The Chagos Archipelago (formerly Oil Islands) is a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 individual tropical islands roughly in the centre of the Indian Ocean. [34] A subsidiary issue is the Mauritian opposition to the 1 April 2010 UK Government's declaration that the BIOT is a Marine Protected Area with fishing and extractive industry (including oil and gas exploration) prohibited. In addition to the seven atolls with dry land reaching at least the high-water mark, there are nine reefs and banks, most of which can be considered permanently submerged atoll structures. The French began issuing permits for companies to establish coconut oil plantations on the Chagos in the 1770s. It consists of five atolls, including The Great Chagos Bank - the largest atoll in the world. The only option to visit this beautiful place has its own yacht, which is not given to everyone on our planet. It is populated by military who live in military base. Nov 04, 2014 Most of the 1,800 islanders ended up living in Britain. The third atoll Peros Banhos is the closest to Nature of Maldives. There is considerable poaching of turtles and other marine life. In 1793, when the first successful colony was founded on Diego Garcia, the largest island, coconut plantations were established on many of the atolls and isolated islands of the archipelago. Shark numbers have dramatically declined as a result of illegal fishing boats that seek to remove their fins and also as accidental by-catch in the two tuna fisheries that used to operate seasonally in the Chagos.[53]. Although Portuguese navigator Pedro de Mascarenhas (1470 – 23 June 1555) is credited with having discovered the islands during his voyage of 1512–13, there is little corroborative evidence for this; cartographic analysis points to 1532 or later. It is home to an astonishing diversity of life, and acts as a refuge for many threatened species. Each tourism market is further analyzed by providing extensive data for key destination countries. The official insisted that the establishment of a marine park—the world's largest—would in no way impinge on USG use of the BIOT, including Diego Garcia, for military purposes. Between 1967 and 1973, the entire population was removed from the islands and moved to Mauritius and the Seychelles to make way for a joint United States-United Kingdom military base on Diego Garcia. Mauritius initiated on 20 December 2010 proceedings against the United Kingdom under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to challenge the legality of the Chagos Archipelago MPA. A small group of six Chagossians residing in Seychelles recently returned from a week’s tour of their homeland, re-living a tragedy spanning six decades; the forced removal of hundreds of islanders from their home, to make way for a US military base. Commander Robert Moresby made a survey of the Chagos on behalf of the British Admiralty in 1838. Despite the absence of paparazzi, you’ll hear countless shutters click as you cruise across shimmering Lake Tahoe, enjoy a scenic tram ride through stunning Yosemite, and coast along Monterey’s jaw-dropping 17-Mile Drive. In 1965, Britain paid the self-governing colony of Mauritius £3 million for the archipelago and established the British Indian Ocean Territory, administered by the Commissioner of Mauritius. The remote islands make perfect undisturbed nursery sites for nests of green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) turtles. The British Indian Ocean Territory is centrally located in the Indian Ocean, south of the Maldives, about halfway between Madagascar and Indonesia.The main island, Diego Garcia, is a military facility off limits to anyone not on official duty, but some of the uninhabited outer islands can be visited by independent yachters with advance permission. On 23 June 1976, Aldabra, Farquhar and Desroches were returned to the Seychelles. This administration is represented in the Territory by the Officer commanding British Forces on Diego Garcia, the "Brit Rep". Initially the workers were slaves, but after 1840 they were freemen, many of whom were descended from those earlier slaves. Because many different forms of life call it home, from the coral reefs to the various species that live on more than 55 islands. The total area, including lagoons within atolls, is more than 15 000 km2, of which 12 642 km2 are accounted by the Great Chagos Bank, the largest acknowledged atoll structure of the world (the completely submerged Saya de Malha Bank is larger, but its status as an atoll is uncertain). As of 2010[update], only the atoll of Diego Garcia has been transformed into a military facility. As regards the resettlement on the Chagos Archipelago of Mauritian nationals, including those of Chagossian origin, the Court was of the view that this is an issue relating to the protection of the human rights of those concerned, which should be addressed by the General Assembly during the completion of the decolonization of Mauritius. The largest individual islands are Diego Garcia (32.5 km2), Eagle (Great Chagos Bank, 3.1 km2), Île Pierre (Peros Banhos, 1.40 km2), Eastern Egmont (Egmont Islands, 2.17 km2), Île du Coin (Peros Banhos, 1.32 km2) and Île Boddam (Salomon Islands, 