The 2001 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency
hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: archipelago of 2,300 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility
British Indian Ocean Territory 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 around the time of the construction of UK-US military facilities; in 1995, there were approximately 1,700 UK and US military personnel and 1,500 civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia
British Indian Ocean Territory Government
Country name: conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory
conventional short form: none
abbreviation: BIOT
Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London
Legal system: the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952)
head of government: Commissioner John WHITE (since NA); Administrator Louise SAVILL (since NA); note - both reside in the UK
cabinet: NA
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the
UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of the UK)
Flag description: 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
British Indian Ocean Territory Economy
Economy - overview: All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense 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 no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing.
Electricity - production: NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the
US military
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh
British Indian Ocean Territory Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: NA
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: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: NA
Internet country code: .io
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
British Indian Ocean Territory Transportation
Highways: total: NA km
paved: short stretch of paved road of NA km between port and airfield on Diego Garcia
unpaved: NA km
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Diego Garcia
Airports: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)
British Indian Ocean Territory Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016
British Indian Ocean Territory Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: the Chagos Archipelago is claimed by
Mauritius and Seychelles
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@British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands Introduction
Background: First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were soon after (1672) annexed by the English. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency.
British Virgin Islands Geography
Location: Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North
Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Geographic coordinates: 18 30 N, 64 30 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 150 sq km
land: 150 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes the island of Anegada
Area - comparative: about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 80 km
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM
Climate: subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Terrain: coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
Natural resources: NEGL
Land use: arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 7%
permanent pastures: 33%
forests and woodland: 7%
other: 33% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchment)
Geography - note: strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto
Rico
British Virgin Islands People
Population: 20,812 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0–14 years: 22.77% (male 2,399; female 2,339)
15–64 years: 72.31% (male 7,741; female 7,309)
65 years and over: 4.92% (male 555; female 469) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.22% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 15.18 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 11.39