Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory is located at 7 Degrees South Latitude, off the tip of India . Diego Garcia is exclusively a military installation located on a small host country atoll in the Chagos Archipelago. The heavily vegetated island has an area of 6,720 acres.
Which country owns Diego Garcia island?
Diego Garcia is a British territory mostly populated by the US military, the British colony that’s been colonised by the Americans. Normally the island is home to about 1,700 military personnel and 1,500 civilian contractors.
How do you get to Diego Garcia island?
There are no commercial flights and permits for yachts are only issued to allow safe passage through the Indian Ocean (Outer Islands only). Access to Diego Garcia is only permitted to those with connections either to the military facility or to the Territory’s Administration.
What military base is in Diego Garcia?
Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia is a British Ministry of Defence facility leased to the United States Navy, located on the atoll Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
Does anyone live on Diego Garcia?
There is no permanent population on Diego Garcia , although some 4,000 U.S. and British military and contract civilian personnel are stationed on the atoll.
What language is spoken in Diego Garcia?
French settlement
The Ilois also evolved a French-based Creole dialect now called Chagossian Creole . Throughout their recorded history, the plantations of the Chagos Archipelago had a population of approximately 1,000 individuals, about two-thirds of whom lived on Diego Garcia.
Can I visit Diego Garcia island?
There are no commercial flights and permits for yachts are only issued to allow safe passage through the Indian Ocean (outer islands only). Access to Diego Garcia is only permitted to those with connections either to the military facility or to the Territory’s Administration.
Does Diego Garcia have cell service?
Sure Diego Garcia provides international telephone services, broadband internet and WiFi, 4G and GSM mobile and paging services . We also provide telephone and internet services to maritime customers as well as an extensive portfolio of services to business and Government customers.
What are people from Diego Garcia called?
Chagossians (often referred to as Ilois) were the indigenous people of Diego Garcia Island in the Indian Ocean. From 1965 to 1973 the U.S. government put them on the overcrowded boats and shipped them off to Mauritius.
What is Diego Garcia used for today?
Diego Garcia is now a key US military base in the region, and it is used as a launchpad for Air Force missions in the Middle East . About 5,000 service members and contractors are based on Diego Garcia, which has a bowling alley, a burger bar, and stores.
Who lives on Chagos Islands?
The Chagossians (also Îlois or Chagos Islanders) are a currently exiled Creole ethnic group native to the Chagos Islands, specifically Diego Garcia, Peros Banhos, and the Salomon island chain, as well as other parts of the Chagos Archipelago, from the late 18th century until the middle of 20th century.
Camp Justice is a United States Navy support facility located in the central Indian Ocean 1,909 miles off the eastern coast of Tanzania and 1,357 miles south of India.
What command does Diego Garcia fall under?
The major tenant commands based at Diego Garcia are Military Sealift Command Office (MSCO) , Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron Two (COMPSRON TWO), Afloat Prepositioning Ships Squadron Four (APSRON FOUR), Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Detachment, Mission Support Facility, FISC Yokosuka and 36 MXG Pacific Air ...
Where is Mauritius?
Mauritius is a subtropical island country in the Indian Ocean , just over 1,130 kilometres east of Madagascar, off the south-eastern coast of Africa. Its outlying territories include Rodrigues Island and other smaller islands.
Where are the Chagos Islands?
The Chagos Islands is a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 individual tropical islands in the Indian Ocean , situated some 500 km due south of the Maldives. Officially part of the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Chagos were home to the Chagossians for more than a century and a half.
Why the population of tromelin is low?
Important Bird Area
Sulidae populations have seriously declined in the western Indian Ocean with those on Tromelin among the healthiest remaining. ... The breeding populations of both birds have since been extirpated, although they continue to use the island for roosting. There are no resident landbirds.