1.27 km2). The Chagossians and Their Struggle", "Mauritius: MPA Around Chagos Archipelago Violates International Law - This Is a Historic Ruling for Mauritius, Says PM", "MPA around Chagos Archipelago violates international law – This is a Historic ruling for Mauritius, says PM", "Chagossians fight for a home in paradise", "Chagos Islands dispute: UK 'threatened' Mauritius", "Chagos islanders cannot return home, UK Foreign Office confirms", https://maldivesindependent.com/politics/maldives-defends-un-vote-on-chagos-islands-dispute-145501, "Mauritius to reiterate its conditions for renewed talks with UK on Chagos", "Mauritius threatens to take Chagos Islands row to UN court", "U.K. seeks Indian help in resolving Chagos Archipelago dispute", "U.N. Asks International Court to Weigh In on Britain-Mauritius Dispute", "Chagos legal status sent to international court by UN", "UK suffers crushing defeat in UN vote on Chagos Islands", "Chagos islanders cannot return home, says Supreme Court", "Diego Garcia "Camp Justice" 7º20'S 72º25'E", "A Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Chagos", "Bleaching impacts on carbonate production in the Chagos Archipelago: influence of functional coral groups on carbonate budget trajectories", "Coral bleaching impacts from back-to-back 2015–2016 thermal anomalies in the remote central Indian Ocean", "Reefs and islands of the Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean: why it is the world's largest no-take marine protected area", "Sharks Crack The Case: Uncovering Illegal Activities In Paradise", The Creation of the Chagos Marine Protected Area: A Fisheries Perspective, "Concerns about the Chagos Archipelago MPA Proposal", "Conservation and Management in British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago)", "Wetland and marine protected areas on the world heritage list", "Britain protects Chagos Islands, creating world's largest marine reserve", "UK sets up Chagos Islands marine reserve", "Welcome to the Chagos Conservation Trust | Chagos Conservation Trust", "Consultation on Whether to Establish a Marine Protected Area in the British Indian Ocean Territory", "WikiLeaks: Foreign Office accused of misleading public over Diego Garcia | Politics", "Hmg Floats Proposal For Marine Reserve Covering", ICJ 2019 Advisory Opinion on Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chagos_Archipelago&oldid=1000036938, Geography of the British Indian Ocean Territory, Articles with dead external links from July 2014, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2018, Articles containing Portuguese-language text, Articles needing additional references from October 2016, All articles needing additional references, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2010, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles containing potentially dated statements from August 2010, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2012, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2015, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Maldives or the Maldive Islands lies on the Indian Ocean between Chagos Archipelago and … enjoy, Mark. The then-independent Mauritian government refused to accept the displaced islanders without payment, and in 1973, the United Kingdom gave the Mauritian government an additional £650,000 as reparation payments to resettle the islanders. The Commissioner is assisted by an Administrator and small staff, and is based in London and resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Piron was among 1,500 people made to leave the Chagos Islands, on the Indian Ocean archipelago, by the US and British militaries. The motion was approved by a majority vote with 94 voting for and 15 against. Cruisers are permitted to anchor at only two atolls, and they typically drop their hooks at: 1. 1 US Outbound Tourism KPIs . Until October 2010, Skipjack (Euthynnus pelamis) and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) were fished for about two months of the year as their year-long migratory route takes them through Chagos waters. It found that the UK's commitments towards Mauritius in relation to fishing rights and oil and mineral rights in the Chagos Archipelago are legally binding. Fifty-six states, including France and Germany, abstained.[42][43]. Here are the clear waters of the Indian Ocean and ekostitemite in the area have proven resistant to climate change when there is no human intervention. The number of atolls in the Chagos Archipelago is given as four or five in most sources, plus two island groups and two single islands, mainly because it is not recognised that the Great Chagos Bank is a huge atoll structure (including those two island groups and two single islands), and because Blenheim Reef, which has islets or cays above or just reaching the high-water mark, is not included. This chain of islands is the southernmost archipelago of the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge, a long submarine mountain range in the Indian Ocean.