British Indian Ocean Territory Geography - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

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

NOTE: The information regarding British Indian Ocean Territory on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of British Indian Ocean Territory 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about British Indian Ocean Territory 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.