British Indian Ocean Territory Geography Profile 2003

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

Map references

Political Map of the World

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

exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 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: NEGL
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (1998 est.)

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