[3]. They were of mixed African, South Indian, Portuguese, English, French and Malay descent and lived very simple, spartan lives in their isolated archipelago working in the coconut and sugar plantations, or in the fishing and small textile industries. Tourism promotion in Indonesian cities by countries such as Singapore is the reason that could be attributed for growth in … As a result, the ecosystems of the Chagos have so far proven resilient to climate change and environmental disruptions. Access is restricted and a permit is required in advance of travel. [citation needed], A total of 113 species of insect have been recorded from the Chagos Islands. The last license to fish near the Chagos archipelago expired in 2010. Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976, leaving only the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago of 2,300 islands. The licensing of commercial fishing used to provide an annual income of about US$2 million for the British Indian Ocean Territory authorities. The Chagos Archipelago (/ ˈ tʃ ɑː ɡ oʊ s / or / ˈ tʃ ɑː ɡ ə s /) or Chagos Islands (formerly the Bassas de Chagas, and later the Oil Islands) is a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 individual tropical islands in the Indian Ocean about 500 kilometres (310 mi) south of the Maldives archipelago. The Chagos Archipelago is chain of more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean. The Chagos group is a combination of different coralline rock structures topping a submarine ridge running southwards across the centre of the Indian Ocean, formed by volcanoes above the Réunion hotspot. [citation needed] Land bird fauna is poor and consists of introduced species and recent natural colonisers. [37] The British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson sought Indian assistance for resolving the dispute involving the United Kingdom, the United States and Mauritius. The Chagos Archipelago is chain of more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean. Leaked US Cables have shown the FCO suggesting to the US counterparts that setting up a protected no-take zone would make it "difficult, if not impossible" for the islanders to return. The coconut crabs on Chagos constitute one of the most undisturbed populations in the world. The British Indian Ocean Territory, or the Chagos Archipelago, is only accessibly by private vessel. [27], On 1 April 2010, the British government Cabinet established the Chagos Marine Protected Area as the world's largest marine reserve. The United Kingdom claims that it has no doubt about its sovereignty over the archipelago. The Chagos Archipelago, which was claimed by the United Kingdom as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) in 1965 lies about 1,770km east of Mahé (the main island of the Seychelles). Nearly closed atoll, it has built an asphalt road. The islanders were known as the Ilois (one French Creole word for "islanders") and they numbered about 1,000. Indonesia’s tourism sector depicted growth during 2010–2015, driven by the tourism ministry’s promotional campaigns such as “Wonderful Indonesia”. Integral to this is the self-determination of the whole of the territory enco… Britain purchased it for £3m - creating the BIOT. The UK has restricted access to the Chagos … Diego Garcia is currently the only inhabited island in the Chagos, all of which comprise the British Indian Ocean Territory, usually abbreviated as "BIOT". The motion was approved by a majority vote with 116 voting for and 6 against. On 30 December 1966, the United States and the United Kingdom executed an agreement through an Exchange of Notes which permit the United States Armed Forces to use any island of the BIOT for defence purposes for 50 years, until December 2016,[20] followed by a 20-year optional extension (to 2036) to which both parties must agree by December 2014. Diego Garcia, coral atoll, largest and southernmost member of the Chagos Archipelago, in the central Indian Ocean. In 1965, three years prior to the independence of Mauritius, the U.K. split the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritian territory, and the islands of Aldabra, Farquhar and Desroches from the Seychelles, to form the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). [28] On 18 March 2015, the Permanent Court of Arbitration unanimously held that the marine protected area (MPA) which the United Kingdom declared around the Chagos Archipelago in April 2010 violates international law. … This became known as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). In November 1965, the UK purchased the entire Chagos Archipelago from the then self-governing colony of Mauritius for £3 million to create the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT),[20] with the intent of ultimately closing the plantations to provide the British territory from which the United States would conduct its military activities in the region. [52], As well as the healthy communities of reef fish there are significant populations of pelagic fish such as manta rays (Manta birostris), whale sharks, normal sharks, and tuna. [45] Around 1,700 armed services personnel and 1,500 civilian contractors, mostly American, are stationed on Diego Garcia.[46]. Administratively, it was a dependency of Mauritius for most of its history, but since 1965 it has been part of the British Indian Ocean Territory.

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