1994 Edition

Abbreviation

BIOT

Airports

total: 1 usable: 1 with permanent-surface runways: 1 with runways over 3,659 m: 1 on Diego Garcia with runways 2,440-3,659 m: with runways 1,229-2,439 m:

Area

total area: 60 sq km land area: 60 sq km comparative area: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC note: includes the island of Diego Garcia

total area: 73.6 million sq km comparative area: slightly less than eight times the size of the US; third-largest ocean (after the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, but larger than the Arctic Ocean) note: includes Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Strait of Malacca, Great Australian Bight, Gulf of Oman, Mozambique Channel, and other tributary water bodies

Capital

none

Climate

tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds

northeast monsoon (December to April), southwest monsoon (June to October); tropical cyclones occur during May/June and October/November in the north Indian Ocean and January/February in the south Indian Ocean

Coastline

698 km

66,526 km

Digraph

IO

XO

Diplomatic representation in US

none (dependent territory of the UK)

Electricity

provided by the US military

Environment

current issues: NA natural hazards: NA international agreements: NA

current issues: endangered marine species include the dugong, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in the Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Red Sea natural hazards: NA international agreements: NA

Executive branch

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner Thomas GEORGE (since September 1991); Administrator Mr. R. G. WELLS (since NA 1991); note - both reside in the UK

Flag

white with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and six blue wavy horizontal stripes bearing a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag

Highways

total: NA paved: short stretch of paved road between port and airfield on Diego Garcia unpaved: NA

Independence

none (dependent territory of the UK)

Industries

based on exploitation of natural resources, particularly fish, minerals, oil and gas, fishing, sand and gravel

International disputes

the entire Chagos Archipelago is claimed by Mauritius

some maritime disputes (see littoral states)

Irrigated land

0 sq km

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 100%

Location

Southern Asia, in the Indian Ocean, south of India about halfway between Africa and Indonesia

body of water between Africa, Asia, Australia, and Antarctica

Map references

Standard Time Zones of the World

Southeast Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 3 nm

Names

conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none

Natural resources

coconuts, fish

oil and gas fields, fish, shrimp, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules

Note

archipelago of 2,300 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility

defense is the responsibility of the UK

major chokepoints include Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, southern access to the Suez Canal, and the Lombok Strait; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme south near Antarctica from May to October

Overview

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.

The Indian Ocean provides major sea routes connecting the Middle East, Africa, and East Asia with Europe and the Americas. It carries a particularly heavy traffic of petroleum and petroleum products from the oil fields of the Persian Gulf and Indonesia. Its fish are of great and growing importance to the bordering countries for domestic consumption and export. Fishing fleets from Russia, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan also exploit the Indian Ocean, mainly for shrimp and tuna. Large reserves of hydrocarbons are being tapped in the offshore areas of Saudi Arabia, Iran, India, and Western Australia. An estimated 40% of the world's offshore oil production comes from the Indian Ocean. Beach sands rich in heavy minerals and offshore placer deposits are actively exploited by bordering countries, particularly India, South Africa, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

Population

no indigenous inhabitants note: there are UK-US military personnel; civilian inhabitants, known as the Ilois, evacuated to Mauritius before construction of UK-US military facilities

Ports

Diego Garcia

Bombay (India), Calcutta (India), Madras (India), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Durban (South Africa), Fremantle (Australia), Jakarta (Indonesia), Melbourne (Australia), Richards Bay (South Africa)

Telecommunications

minimal facilities; broadcast stations (operated by US Navy) - 1 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

submarine cables from India to United Arab Emirates and Malaysia, and from Sri Lanka to Djibouti and Indonesia

Terrain

flat and low (up to 4 meters in elevation)

surface dominated by counterclockwise gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in the south Indian Ocean; unique reversal of surface currents in the north Indian Ocean, low atmospheric pressure over southwest Asia from hot, rising, summer air results in the southwest monsoon and southwest-to-northeast winds and currents, while high pressure over northern Asia from cold, falling, winter air results in the northeast monsoon and northeast-to-southwest winds and currents; ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Indian Ocean Ridge and subdivided by the Southeast Indian Ocean Ridge, Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge, and Ninety East Ridge; maximum depth is 7,258 meters in the Java Trench

Type

dependent territory of the UK

US diplomatic representation

none (dependent territory of the UK)