British Indian Ocean Territory, British overseas territory in central Indian Ocean.
The British Indian Ocean Territory consists of around 2,300 islands scattered across seven atolls in the central Indian Ocean, part of the Chagos Archipelago. Diego Garcia, the largest island, houses a military base, while the other islands remain uninhabited, characterized by coral formations and shallow lagoons.
Britain detached the islands from Mauritius in 1965 to form this overseas territory. The United States built a naval support facility on Diego Garcia starting in the late 1960s, after relocating the local inhabitants to Mauritius and Seychelles.
The territory has no permanent civilian population today, following the forced relocation of Chagossians in the late 1960s and early 1970s to make way for the military base. Their descendants continue to campaign for the right to return.
Access is restricted to military personnel only, and civilian visits are not permitted. Entry to Diego Garcia requires official clearance from British and American military authorities, as no commercial flights or shipping services operate to the islands.
A marine protected area was established in 2010 but declared unlawful by an international arbitration tribunal in 2015, as it was created without consent from Mauritius. The International Court of Justice ruled in favor of Mauritius in 2019 regarding the ongoing sovereignty dispute over the territory.
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