These territories are under the sovereignty of Great Britain, but are not included in its composition.
British Territory in the Indian Ocean
It is located near Maldives. The Mauritius and Seychelles are currently imposed on the management of this territory.
The British territory in the Indian Ocean includes 55 islands that make up the Chagos Archipelago.
State symbolism
Flag - It is a symbol of the British territory in the Indian Ocean. The flag was adopted on November 8, 1990, but still is semi-official. The aspect ratio of the flag 1: 2.
The Crown and the UK flag symbolize the belonging to the United Kingdom, the winding blue lines are the waves of the Indian Ocean, and the coconut palm is the main vegetation of the islands.
Coat of arms - It is a blue shield, at the bottom of which the palm tree and the crown of St. Eduard, in the upper left corner, is located on three white wavy lines, in the upper left corner. In the top of the shield is the United Kingdom flag.
The Crown and the United Kingdom flag symbolize the belonging to the United Kingdom, the winding blue lines symbolize the waves of the Indian Ocean, and the coconut palm tree is the main vegetation of the islands.
As a shield holders - two sea turtles (Biss and Green Turtle), standing on the shore, covered with sea shells. All together they represent a local live nature. The shield is crowned by the sea crown, over which the tower of the red color rises, carrying the flag of the British territory in the Indian Ocean.
At the base of the coat of arms, the National motto in Latin: "Lemuria under our care." Lemuria - Hypothetical sunken continent in the Indian Ocean. The name of the continent is associated with the name of Madagascar Primates of Lemors, which are no longer found anywhere. From here it was concluded that Madagascar Island is part of the sunken continent. The hypothesis of the existence of Lemuria first nominated the zoologist F. Slaileer in 1864 in order to directly translate from Africa to India Lemurov.
State device
Form of government - a constitutional monarchy.
Head of State - King of Great Britain. The territory is managed by the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Commonwealth Affairs (Governor), the residence of which is located in London.
Head of the government - Prime Minister.
Capital and largest city - Diego Garcia.
Official language - English.
Territory - 60 km².
Population - 2800 people. (According to other data - about 4,000 people). The permanent population is completely absent, military personnel and civilian personnel serving the base are deployed on the islands.
US Air Base on Diego Garcia Atoll
Before compulsory eviction, which ended in the early 70s of the last century, about 5 thousand people lived on the Islands of the Archipelago (mainly on the islands of the Diego Garcia Islands), which formed a special ethnos called by Ilohy or Chagossians. In terms of its origin, the indigenous people took place from slaves-blacks delivered from Africa and hired workers who arrived from India.
US Army Radar Station in the eastern part of Diego Garcia atoll
Economy - economic, industrial and agricultural activities on the islands are not conducted. In order to enhance the garrison, the construction of military facilities and other structures (defense structures of various kinds) is carried out. All economic activities are focused on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where military structures of Great Britain and the United States are located. Natural resources of the islands: Coconuts, fish and sugar cane. Sugar cane is exported. The territory exchanges the currency by making fishing licenses and sales of postage stamps.
Currency - U.S. dollar.
Nature
Climate Hot, wet. The archipelago is located in the center of the Indian Ocean, where cyclones are not formed.
The main vegetation on the islands is coconut palms and sugar cane.
Sugarcane
The animal world of the Chagos archipelago is not too diverse. In coastal waters there are many fish. The territory is rich in corals, marine turtles, a variety of arthropods, mollusks, as well as marine birds, which are about 20 species. In search of food in reefs sometimes swim small sharks.
Sea sponges in coastal reefs
The biggest island of the archipelago - Diego Garcia.
There is a special kind of coral Ctenella Chagius, which is an endemic.
Coral CTenella Chagius, Endemic Archipelago
Due to the fact that the territory is closed, tourism does not develop here. There is a small recreation center on the Diego Garcia atoll, which is intended exclusively for resting British and American servicemen: a small equipped beach, where you can sunbathe, do diving and snorkeling in the area of \u200b\u200bcoastal reefs.
History
Diego Garcia island was opened in 1512 Pedro di Mascareniyas, who called her the house of Garcia. The rights to the territory presented Portugal, but did not colonize it. In 1559, the name appeared on the map.
France planned to include the territory in the Colony of Mauritius and on September 23, 1721, the rights to managing the territory.
