Travel British Indian Ocean Territory
If you travel British Indian Ocean Territory islands should know that since the 1960s, the whole range of 1000 islands has been under the control of the British and American armed forces. The islands were formally part of the Seychelles and Maldives, but the British government separated them for use by the Americans in return for missile technology.
Before that, the islands had been known as shipwreck islands by native Maldivians and were thought to be too far from the Maldives to be settled effectively. The islands were first settled by slaves brought by the French to create coconut plantations, and were handed over to the British in 1810. The islanders were left alone until 1965, when the British government split the islands up to form the British Indian Ocean Territory, moved all the native islanders to Mauritius and began to build a big naval base.
The main airfield is in Diego Garcia, the biggest island of the archipelago. It is also home to the army and naval settlement and has the only road that runs between the camp and the airfield. American air force personnel and Filipino contract workers make up the majority of the total population of 4,000. The prime aim of the airfield was to keep an eye on the southern Russian states during the Cold War, and it now operates as the American center of operations in the Indian Ocean.
Quick Info:
Capital: Diego Garcia
Language(s): English
Religion(s): Christianity
Currency: United States dollar (USD
Electricity Voltage: NA
Calling Code: 246
Popular Travel Destinations:
- The Salomon Islands
- Boddam Island
- Diego Garcia
Official Website: http://www.britlink.org/
Travel Forums:
- Lonely Planet British Indian Ocean Territory Forum
- Trip Advisor British Indian Ocean Territory Forum
- Virtual Tourist British Indian Ocean Territory Forum
*Note* - Some of the graphics on this page were taken from the CIA World Factbook which contains a wealth of information on every country in the world. I highly recommend it.