Key Facts about Chagos Islands

About Chagos Islands:

• It is an island group located in the central Indian Ocean.
• It is about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) south of the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent.
• It is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom that was established on November 8, 1965.
• The principal islands in the archipelago include the Diego Garcia atoll, Danger Island, Egmont Islands, Eagle Islands, Nelsons Island, Peros Banhos atoll, Three Brothers Islands, and the Solomon Islands.
  • Diego Garcia covers an area of about 30 sq.km. and is the largest and the most southerly island of the Chagos Archipelago.
  • Diego Garcia houses a strategic US military base.
• The islands feature flat and low terrain, and most areas of the islands do not exceed more than 2 m in elevation.
• There are no rivers and lakes on the islands.
• Climate:
  • It experiences a tropical marine climate with high temperatures and elevated humidity levels.
  • The island’s climate is heavily moderated by the trade winds which blow over the islands.
• History:
  • The archipelago’s first inhabitants, primarily enslaved people from Madagascar and Mozambique, were forcibly brought to the islands by French enslavers, to work on coconut plantations.
  • Centuries later, they had unshackled themselves from slavery and became Chagossians, an indigenous people with a distinct language and culture.
  • In 1965, the British convinced Mauritian nationalist politicians to give up their claim to the Chagos Islands in exchange for independence.
  • In 1966, Chagos became the ’British Indian Ocean Territory‘ (BIOT) and was denied any claim to independence.
  • This led to the removal of the peoples living there, most of whom relocated to Mauritius.
  • The UK made an agreement with the United States to host a military base in the islands for Indian Ocean defenses.
  • Mauritius, which gained independence from Britain in 1968, has consistently maintained its claim over the Chagos Islands.
  • In 2019, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) dismissed the UK's right to govern the Chagos Islands and called on its government to withdraw from the archipelago.