In January 1745, sailors from the British ship Pelham were planted on the island, in 1768 the captain of the rank of the Frenchman Dufrezne landed here. And only in 1785, the first French settlement was founded on the island, but the rights to manage the Islands of Chagos and Diego Garcia challenged the United Kingdom. In the same year, they were annexed by France, which founded coconut plantations on the islands, coconuts with which were later used in the production of copras. Slaves from Africa took out to work on Plantations for Chagos.
On May 17, 1810, the islands were part of the British Colony of Seychelles and on May 30, 1814, the belonging of the UK islands belongs to the Paris Treaty.
On August 31, 1903, Chagos Islands came out of the colony of Seychelles and became part of the Colony of Mauritius. In February 1942, the United Kingdom introduced the troops to the island of Diego Garcia, which were stationed there until 1945
On November 8, 1965, the islands formed the British territory in the Indian Ocean. Until 1973, the evacuation of the local population continued (descendants of African slaves and Indians who worked on plantations) on the choice: to the Seychelles or Mauritius. Most preferred Mauritius. An insignificant part of the population emigrated to the UK.
On December 30, 1966, according to the leasing agreement between the United Kingdom and the United States, a base was founded on the island of Diego Garcia, all the plantations on the islands were acquired by Great Britain. In 1973, a radio station was built here. On October 1, 1977, the Base of the MTO Navy was opened on Diego Garcia, which was hostile perceived by neighboring states.
During the war in the Persian Bay of 1990-1991, the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and the initial stage of war in Iraq (2003) several departures were made with Diego Garcia.
On November 2, 2000, the Supreme Court of Great Britain declared invalidation of the sentence of 1971 and provided residents of the Islands right to return to their homeland, with the exception of Diego Garcia. But American and British officials reacted to decree negatively, and on June 11, 2004, the court of British territory in the Indian Ocean challenged the decision 2000. On December 20, 2012, the European Court of Human Rights has ceased to declare the possibility of repatriation of local residents of Chagos to the island.
Akrotiri and Decolery
These are two British military bases on the island of Cyprus. Akrotiri is located in the south of Cyprus, and Decoleia is in the south-east. The territory of Akrotiri is surrounded by Greek Cyprus, and Decoleia is bordered by the Republic of Cyprus and with the UN buffer zone that divides the Turkish and Greek part of the island, as well as from the territory under the control of the Turk Cypriots.
Sovereign military bases Akrotiri and Decoleia on the island of Cyprus are highlighted in white
State symbolism
Flag - Flag of Great Britain. It is a blue rectangular cloth with a red straight cross in a white edging, superimposed on white and red oblique crosses.
Usually use flags with a width ratio to a length of 1: 2, and in the army and on the fleet are used flags with a width ratio to a length of 3: 5.
Coat of arms - Coat of Arms of Great Britain. This is the official coat of arms of the British Monarch (currently Elizabeth II). Other members of the Royal Family and the Government of the country use other coat of arms. The royal coat of arms occurs in two versions, one of which is used only in Scotland.
On the usual version of the coat of arms, two lions and seven heraldic leopards: six gold leopards with Lazorovo weapons on a shield, three in the 1st and 4th fields of the four-separated shield (they correspond to England). Cherry Lion with Lazorovo weapons in the second field personifies Scotland. Crowned leopard in the fabric. Golden crowned lion as a shield holder supports the shield on the right. On the other hand, the shield is supported by a unicorn chain.
State device
Head of the territory - Administrator. Bases are also managed by the administrator appointed by the British monarch from the Ministry of Defense. The administrator has all the executive and legislative power in the territories. No election of the administrator among the population is not held, although British citizens have the right to participate in the universal elections in the UK (as military or foreign voters).
Official language - English.
History
The Republic of Cyprus requires the return of Akrotiri and Decolery, referring to the fact that these bases occupy a large territory that can be used for development. The Government of Great Britain provided financial support to the Republic of Cyprus for 4 years after the provision of Cyprus of independence in 1960, but after the intercommunal conflict of 1963-64. It ceased under the pretext of the lack of guarantees of a fair distribution of funds between both communities. The Cyprus government still requires payments for the period from 1964 to the present, but does not undertake actions at the international legal level. The UK does not intend to infer the base, but suggested to convey Cyprus about a third of the territory of the bases within the framework of the Annan plan to unite Cyprus.
