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| Geography |
| Archipelago of 55 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility |
| Location: | 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 |
| Area: | total: 54,400 sq km land: 60 sq km; Diego Garcia 44 sq km water: 54,340 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands
Size comparison: land area is about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC |
| Land Boundaries: | 0 km |
| Coastline: | 698 km |
| Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
| Climate: | tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds |
| Terrain: | flat and low (most areas do not exceed two meters in elevation) |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m |
| Natural resources: | coconuts, fish, sugarcane |
| Land use: | arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 0 sq km |
| Natural hazards: | NA |
| Current Environment Issues: | NA |
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| People |
| Population: | 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; in November 2004, approximately 4,000 UK and US military personnel and civilian contractors were living on the island of Diego Garcia |
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| Government |
| Country name: | conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT |
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| Legal system: | the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply |
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| Executive branch: | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner Colin ROBERTS (since July 2008); Administrator John MCMANUS (since April 2011); note - both reside in the UK and are represented by the officer commanding British Forces on Diego Garcia cabinet: NA (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch |
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| Diplomatic representation in the US: | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
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| Economy |
| All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where a joint UK-US military facility is located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installation are performed by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. Some of the natural resources found in this territory include coconuts, fish, and sugarcane. Sugarcane is still a major export for this territory. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. The territory earns foreign exchange by selling fishing licenses and postage stamps. |
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| Exchange rates: | the US dollar is used |
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| Communications |
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| Telephone system: | general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: country code (Diego Garcia) - 246; international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000) |
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| Internet country code: | .io |
| Internet hosts: | 75,006 (2012) |
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| Transportation |
| Airports: | 1 (2012) country comparison to the world: 220 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2012) |
| Roadways: | note: short section of paved road between port and airfield on Diego Garcia |
| Ports and terminals: | Diego Garcia |
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| Military |
| Defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016 |
| Military branches: | no regular military forces |
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