British Indian Ocean Territory

Related Category: Indian Political Geography

archipelago, c.1,180 mi (1,900 km), NE of Mauritius, in the central Indian Ocean. The islands, which form the Chagos Archipelago and are located on the southern end of a chain of sea mounts that also includes Lakshadweep and the Maldives, were administered by Mauritius before they were made a separate dependency by the British in 1965. Their importance is primarily strategic; the United States and Britain maintain a major naval facility on the main island, Diego Garcia. Between 1967 and 1973 Britain evicted the Chagos islanders as the archipelago was converted to purely military use. In 2000 they secured a British court decision declaring their explusion illegal. The government, however, subsequently (2004) prevented their return to the outlying Chagos islands, and the islanders again successfully challenged (2007) the government in court. The archipelago is claimed by Mauritius, Maldives, and Seychelles.