| Chagos Islands |
The Chagos Archipelago is a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 individual tropical islands roughly in the centre of the Indian Ocean.
The Chagos lies about 500 km (300 miles) due south of the Maldives, its nearest neighbour, 1600 km (1000 miles) southwest of India, half way between Tanzania and Java.
The Chagos group is a combination of different coralline structures topping a submarine ridge running southwards across the centre of the Indian Ocean. Unlike in the Maldives there is not a clearly discernible pattern of arrayed atolls, which makes the whole archipelago look somewhat chaotic.
Most of the coralline structures of the Chagos are submerged reefs.
Officially part of the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Chagos were home to the Chagossians for more than a century and a half until their forced expulsion in the 1960s by the United Kingdom and United States.
The main natural resources of the area are coconuts, and fish and the licensing of commercial fishing provides an annual income of about two million dollars for the British Indian Ocean Territory authorities.
All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US military 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 currently no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Chagossians return, they plan to re-establish copra production and fishing. |
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Chagos Islands - Click to enlarge |
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| Flag Descriptions |
| Official British Flag |
This is the official British flag of the British Indian Ocean Territory. It is not used by the islanders living in exile.
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.
This flag is also known as the Commissioner's Flag, it was formally adopted in 1990.
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| The Chagossians Flag |
Sunset or sunrise on the Chagos, the orange sky on the black islands and the blue lagoon.
The sunset was the exile and the sunrise will be the coming back home.
The symbolic explanation:
The orange is the sunset and the easy times of the past,
the black are the hard times of today and exile, the blue is the future back close to the unspoiled lagoons of the Chagos.
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| Geography |
| The Chagos Archipelago is a group of 65 main tropical islands in the Indian Ocean, lying 500 km south of the Maldives. The entire land area of the islands is a mere 63 km², with the largest island, Diego Garcia, having an area of 44 km². There are five other main island groups: Peros Banhos, the Salomon Islands, the Eagle Islands, the Egmont Islands, and the Three Brothers. Isolated islands include Nelsons Island and Danger Island. |
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| Climate |
| Tropical marine; hot and humid but moderated by trade winds. Climate is characterised by plenty of sunshine, warm temperatures, showers and light breezes. December through February is considered the rainy season (summer monsoon); typical weather conditions include light west-northwesterly winds and warmer temperatures with more rainfall. June through September is considered the drier season (winter), characterised by moderate south-easterly winds, slightly cooler temperatures and less rainfall. The annual mean rainfall is 2600 mm (100 inches), varying from 105 mm (4 inches) during August to 350 mm (14 inches) during January. |
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| Bodum Island |
Bodum Island is situated in the Solomon attol, this island still has some ruins of the last inhabitants, which make fascinating exploring.
The jungle has completely taken over the ruins and added an almost 'eerie' beauty to the place. Although it is some 50 years since the inhabitants were expelled from Bodum by the British Authorities, the old wells still provide brackish fresh water.
All that remains is the front wall of the church, an overgrown graveyard, and even more overgrown school house.
The inside of the Island has very few remains, the large palm trees completely dominating the interior, and the only inhabitants being large coconut crabs.The view from the beach is spectacular, unspoilt coral gardens, an amazing variety of colourful fish and palm. |
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Sunset over the Chagos Islands |
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| Diego Garcia |
Diego Garcia is a 44 square kilometre (17 square mile) atoll located in the heart of the Indian Ocean. It is the largest of fifty-two islands which form the Chagos Archipelago. It is a British overseas territory, part of the British Indian Ocean Territory. It is situated some 1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles) south of the southern India coast.
