British Indian Ocean Territory



Official Country Name
British Indian Ocean Territory

British Indian Ocean Territory Overview
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.

British Indian Ocean Territory Economy
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. The country makes money by selling fishing licenses and postage stamps.

British Indian Ocean Territory Location
British Indian Ocean Territory is located in archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia

Region
British Indian Ocean Territory is located in Asia

British Indian Ocean Territory Population
British Indian Ocean Territory has population of no indigenous inhabitants

British Indian Ocean Territory Climate
British Indian Ocean Territory has tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds

British Indian Ocean Territory Terrain
flat and low (most areas do not exceed two meters in elevation)

British Indian Ocean Territory Natural Resources
coconuts, fish, sugarcane

Ethnic Groups in British Indian Ocean Territory
British Indian Ocean Territory has the following ethnic groups - none

British Indian Ocean Territory Religions
none

British Indian Ocean Territory Languages
none

British Indian Ocean Territory Capital
British Indian Ocean Territory capital is none

British Indian Ocean Territory Currency
British Indian Ocean Territory currency is both the British Pound (GBP) and the US Dollar (USD) are accepted

Map of British Indian Ocean Territory