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.
No indigenous inhabitants(July 2002 est.) 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 around the time of the construction of UK-US military facilities; in November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set. In November 2004, there were approximately 4,000 UK and US military personnel and civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia.
Geographic coordinates:
6° 00' S, 72° 04' E
Area total:
60 sq. km includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands
Land area:
60 sq. km
Water area:
0 sq. km
Total land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
698 km
Elevation extremes:
Indian Ocean 0 m - unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m
Internet country code:
.io
Currency:
Both the British Pound (GBP) and the US Dollar (USD) are accepted.
Name - abbreviation:
BIOT
Name - conventional long form:
British Indian Ocean Territory
Name - conventional short form:
Chagos Islands
Independence:
none (part of UK)
Dependency status:
overseas territory of the UK, administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London