Location
Southern Asia, archipelago in the
Indian Ocean, about one-half the way
from Africa to Indonesia

Geographic coordinates
6 00 S, 71 30 E

Area
Total: 60 sq km
(note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago)
Comparative: about 0.3 times
the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries
0 km

Coastline
698 km

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

Population
No indigenous inhabitants
(note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural
workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago,
often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were
relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles around
the time of the construction of UK-US military
facilities; in 2001, there were approximately 1,500
UK and US military personnel and 2,000 civilian
contractors living on the island of
Diego Garcia (July 2002 est.))

Dependency status
overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London

Military
Defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016