In July 2001, local Cypriots spent protests against the construction of radomaches at the bases. Cypriots defeated some military communications at the bases. Protesters believed that these masts threaten the environment and cause cancer from local residents. The British government rejected these charges.
In February 2008, Communist Dimitris Christofias was elected President of Cyprus, this was anxious in England. Christofias announced the British presence on the island "bloody colonial."
Located a little south of the Republic of Maldives and consists of the archipelago Chagos.which includes more than 60 islands of different shapes and sizes. It is located between Africa and Indonesia, representing one of the most remote land sites located among the exploits of the Indian Ocean.
Features
To date, this British Territory is an exclusively military facility, where civilian personnel of the British and American military bases live. Among this personnel there are also Mauritius and Filipinos, working on a contract basis and maintained by the base. There are no industrial and manufacturing plants or factories here. Historically, several states claimed for these lands, but now the territory is subject to the Commissioner of the UK Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the actual representative of which is the commander of the British Armed Forces, located on the largest island of the archipelago - Diego Garcia.
Of course, in the British territory in the Indian Ocean there are no publicly available benefits of civilization, but there are several radio stations, there is a television channel and satellite communications, allowing military personnel to contact their families in their homeland by phone and with the help of other means of communication. The main article of income in the region is to sell licenses for fishing, in the British territory of the British territory. These licenses are sold in London and enjoy great demand from fishing lovers.
general information
The Square of the British Island Territory is only 60 square meters. km. The population that does not live here on a permanent basis, about 3,500 people. The main language on the islands is English. National currency - US dollar and British pounds. Time Zone UTC + 6. Time is ahead of Moscow for 3 hours. Country code of +246.
Brief excursion in history
For the first time, for the rest of the world, these shores opened the famous Portuguese navocanner Vasco da Gama, and in the XVIII century they were officially announced by the French, as part of the Mauritius colony. However, already in 1814, the territory was transferred to Great Britain, after which, up to the present day, Mauritius constantly presents his rights to island lands. Until the 60s of the last century, the locals, calling themselves with Chagossians lived here. They were engaged in agriculture and fisheries, but before the accommodation of the US-British military base, all the islanders were evaluated to obtain minimal benefits. The Island of Diego Garcia British was leased to the United States, which ends in a few years. For recently, the military base was applied to the appointment during the war in the Persian Gulf in the early 90s, the Afghan war of 2001 and the war in Iraq in 2003. Many indigenous people, a few decades ago forced to leave the archipelago, for a long time presented claim to the British government about the ban on return and even were heard. Now the indigenous islanders have the opportunity to visit their homeland, naturally, while still without the right to residence.
Climate
In the region reigns maritime tropical climate. Throughout the year, winds are blowing here, and the average air temperature from January to December ranges around +26 - +28 degrees. The precipitation falls quite a lot, but their main share falls for the period from November to February. Natural cataclysms are often in the form of storms and strong winds that blow up the unprotected island coast of the archipelago.
Geography . Chagos Archipelago, along with many reefs and small sites of the sushi surrounding, forms the appearance of the British territory in the Indian Ocean. It consists of 7 atolls, where Diego Garcia is in the role of Central, in turn, formed from 4 islands and occupying the area not many more than 27 square meters. km. Since 1973, there is a US military base. The military forces of Great Britain are only a small garrison. The remaining 6 atolls, including Egmont, Posos Banos, Salomon, Bank Big Chagos, Reef Blenheim and the Bank Speakers are not populated and represent a part of the tropical natural oasis of this archipelago.
Visa and customs regulations
To get to the British territory in the Indian Ocean is possible only at a special invitation of the British government or being a fundamental chagosz, which has documentary evidence confirming the fact of the place of birth.
How to get
On the island of Diego Garcia, which is part of the Chagos Archipelago, there is a military airport, consisting of one strip of 3 km long. He takes heavy bombers and other air transport related to the United States and UK aerial aviation. Also, you can get to the islands in water spaces of the Indian Ocean.
Transport
In essence, the aircraft binary motorway is the only inner road on the archipelago. Otherwise, there are no suitable for driving roads within sushi, and in the role of the only type of "public" transport is a bicycle.
