British Indian Ocean Territory

British Indian Ocean Territory Geography

Location
archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia

Geographic coordinates
6 00 S, 71 30 E

Area
total: 60 sq km
land: 60 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago

Area - comparative
about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries
0 km

Coastline
698 km

Maritime claims
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate
tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds

Terrain
flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation)

Elevation extremes
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m

Natural resources
coconuts, fish, sugarcane

Land use
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2001)

Irrigated land
0 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards
NA

Environment - current issues
NA

Geography - note
archipelago of 2,300 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility



- Info Provided by the CIA World Factbook -