The atoll is now covered in luxuriant tropical vegetation, with little sign left of the copra and coconut plantations that used to cover it. The island is 60 kilometres long, and nearly encloses a lagoon some 20 kilometres long and up to 9 kilometres wide. Depths in the lagoon range from 20 to 30 metres, while numerous coral heads extend toward the surface and form hazards to navigation. Shallow reefs surround the island on the ocean side as well as within the lagoon. The channel and anchorage area are dredged, while the old turning basin can also be used if depth is sufficient for ship type. In quiet waters of the lagoon, the brilliantly coloured tropical fish can be admired. |
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| Click HERE, for a detailed map of Diego Garcia. |
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| Peros Banhos |
Peros Banhos is a group of thirty-five main islands in the Chagos Archipelago , forming a circular coral reef.
They were discovered in 1513 by Alfonso d'Albuquerque.
The most important island in the group is Ile du Coin home to the main port, and since 1756 home to a population of up to 500 people.
In 1970, the entire population of the group was expelled by the British Government to live in Mauritius.
More recently, the islands have been investigated as a possible location for resettlement, although access is currently prohibited.
Other islands in the group include Grande Soeur, Ile Diamant, Ile Paule, Ile Pierre and Ile Yeye.
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Managers House - Peros Attol |
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The Salomon Islands |
The Salomon Islands, are located in the southwest of the Chagos Archipelago. The main islands in the group are Ile Boddam and Ile Anglaise. Other islands include Ile Poule, Ile Takamaka, Ile Des Rats, and Ile De L'Est.
Ille de Pass ia a small island situated in the 'pass' of the Solomon attol, was rarely visited, but had the largest population of coconut crabs. |
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| Paros Attol |
| Paros Attol is much larger than Bodumquieter than Bodum, though with a restricted number of wells and very little sign of any habitation. Most of the island is impenetrable due to the dense palm trees, however the attol still offers beautiful clear waters and an abundance of marine life. |
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| Eagle Islands |
Eagle Islands are a group of three islands in the Chagos Archipelago. Ile Aigle is the largest. Though the islands may have been inhabited before British settlements, the population has been wiped out. |
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| Egmont Islands |
The Egmont Islands, arelocated southeast of the Eagle Islands. The atoll comprises a group of islands of which Ile Du Milieu is largest. |
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| Three Brothers |
Three Brothers is a group of three islands in the Chagos Archipelago, plus numerous islets and banks. The main islands are: Ile Du Nord, Ile Du Milieu, and Ile Du Sud. Isolated islands include Nelsons Island and Danger Island.
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| History |
The British Indian Ocean Territory was established as a territory of the United Kingdom on Novmber 8, 1965, consisting of Chagos Archipelago, Aldabra, Farquhar and Des Roches islands. On June 23, 1976, Aldabra, Farquhar and Des Roches were returned to Seychelles as a result of it attaining independence. 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 resident 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 which had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.
This case challenges the whole basis on which the government legislated last year, using the Royal Order to put through an Order in Council which is a totally undemocratic form of government.
The 2000 ruling restored the right of Chagossians to return to British Indian Ocean Territory, restoring the right of abode. |
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Exiled Islanders protesting in the UK |
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After forty years the Chagossians still want to return to their islands because they have always remained as strangers in Mauritius where they have not settled properly and have lived in misery.
The Chagossians wish to maintain their legal right to return and live on their islands if and when it becomes possible. They have no desire to go to Diego Garcia because of the US military base. Even after the 2000 ruling a permit would still be required to enter Diego Garcia.
Someone born on the island of Diego Garcia would have a fundamental legal right of abode but a permit would still be needed because of the military base. No-one who was an inhabitant of BIOT has ever been given employment there. In 1980 Chagossians in Mauritius (but not in Seychelles) accepted compensation from the British government and a trust fund was set up in Mauritius. |
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| Economy |
All economic activity is concentrated on Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defence facilities are located.
Approximately 3,000 native inhabitants, known as the Chagosians or Ilois, were forcibly removed to Mauritius before construction of UK-US military facilities; in 1995, there were approximately 1700 UK and US military personnel and 1500 civilian contractors living on the island. 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. All food must be imported. The Chagosians have one the right to return to their homeland and will require ecconomic assistence and compensation from the British Government. |
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US Base HQ - Diego Garcia |
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