British Indian Ocean Territory Geography - 2024

Location

archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about halfway between Africa and Indonesia

Geographic coordinates

6 00 S, 71 30 E;note - Diego Garcia 7 20 S, 72 25 E

Map references

Political Map of the World

Area

total: 60 sq km

land: 60 sq km (44 Diego Garcia)

water: 54,340 sq km

note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands

Area - comparative

land area is about one-third the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries

total: 0 km

Coastline

698 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

Environment (Protection and Preservation) Zone: 200 nm

Climate

tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds

Terrain

flat and low coral atolls (most areas do not exceed two m in elevation); sits atop the submarine volcanic Chagos-Laccadive Ridge

Elevation

highest point: ocean-side dunes on Diego Garcia 9 m

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

Natural resources

coconuts, fish, sugarcane

Land use

agricultural land: 0% (2018 est.)

arable land: 0% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)

forest: 0% (2018 est.)

other: 100% (2018 est.)

Natural hazards

none; located outside routes of Indian Ocean cyclones

Geography - note

note 1: archipelago of 55 islands; Diego Garcia, the largest and southernmost island, occupies a strategic location in the central Indian Ocean; the island is the site of a joint US-UK military facility

note 2: Diego Garcia is the only inhabited island of the BIOT and one of only two British territories where traffic drives on the right, the other being Gibraltar