British Indian Ocean Territory is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It is in the Indian Ocean and consists of the Chagos Archipelago island group, which lies northeast of Madagascar. The islands cover a land area of about 30 square miles (78 square kilometers). The territory has no permanent population, but about 3,500 British and U.S. military personnel and construction workers are stationed there. English is the official language.
The United Kingdom created the British Indian Ocean Territory in 1965. Before then, the Chagos Archipelago had been part of the British colony of Mauritius. In 1966, the United Kingdom and the United States made the territory a military site for the two countries. The United States maintains a naval support facility on Diego Garcia, one of the islands (see Diego Garcia). The Aldabra Islands, Desroches Island, and the Farquhar group were part of the territory until 1976, when they became a part of Seychelles.
Mauritius became an independent country in 1968. Since 1982, it has claimed the Chagos Archipelago as its own territory.
After the British Indian Ocean Territory became a military site, the archipelago’s Indigenous people, the Chagossians, were expelled and relocated to Mauritius and Seychelles. They have waged a legal battle since then to gain the right to return to the archipelago. In November 2022, the British government agreed to open negotiations with Mauritius to return the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritian control. If successful, these negotiations could allow the Chagossians to return to the archipelago, while maintaining the joint British and U.S. military presence there.
