: UTC+6 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions
Dependent areas
Independence
National holiday
Constitution
History: British Indian Ocean Territory (Constitution) Order 2004
Legal system: the laws of the UK apply where applicable
International law organization participation
Citizenship
Suffrage
Executive branch
Chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022)
Head of government: Commissioner Paul CANDLER (since 8 July 2021); Administrator Balraj DHANDA
Note: both reside in the UK and are represented by Commander Colvin OSBORN, RN, Officer commanding British Forces on Diego Garcia (since January 2022)
Cabinet: NA
Elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch
Legislative branch
Judicial branch
Political parties and leaders
International organization participation: UPU
Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (overseas territory of the UK)
From the us embassy: 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 (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
National symbols
National anthem
Note: as an overseas territory of the United Kingdom, 'God Save the King' is official (see United Kingdom)
National heritage
British Indian Ocean Territory - Economy 2024
top of pageEconomy overview: small island territory economy; economic activity mainly on Diego Garcia with national military installations; recently settled disputes with Mauritius have increased oil exports; established marine reserve has limited commercial fishing
Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real gdp growth rate
Real gdp per capita
Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end use
Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture products
Industries
Industrial production growth rate
Labor force
Labor force
Unemployment rate
Youth unemployment
Population below poverty line
Gini index
Household income or consumption by percentage share
Distribution of family income gini index
Budget
Taxes and other revenues
Public debt
Revenue
Fiscal year
Inflation rate consumer prices
Central bank discount rate
Commercial bank prime lending rate
Stock of narrow money
Stock of broad money
Stock of domestic credit
Market value of publicly traded shares
Current account balance
Exports
Partners: Malta 42%, Brazil 11%, Switzerland 9%, France 8%, Egypt 6% (2022)
Partners note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Commodities: ships, refined petroleum, asphalt, diamonds, jewelry (2022)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
Imports
Partners: US 34%, Switzerland 13%, China 11%, Italy 11%, France 7% (2022)
Partners note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Commodities: ships, refined petroleum, diamonds, aircraft, aluminum (2022)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
Debt external
Stock of direct foreign investment at home
Stock of direct foreign investment abroad
Exchange rates: the US dollar is used
British Indian Ocean Territory - Energy 2024
top of pageElectricity
Coal
Petroleum
Crude oil
Refined petroleum
Natural gas
Carbon dioxide emissions
Energy consumption per capita
British Indian Ocean Territory - Communication 2024
top of pageTelephones
Telephone system
Broadcast media
Internet
Broadband fixed subscriptions
British Indian Ocean Territory - Military 2024
top of pageMilitary expenditures
Military and security forces: no regular military forces
Military service age and obligation
Space program
Terrorist groups
British Indian Ocean Territory - Transportation 2024
top of pageNational air transport system
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
Airports: 1 (2024)
Heliports
Pipelines
Railways
Roadways
Note: short section of paved road between port and airfield on Diego Garcia
Waterways
Merchant marine
Ports and terminals
British Indian Ocean Territory - Transnational issues 2024
top of pageDisputes international
Refugees and internally displaced persons
Illicit drugs
You found a piece of the puzzle
Please click here to complete it
Please click here to complete it