British Territory in the Indian Ocean (British Indian Ocean Territory) is the overseas Territory of Great Britain, located in the Indian Ocean south of Maldives.
The British Territory in the Indian Ocean consists of the Chagos Archipelago, which includes 55 islands. The largest is the island of Diego Garcia (44 km²). The total area of \u200b\u200bthe territory is 60 km².
International disputes
In the XIX century, the coconut palm trees began to be redeemed on the island of Diego Garcia for the production of copra, for this, workers were delivered from India (there were no residents on the archipelago).
On November 8, 1965, Great Britain separated the Chagos Archipelago from the island of Mauritius, and founded the British Ocean Territory on It in Indian Ocean to establish a military base to Diego Garcia. Due to the construction of a military base from 1967, Chagos residents (about 1,200 people) were resettled by the British authorities to Mauritius and Seychelles.
Control
The territory is managed by the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Britain, constantly located in London. In place, his officer, commander of British forces on Diego Garcia.
Population
Now the population of the territory is military and civilian personnel (about 4 thousand people) of the British-American military base located on the island of Diego Garcia. Among civilian personnel, in addition to the British and Americans, the Mauritius and the Philipps.
While the majority goes out to sunbathe to the Seychelles, who know in holidays are already justified in hotels on the atolls of the British territory in the Indian Ocean.
Successful location and untouched by the civilization of nature in the blink of an eye made these islands are popular among the sophisticated tourists.
On the archipelago, the hot and humid climate, softened by the winds, and the temperature rarely falls below +30 ° C, which gives tourists the opportunity to relax here almost at any time of the year.
The main thing is not to come here in the season of strong tropical cyclones.
Relaxation
Dazzling beaches with small sand and creating the desired freshness of coconut palms - here all the conditions for the beach holiday of your dreams. And if the serene pastime will be bored with you, you can always diversify it with sea sports: diving, windsurfing, diving with a tube and walks on yachts.
Coastal waters will give fans fishing a lot of pleasure, because in these parts there are many fish.
Nature generously endowed these islands with picturesque places, many of which are today the territories of the reserves. During the Archipelago walks, you will meet a lot of marine animals and savory birds. There are many elephant turtles here, and this place is the house of the largest population of coconut crabs in the world.
The capital of the region, the island of Diego Garcia, is no coincidentally compared with the green carpet - it is so abounding with tropical vegetation.
Kitchen
Chinese and Creole Culinary Traditions were mixed in the local island kitchen. The fish is especially popular here, which is always seasoned by an impressive amount of sauces and spices.
Many sites in the local cookery are occupied by traditional oriental dishes: beans with vegetables, fried chicken, rice cakes and other goodies.
Visa How to get there?The archipelago belonging to Great Britain consists of dozens of small coral islands, of which only one - Diego Garcia is inhabited. There are large air bases of the United States and the seaport for military vessels and submarines, which is used in jointly in Kingdom and America. Free to visit the island ... Read more
Border Nuances CustomsTo get to the archipelago, it is necessary to prevent an invitation from the British government, well, or ...
Published Fly Hunting in the BTR, 01/10/2013 - 03:51Cards
Yandex maps
Google mapsPhotos of the British territory in the Indian Ocean
Attractions of the British Territory in the Indian Ocean
Here there are all the conditions for the beach holiday - the magnificent sandy beaches with small sand and palm trees that create a pleasant coolness. If such " lazy"Holidays you do not like it, you can always diversify it and enjoy a variety of water sports: diving, rowing on kayaks, yachting, windsurfing and fishing. At the same time, you will enjoy charming landscapes everywhere, feeling like in a fairy tale!
Nature richly bestowed these islands with beautiful places, which today are reserved territories, for which it is customary to move on foot or bicycles. Diego Garcia Island can be compared with a green carpet - it is so magnificently covered with tropical vegetation. Walking through the islands, you will see many marine animals and exotic birds. Elephant turtles are found here, and lives the largest population of coconut crabs.
Fishing lovers can get on the islands a lot of pleasures from their beloved classes. For this, they only need to purchase a special license for fishing in the highlighted zone. Clap will be wonderful, because coastal waters in these parts are extremely rich in fish. On the islands, the temperature is rarely below 30 ° C, so there can be almost at any time of year. The most important thing is not to go here in the season of powerful tropical cyclones.
